Yesterday was my birthday, as most of you know! I was afraid that by the it was my birthday, I wouldnt have anyone to celebrate with, but to my surprise it was a huge party! The night before my birthday I went to play cricket with some friends, followed by a disastrous game of bowling and finished off the night at a Kareoke bar getting drunk off of Japanese whisky. Unfortunately, on the day of my b-day I had to work from 9 to 9, but it wasn't until after my last class that some co-workers, French and English students went out to this very traditional Japanese restaurant. We ate a tons of delicious food and drank gallons of alcohol. By the way, the rumours are true; Japanese people love to drink and have no tolerance for alcohol (makes me think of Derwin in a way...) I could have sat there for weeks just watching them getting smashed! Girls were kissing, people were standing and dancing on their chairs and they just kept on ordering more beer, more sake, more cocktails. It was just crazy! So I thought I would send you a few photos of my wacky b-day night.

Here you have the waitress and her giant box of hot tofu. It is quite fascinating to see waiters in restaurants drop to their knees when they approach your table to take your order. They also never turn their backs to their customers in sign of respect, so you will often see waiters walking backwards or just stop walking as you pass by. And although they are serving you and the service is wonderful, they act as though they were a nuisance and wont stop apologizing. It is quite humourous sometimes: "so sorry, so sorry, so sorry!" or in Japanese, "sumimasen, sumimansen, sumimasen!!"

In these pictures you can have a better of idea of the amount of food and alcohol we have ingested last night. Every plate was gorgeous and so very delicious (oishi as they say in Japanese!)

Here are some of my french students. They were the drunkest of the bunch and the most entertaining. It's as if they had an on/off switch button on their backs that made them either automatically drunk or sober. All they needed was just one sip of sake to notice a complete change in behaviour. There is no middle-ground; they are either drunk or sober. Apart from the Japanese getting drunk, it was very amusing having to translate everything in french or in english and having people translating japanese for me. I was completly lost in translation. They kept on pouring me alcohol and they didn't understand how it was possible for me to still be sober by the end of the night (or somewhat)!

Here I am with a few of my students. (left to right, Chikoku, Yokiko and Tomoko.) Apart from Yukiko who is my english student, the two others are french students.

In this one, you see my boss, Regis with a beautifully presented sashimi plate. We get along really well and he has been great in helping me settle in Fukushima. He is also from Montreal and we a have few things in common like our love for fine food and fine wines, which is always a bonus.

Another co-worker, David, from Toronto, Canada getting fresh with one of the French students.

Well there you have it. Tomorrow again I am going hiking with friends, which reminds me that I need to go shopping for some hiking boots! Japan is such a beautiful country to explore. The country side is just amazing, its postcard perfect! I cannot even start to explain how beautiful it is here, you really have to be here to understand. I am happy to say that I love it here and that I regret absolutly nothing!!!

Till next time,

e.

Last Monday was a Japanese national holyday, so me and some new friends went to check out the beautiful falls in Koriyama called Chosigataki, merely an hour drive from Fukushima. (left to right, Craig, Ryota, MEEEE and Kume.)

Some new friends (left to right, Craig from Australia, Kume, Ryota and Jacqueline from Australia.)

Some more new friends at a nice little Indien restaurant! (left right, Yoshiro, Ryota and Leslie) What can I say, Im what people a call a social butterfly!

One of Fukushima's many mountains.



Typical little street in Fukushima.

The view from one of the many big windows in my apartment.

Bonjour tout le monde!
vous vous demandez surement comment se passe ma vie au Japon! Et alors, jusqua maintenant mon sejour ici a ete super! Je ne regrette rien. Les Japonais ainsi que mes collegues de travaille sont tres gentils, chaleureux et genereux. Regis (mon employeur) m`a beacoup aide a mon arrive a m`ouvrir un compte de banque, a me connecter a l`Internet (qui va etre installe chez moi le jour de ma fete - le 21 Septembre) et a me retrouver dans cette ville.
Fukushima est une tres petite ville avec un jolie petit cachet. Elle est entouree de montagnes qui resembles beaucoup aux montagnes des Laurentides. Une des montagnes est meme un volvan actif. Tres bientot, moi et des nouveaux amis, nous allons faire une randonnee dans les montagnes et peut-etre un picnic. La bouffe est delicieuse, meme le 7Eleven au coin de la rue offre le meilleur sushi! La fin de semaine passe, moi et mon voisin (un autre professeur d`anglais de New York de 33 ans) nous sommes alle a un vrai resturant japonais traditionel. On a du enlever nos souliers a l`entrer et s`assoir sur des coussins pour manger. Alain tu serais aux anges ici!! Tout est tres sante, les fruits et legumes sont tellement meilleures ici... ils sont plus sucres, ils goutes tres differents. Par contre, les fruits et legumes sont beaucoup plus chers! Par exemple, 3 bananes coutent presque $3!! Des melons d`eau peuvent etre aussi cher que $20!! Mais au contraire des rumeurs, la bouffe en general n`est pas aussi cher que tout le monde pensait, mais Fukushima est une tres petite ville et les choses ici sont generalement moins cheres que dans les grandes villes.
Mon apartmement est aussi beaucoup plus grand que je pensais! J`ai une chambre a coucher, un salon, une salle a diner (que j`ai transforme en bureau), une grande cuisine, une toilette et une salle de douche (La toilette et la douche sont dans deux salles separees au japon).
A date, l`experience d`enseignante d`ecole a ete tout un defi. Il a des cours que je prefere enseigner plus que d`autres (comme les cours d`adultes - ils sont plus interessants, ils m`apprenent beaucoup sur la culture d`ici et ils jasent beaucoup plus), mais enseigner, par exemple, le francais a des enfants de 3 ans "makes you want to pull your hair out." A cet age, ils ne savent meme pas comment parler le Japonais, imaginez leurs ensigner le Francais... argh!
Ce soir, je vais a un "house warming party" d`un professur qui vient de commencer dans une autre ecole d`anglais a Fukushima. A date, j`ai rencontrer plusieurs nouvelles personnes. Tout le monde est tellement plus vieux que moi, mais ils ne me croivent pas quand je leur dit que j`ai seulement 22 ans. Hier je suis sortie avec mon voisin et une de ses collegues de travaille (une femme britannique de 35ans) et elle n`arretait pas de dire comment qu`elle me trouvait mature pour mon age. Mais je dois aussi admettre qu`elle agit pas mal jeune pour une femme de 35 ans. On ecoute la meme musique, on a la meme facon de penser et elle aussi aimerait devenir journaliste apres son retour du Japon. Je suis contente de l`avoir rencontre. Elle sera a la fete ce soir et puis elle habite tres proche de chez moi. Ce soir, je suis sure que je vais faire plus de nouvelle rencontres.. mais je me suis deja fait tellement d`amis. Je ne savais pas que ca serait si facile!
Je dois y aller maintenant, j`ai quelques comissions a faire. Je ne comprends pas at je ne parle pas encore le japonais, mais tous les jours j`apprends des nouveaux mots et des nouevlles expressions. Par contre, ca peut etre tres frustrant de ne jamais rien comprendre! Presque personne parle l`anglais... mais je m`arrange!
s`il vous plait, si quelqu`un peut donner se e-mail a Arlette et Robert, puisqu`ils n`ont pas encore l`Internet. Merci :)
alors, a la prochaine... vous me manquez beaucoup!love you,Ivanie

This is probably my last posting before I leave good old Ottawa for my week in Montreal. It has been a great journey that I wrapped up last night with a nice little get together with all of my closest friends. I have met so many incredible people in my last four years here and although not all of you could make it last night, you all really had an important impact on my life one way or another and hold a significant place in my heart. I am going to miss you guys very much.

We started out the evening at The Blue Cactus, where we had to wait an hour and a half to be seated. We were 12 people in total on a Friday night, so the long wait had to be expected, but I felt bad for everyone that was hungry and who wanted to sit down. The place was packed and I had friends scattered all over the place and I just wanted everyone to be happy. I got a little stressed out, because I wanted to spend some quality time with everyone who came to see me and I wanted everyone to be comfortable. I get all rawled up about little things, and I forget to have fun because I get worried that people won't be having a good time.

After dinner we moved our way up to Eighteen, a poshy martini place where we were expecting to see some friends of mine. But I think we were too late and missed them. There I had the strongest most potent martini I have ever had in my life. I never felt so buzzed after a mixed drink like this before, and it tasted awful! The drink I ordered was called the New Yorker (that I tried to order in a New York accent, but no matter how hard I try the French always prevails) and it had orange juice, absinthe and some other kind of liquor that I can't remember. Our time spent in that bar reminded me of a scene taken straight out of an episode of Sex and the City, as we were talking about out latest embarassing anecdotes, our latest conquests and the boys in our lives while slowly savouring our martinis (it wasn't as much savouring for me but more more like drinking it very slowly because I couldnt handle too much of that horrible bitter taste in my mouth.)

Then we hopped to the next bar. Yes, you've all guessed right. We walked accross to Zaphods at around 12:30am, where we spent the rest of the evening. It was only Nayeli and I at this point, but we met with some of her fun co-workers. The music was a little off this time but we still managed to have a really great time. I had one of Nayeli's co-workers come out just to see me... I had met him just last monday and appearantly he really wanted to see me again. So that is always very flattering and it well ended the evening.

In these last few days I really wanted to make sure to see as many people as possible before I leave. Thank you all for giving me this time. I know that I will be back some day, but I have never been gone this far away from everybody and not have the choice to come home whenever I wanted to. Im hoping that I can have as much fun there and to find as many great people to hang out with in Japan.

On another note, I'm still not done packing and I'm still waiting for my employer to e-mail me. My next entry will be next week, so I hope you dont miss my sappy writing too much. What can I say, that is what most girls do. I can't help it. I will try to be funnier and quirkier next time. But for now, I just want to tell you all how much I have enjoyed my last 4 years in your great company. Thank you, and till next time. We never know what we will be doing or where we will be in our lives when we meet again, but I wish you all the best of luck.

e.

"Its been a year of funerals and nobody blames you for anything, all the same you put space between this and the volcanos, and today is the first day of the rest of your life." -Craig Cardiff Year of Funerals

I thought I would start this entry with a nice little quote. Not that I am trying to copy you Rachel or anything. I just thought it was appropriate because of the many changes that have recently occured in my life that have brought me to take some drastic decisions (like going to Japan for example). Although it has been hard to move on, I have decided to seriously take my future into my own hands and to start fresh, "the first day of the rest of my life." Call me lame, whatever. Sometimes music say it better than you ever would.

So here is what's been happening in my life in the last few days: packing, throwing out stuff, packing, getting more boxes in South Keys dumpsters, seeing friends, packing, drinking, partying.. oh and waiting for my employer to respond to my e-mails. This whole waiting thing has been really stressing me out lately. Why isn't my future boss responding to any of my e-mails? Is he on holiday still? Is he too busy? did Japan's Internet system completly shut down ? Oh wait... do I still have the job????? Well I did sign a contract, so there shouldn't be any reason why I wouldn't be, but why is he not replying to any of my e-mails. This is very sketchy. Let's just hope that there is a legitimate reason for all of this.

Anyway, im still living my life as though I was still going to Japan in the first weeks of September. I'm going to Montreal this week-end for a week to see my family and some friends one last time before I leave. Its going to be nice to see everybody! But I need to be all packed and ready to go before this saturday since we are moving out my stuff only on the 28th to go to Toronto. There I will be waiting for my work visa so that I can finally get my plane tickets. Thankfully I will be keeping myself busy volunteering at the Toronto International Film Festival and spending some well wasted time with some of my besterest Ottawa friends in the world.

So last night Nayeli and I went out to meet Lyndsay at her friend's house for some pre-drinking before hitting the Z. We were waiting for the bus with our ginormous bottle of Rose, when all of a sudden these cops appeared out of nowhere to ask us if we had been drinking. It wasn't like we were talking loudly, or dancing on the benches or anything. We thought that they were coming to warn us about something that happened in the South Keys area, like some kind of robbery or rape. But no, they were wasting their valuable time asking two innocent girls if they had been drinking waiting for the bus. After checking to see that our bottle was actually closed, they almost made us miss our bus, but thankfully the driver was nice enough to wait for us... how insulting! They should have sneaked in on us when we were actually pissed drunk after almost finishing the bottle in less than an hour which resulted in Nayeli giving me a piggy back ride singing Mr Brightside at the top of our lungs on our way down Slater! I don't think I have ever had a dull moment with this girl. I am gonna miss you Chiquita! I have the best time with you. I am so happy that you will be Toronto in September with me.

Well that was my little anecdote for the day! I should get back to packing now.
Write to you all very soon!
e.

It has been awhile since my last entry... I dont think I need to say that these last few days have been extremely busy. Of my 4 wonderful years in Ottawa, I only have 6 days left in this city. Although I will miss it here, I still have all the memories, and remember them as the best moments of my life... meeting my best friend, my first birthday party in Ottawa, my first date, my first A, my first apartment, and my amazing friends that I truly learned to appreciate in my last months here. I dont know what I would have done without you guys: Heidi, Nayeli, Cynthia, Sara, Rachel, Jessica, Rusty, Shane, Natalie, Lyndsay, Matt... you are true friends and I couldnt ask for better. Thank you for the good talks, the good advice and the good times, je vous aime plus que tout au monde.


For the people who know me really well, we all know that I own tons of things. I cant remember the last time my room was clean, or the last time I saw my carpet. I love to shop and I dont like to get rid of things as useless as they may be. But I have spent the last week in my room sorting out through a mound of clothing, buckets and cabinets of beauty products, and I have set my mind to get rid of as many things as possible. So last saturday, not only did I fill about 7 garbage bags, Cynthia and I had a Massive Yard Sale (thats what we wrote on the posters by the corner of the street.) I tried to sell everything, from my jewelry, skis, bicycle, my annoying glass tables, my crappy slow as hell computer, old clothes, winter jackets to my collection of magazines. Well, it was a success... I sold $310 worth of stuff, including my computer that I sold for $150. I couldnt believe it. I dont think that thing is worth more than $100. So Im taking a break from this madness to write you all.

Although the packing and yard sale went well, I still had to get into a little predicament that kind of put a stick in the wheel of productivity. I think you will all like this little story. Last Monday I was invited to this party with Matt at some of his friend's house. Nobody had warned me of how crazy this night was going to be. Everyone there was probably some of the friendliest people I had ever met in my life, the most generous and the most fun too. I really felt like I fit in and it felt right. I drank, I drank and I drank, and got so wasted that at some point I needed some time alone in the electrical field behind my friend's house to take a short nap. That spot must have been a popular mosquito hangout because they had quite the party around my wrists and my ankles. The next morning I woke up covered in mosquito bites, and a day after, my left ankle was so swollen that I couldnt walk. The next day as I noticed my feet changing colour, I thought it would maybe be a good idea to go to the clinic. It turned out that I got a really bad infection under my skin. The doctor told me that if I didnt treat it and put my feet up for 2 days, it could culminate into flesh eating disease. Well, that was fantastic news! So I couldnt do much for 3 days, but my ankle is much better now... Its now turning yellow, which is much more reassuring than the purply reddish colour I had before.

So here it is... I hope that made you laugh.
Please come back to read about my upcoming trip...
e.

OK so I wrote just a few hours ago... but here I am back at it after a long night of drinking. Maybe I shouldnt be writing about how many times I drink or how drunk I am since my mom and other family members that I love are reading this. But trust me when I say that I am a very responsible drinker and that as you can see I made it home fine!

So tonight I went to meet Nayeli at Quinn's, a bar located right next door to The Mayfair. Nayeli and her co-workers were having this kind of party to celebrate the end of summer thingy, so I was invited to join. I had the chance to see other people that I love such as Rebecca and Melda, and other friends of mine that I made through Nayeli. It was nice to see these people again. The moment I got there, I could tell that people had a couple of drinks and that I should maybe try to catch up with them. So I did.. and how!

At your dissapointment I dont have some kind of wacky story to tell you guys like in the last entry. Although Nayeli and I composed a really nice musical about how badly we needed to pee while we were waiting for the bus. It was one of the most magical moments of my life! All I have to say is that since this is the last summer that I have left to party hard with my friends, I make sure to go all out and to really appreciate every second that is left of my youth... so sad. So many of us are moving on and getting serious jobs, its today or never to really appreciate what there is left of it all.

Tonight I had a great time, and I know that tomorrow night will just be another party! Make the best of it and dont take anything for granted.

I will now go drink a glass of water, maybe eat a slice of bread and try to find my bed in the disaster that is my room... till next time. Party hard everyone!

e.

It was 4:03pm in the afternoon yesterday when an Air France airbus crashed in a creek near the 401. For anyone that wasn't in Toronto yesterday, the weather was quite atrocious and it caused the plane to skid on the landing. Luckily, there were no victims from the crash and the local news called it a miracle! There were only about 40 minor injuries, but left many many people in a great deal of shock. Right after the accident, the passengers ran away from the wreckage and went to cover from the heavy rain under a bridge until some buses stopped by to pick some of them up. It was not too long after they escaped the wreck that the plane blew up in smoke and filled the air with a black heavy hue.

At 4:03pm, I was on a bus on my way downtown and the rain had not yet reached my part of the city. I was calmly reading my book when all of a sudden it started to pour down. From my window I could see people running around looking for shelter. Never would I have thought that merely a few miles away from me these 347 plane passengers survived such a tragedy. The worse is that I did not know about it until I got home at around 10 o'clock that night when my mom told me. I felt strange thinking that this could have maybe happened to me last thursday when I was the one coming back from Paris if it was pouring with rain. When you look at the wreckage on the news today, it is impossible to think that anyone survived. I think it is important to send our thoughts to these people that miraculously got out of this plane with their lives. These people will have to live with this experience for the rest of their lives, and many of these passengers were children. Sure it makes a wonderful story to tell their grand children, but today they all look at life under a different light. Remember to live by the moment and tell the people around you that you love them, because you just never know what the next day will bring. Sure im being a big sap, and some of you problably want to hit me over the head with a baseball bat, but deep inside you know I am right. Right?

So there... I love you :)
and kisses to all!
e.

Ahhh Paris...

Now you will have to excuse my English for this entry because I have only been speaking french for the last two weeks. Since my return I have been scrambling for almost every English word in the dictionary and although you can't really hear it, my French accent is stronger than ever. I also spent the first few days after my arrival fighting against the 6 hour Jet Lag. So Today, I finally found the physical and creative strength to start writing you all about my fabulous Parisian adventures.

I am back from my two week vacation from the city of love and romance. Seeing all of these beautiful things in such a short period of time has been very overwhelming. After visiting so many castles and museums I have been completely drenched in France's incredible history. Many people were warning us that maybe two weeks in Paris was too long, but I don't think it would have been possible to see all the things I have seen and enjoy the city like I have in less than two weeks. In fact, I wish we would have stayed longer.

I went to Paris with my mother and my younger brother. My mother offered me and my brother this trip as a graduation gift. I guess you can agree that we are quite spoiled, but I also have to say that we probably and definitely deserved it. The family has experienced a lot of ups and downs in the last couple of months so it was nice to get away from everything for two weeks. However, so many times I wished that I had my friends there with me to see all of this wonder. In fact there was this one night when we were having a pic-nic on Les Champs de Mars, the huge lawn space in front of the Eiffel Tower. We had dinner there one night and we were surrounded by groups of friends that also brought their food and copious amount of wine (because you see, you can drink in public spaces in France.) It was like a giant garden party by the most beautiful monument of the world. It was so crowded and all you could hear was the loud humming sound of friends having a good time. Sure it was nice to be with my family, we had brought a nice assortment of Lebanese dishes and 2 bottles of wine, but I also wished that one day I could do the same with my friends. That is what they do in France, they hardly spend any time at home alone and they are always out gallivanting with their friends enjoying themselves. We had taken a cruise on the Seine River one night, and we could see all of these French people dancing La Salsa and the Meringue on random quays along the river surrounded by friends eating and passing a bottle of wine. French people seem so carefree; nothing seems to matter to them other than being in good company and to have a good time no matter what. Life does not seem so complicated there.

Love does not seem so complicated there either. Everywhere you look couples are holding hands and kissing. These people do not hide their love for each other, even if they are in public spaces. For us here, this could make people feel awkward and uncomfortable, but for the French, Love conquers all and they do not care about what others think! There is nothing better than to be in love! Also they don't seem to make relationships seem so difficult. There was a legitimate sign that was put up in one of the subways stations that said, ''To be happy is to be in love.'' You know all of the questions you ask yourself when u start a relationship? ''Am I coming on too strong? Should I be worried if he doesn't call me? How long should I wait before I tell him that I love him?'' Over there, they go with the flow; there are no games and no limits. Love takes its course as freely and as normally as it should. Nothing gets in the way of it. Life can be difficult, but love does not have to be. If things in your life are not going as smoothly as it should, there is always this love that you can fall back on. Because let's face it, being in love is probably the best feeling in the world, so why spoil it?

I have a lot more to say about my stay in Paris. So please come back for my next entry.
Je vous aime!
a la prochaine,
e.

It all happened so fast.

One day I was looking for jobs in my province and on the next I was offered a job to teach English and French in Japan. I spontaneously jumped on the occasion without really thinking about everything this would entail.

I became excited about leaving a country in which I lived all my life. Finally, this offered a fresh new avenue where I could start from scratch: make some new friends, broaden my cultural horizons, make this an experience of a lifetime and maybe find a new love (I am a romantic that way.)

However, this is not a move down the street but to the opposite side of the planet. More and more everyday I start to feel a little bit more anxious about this whole journey. Of course, I am still really excited and enthusiastic about the whole experience, but I don’t think it would be normal if I didn’t feel any kind of fear, right? You see, in Japan, I will stand out (although I’m only 5"2'), they will want to know everything about me and what I am doing in their country. In a way, this might make it easier for me to make friends and learn the language, but this is definitely not something I am used to over here. The difference in cultures is very frightening to me. Will they understand my sense of humour, for example? Will I be able to be myself in a country that has such different customs? Or will they let me be myself just because I am a foreigner? How will I adapt to J-pop? How will I learn to take Japanese pop music seriously? No, but with all seriousness, this is not a vacation, but a year long contract. It is also quite possible that I decide to stay longer. I seem to adapt myself well to new surroundings and I am an all around positive person. I will make this experience my own and surely make the best of it!

It is common to hear about people going to teach English in Japan. Japan along with many other Asian countries is in great need of English teachers. Most schools and programs that offer these classes are willing to do anything to entice foreigners to work for them. For example, like in my case, some will pay for your plane ticket and even have a furnished apartment waiting for you steps away from work. You see in my case, the school where I am going to teach is in need of someone to replace a French teacher. So not only am I going to be teaching English, but I will also be teaching French. As my employer was explaining to me, it is an European-style school where they teach English, French, Spanish and even Italian. Apparently, these language schools exist because Japanese people are fascinated with European culture, especially French culture. Did you know that many Japanese women actually go under the knife to have eyes ''a la Europeene?'' Go figure… but my employer was very excited when I told him that I was going to be spending two weeks in Paris. I'll have to make sure to bring back precious memories for my future students.

Speaking of Paris, I will be leaving this Wednesday. I look at this trip as a way to observe and understand a different culture and see how I can adapt myself to it. Sure, it is Paris and it is not much different than North America, but it is altogether a different country. France has different customs, politics and it has been said to me that Paris has its own slang called Argo (I am not sure if this is how you spell it.) What I am trying to say here is that 2 weeks in a different country will be some kind of test before I face the biggest cultural challenge of all: Japan.

Till next time!
e.