Say Goodbye!

Yesterday I was informed by one of my JET friends over in Japan that they quit the JET program. She came to Japan at the same time as me and we met in Phoenix the first time. This person who I will keep anonymous has had a bad experience overall on JET, and made the decision to leave the first week of April. I really feel bad for her, because she had such a bad experience. The problem with the JET program is that depending on where you are placed in Japan, you may or may not have an enjoyable time. Unfortunately for my friend, she was placed on a somewhat boring area, with some really bad teachers, some ignorant people and an overall shitty placement(I hope that sums it up correctly). However there are some people that like me that are placed in Osaka with pretty good teachers overall. It makes me wonder if I would have done the same thing as my friend. I wonder how lucky I was to be placed in Osaka, even though it is far from perfect, FAR from perfect. But even in Osaka things are varied. Some of my JET colleagues here in Osaka tell me about some really bad situations at their schools. Anyway, I am getting off the topic. If my friend is reading this I wish her well on the next step in life, where ever that may be! I know you will kick some ass some where else! Take care!

Well as for me, it's another boring day sitting around at my school. There are no students, no classes and again the teachers are running around like chickens without heads. I really don't understand what they could possibly be doing that makes them so busy. Well, whatever it's all good you know.

Hey I realized something funny the other day. In Japan, people love to wear these ridiculous white masks when they are sick. They look like those masks that you would use if you were painting, or you know those masks that people used to use during that SARS outbreak a few years back? Well anyway, those masks! So you will see people walking around with these masks all day long. It's basically a billboard that says

"HEY EVERYBODY I'M SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".

Now I really didn't have a problem with these masks at first, until I saw this one ridiculous thing. I have noticed that people that wear these damn masks love to pull the mask up off their mouths when they are going to cough!!

"but vince, i'm sure that they cover their mouths when they cough right?"

HAHAHA, absolutely NOT! They will just cough into the air spreading all those germs. And then casually place the white SARS mask back on and over their mouths.

Now, I'm no doctor but I do believe that germs are spread when you COUGH! So, I can't possibly understand the point of wearing the SARS mask when you are just going to take it off when you cough.

(ok let me gather myself for a moment...)

Alright, tonight I am going to "martini night" at a cozy bar in Namba called Cinquecento with New York Tom. It should be good times! I'll let you all know how that goes tomorrow, or sometime during this weekend. Right now I am going back to my desk to sit around and stare at my Las Vegas Sign that my brother gave me before I left. Viva Las Vegas! See you all!

peace

vince

p.s. i like to say hi to people on my blog. not to fulfill people ego's, but because i genuinely like to say hi! see ya!