Konnichiwa, how is everything over there? We are back to hot weather again. We had a typhoon over the weekend. First it was windy, then rainy then sunny. I got caught in it riding my bike in to the city. I was riding pretty quickly when the wind picked up and stopped me in my tracks. It was quite freaky. Karna was at rugby training and he got caught in it.

In Japan they train everyday for their particular sport(just like Mr Hornby) - the difference is that they do not have a lot of talent. Karna is coaching the agricultural school rugby team once a week and is now also coaching a local mens team for the kokutai which is the national sports festival. All the best teams are coming to Kochi to play. I am trying to get holidays around that time so I can go and watch. the people train in all weather but they do not have a lot of skill.

Anyway the typhoon blows everything around and the canal that we live beside had rubbish floating down it. We are trying to encourage people to clean it up.

The hot weather makes you very sleepy and the teachers sleep at their desks. Our staff office doubles as the staffroom. Every teacher has their desk here in tables of aobut eight. This is where you work and eat and everything. The high school teacher has it pretty cruisy. I think U will try it when U come back to New Zealand. All my work is completed in the time I am here and I am free to go home and do whatever I want. I teach 13 classes a week out of a possible 30. Pretty easy eh?

The teachers here are amazed that I used to teach all subjects and they think that is very difficult. The staffroom is a working place and the classroom only has a table to lay your things on as the teachers move from room to room and the children stay still. You have unlimited photocopying.

Tthe recycling here is pretty way out. You must put your rubbish in the different rubbish bags and each day there is a different type of rubbish collected. You have paper, plastic, cans, bottles, food, and inorganic. Karna and I have a lot in the cans bag.

The beer here is really nice (you can tell Nick that) and it is so easy to drink. I had my enkai on Friday which is the welcome party and you can drink and eat all you like for 4000yen. You pour your own drink out of a barrel. I was pouring the beers because the Japanese people leave too much white froth on top. So I taught them how to pour a good beer. They were very impressed.

Mrs Luke.