The message on my cake made me smile alot, thankyou all involved!


I and David enjoying the cake

I arrived back on my island today (Wednesday) having missed two and a half days of work and wearing the same clothes I had been wearing for the last five days. Also I was a year older. What on earth had happened to me to bring about this situation? I was also the happiest I have been since I got to Japan. The best bit was that when I rocked up to school, no-one batted an eyelid. Well not true, I got some smiles and even an ‘otskaresama desu’ (good job!). Of course you are going to be disappointed when I describe how this situation came about but I don’t think I can leave you hanging. The simple truth behind it all was that I went to the mainland to spend my birthday with my good friends there. But once there terrible storms descended from nowhere and caused my ferry to be cancelled three days in a row (Sunday through Tuesday). I was perhaps a tad worried that I might face some trouble, but all is quiet so far, it is quite possible my supervisor does not even know. I baught them some pretty nice chocolates as omiyage and they have just decended on them en mass as I type and seem very happy with them. I also noted with a little relief that there were some other BOE employees also on the ferry, I was not the only one stranded on the mainland. Stranded on the mainland trying to get to a small island, a reversal of the usual position. So there we go. I had a wonderful birthday weekend and I say thank you to all those involved in making it so. I also thank the gods of the weather for whipping up those nasty looking waves and having the ferry cancelled for me. I had a jolly good time on the mainland and even accomplished some useful things. That is to say I got my vaccinations for India completed, that was due to another serendipitous happening! On the Tuesday because my phones battery was empty I had to take the bus up to nago on the speculation the ferry was running, it wasn’t but as a result I bumped into Elina in the Nago Jusco just before she was off to meet Ben to go down and get their vaccinations in Naha. I also made a Christmas wreath but that’s by the by. Ah yes we also went to the peace park but I don’t have anything to say about that, it was quite nice. Oh and then the icing on the cake, when I got back to school on my desk was a parcel. Always fun but especially when it’s a birthday present and a graduation present, joy joy happy happy joy joy. Ahem yes well. Anyway it was an awesome gift which has heightened my admiration of the Japanese. It is a marvellous example of technology fused with art, and innovative technology at that. The Japanese do make good stuff, they really do.