Arriving in Kampala!!

Three days have passed since I came to Kanpala, Uganda.
When I arrived at the airport walking along the ramp I strongly feel that I will come here again someday in the future as a development specialist. It was may be because I saw some passenger plain as well as WFP and UN aircraft.
As I have expected the airplain from Haneda to Entebe, where the international airports locates via Dubai was perfect. I think Fly Emirates is the best airlines. Flight attendant was so beautiful and servises were perfect. We could order two beverages during a meal.
After arriving Entebe, we, group of twelve got on a bus to Kampala. Kampala is located about 40km northeast from Entebe. While I was on the bus I saw Lake Victoria. It was huge and seemed like a sea.
It took about one hour to Kampala, We passed some villages along with the main street.
After arriving Kampala, we saw some skyscrapers. The traffic was busy but I liked the atmosphere.
Since we came here we stayed at dormitory and we went to JICA office in Kampala. We have a meal in restaurant and bought some food and cooked in our domitory. I think we don't know much about the reality of Kampla. We are supposed to stay at dormitory for the next one month and we won't have a training for both Saturdays and Sundays. Since today is Frinday, I will go out and see around the city tomorrow. I can't wait to go to and see how the society of Kampala works. I'm excied!!

Kenya@Kampala

Leave for Uganda on 28th of June

After my long journey in Europe the year in 2009-2010, I came back to Japan and started to be my senior school year. I graduated from my university in March 2011.
After graduation I enrolled online university in order to get a licence working as a primary school teacher in Japan. During that year I worked at after-school, a care of schoolchildren and kindergarden as well as cram school. It took three years to get a licence, and luckly I found a job working as a teacher at public elementary school in Tokyo. I worked there for about three years and then, I decided to apply for JOCV program. There are several reasons but mainly I thought I am the one who can do that and I want to be the one. 
Since JICA(the organization which this program provides) chose me to be a teacher in Uganda, I accepted the requiment and then, officially I will be a teacher in Uganda.
I will leave for Uganda on 28th of June. I miss some part in Japan but this is what I wanted and I am really looking forward to working as a teacher in Uganda. I will update this blog as much as I possible. I am glad if you follow me:)) Thank you kenny much!!

The Day before Leaving

Before taking a flight back to Japan, two things that have been obsessed.

One thing is that about the amount of my luggage. The luggage which I can carry onto the plain limitted up to 20kg. As you know, I will fly with my bicycle which is about 15kg and which means only 5kg left that I can carry with aeroplain.

The flight company which I am going to take with is Scandinavian Airline System (SAS).
Acoording to the ticket agency in Paris where I bought a ticket told me that almost all company except for BA (with a few) cannot allowed to carry on your luggage more than 20kg. Even so, I can carry my bag up to 8kg into the cabin which I hope that is not strictly limited.

However, since I took a French lesson as well as reading some books in Paris, my luggage must be heavy more than that I thought.
Few days ago, I went to post office to buy a cardboard which I can send it to Japan (40 Euro up to 7kg). And I sent it with 7.5 kg. The madan at the post office was fine.

Even so, still I have a tent and sleeping bags and clothes which are supposed to bulk if I try to pack into my bag.

Yesterday I was walking on the street in the sentral part of Paris.
There were several homeless who are begging for money from the people on the street. I asked a man who was sitting on the street if he need my clothes and sleeping bag with in English. Whether he could understand or not, he told me "Yes" and I gave it to him the one I had. Before giving it to him, I felt that I was little bit scared to communicate with those people.(Even it's normal that I am asked at least once in a day from the begger that I can give them money on the street.) Mostly, because of the language I know.

I was almost started to cry when I gave those things to him (actually those cloth to him were given from the Japanese man who I met in Paris), I feel so sad that a lots of people begging for money or something on the street in Paris. That is reality.

Things happens sometimes without any reason.

I lost my teddy bear which I have been traveling from Bulgaria. The name of the bear called Bul. I don't know where I forgot to take that one and even I didn't noticed before few hours ago when I started to packing for tomorrow. I called to the hostel I stayed if they've got the bear but they didn't. For the rest of the day, I will ask those places where I've been in Paris in the past one week in order to find Bul. Probably he was in my bag a week ago but I am not sure since when he left from my place.

Yuji @ Paris France, 47

First of February

The last day of January, I went to St.Denis to meet Beate again.

She has gone to back to Germanty with evening flight and I met her yesterday again just before she took the flight.

Sometimes people are meeting with new people but at the same time we have to say good bye at some point.

I learned a lots from her. She is very open minded and honest. We talked a lots whatever we want.

Yesterday after we said good-bye I felt that I really sad and want to do something different to.

Firstly, I went to a bar to take a beer(It's very rare for me to go to a ber especially when I am alone). I watched a football match and hand-ball match between Croatia and France. Since I didn't feel that I wanted to stay there I left to my hostel close to Bastille, which is the hostel I really love.

After that at Nord station, I bought a tabacco, actually that was my time in my life to buy that one and then I took it with walking though I normally really hate the people who walks to take a cigarette.

Then I bought a wine to drink for a night. It was a moment that I did whatever I want.

At hostel fortunately I met a Japanese people and we started to talk with Japanese drinking wine and talking what we each other have done in Europe. I know that I am supposed to go back to Japan in a week but even so, I really miss to speak Japanese.

With him and with a girl also from Japan today we went to musse de Rouvre.

Talking with Japanese people with same language as well as same culture makes my sometimes happy!!

January was the month to study French but February seems to be a month to enjoy with Japanese people.

Yuji @ Paris, France 44

The Last Class

I've just done the last class for the French lesson which I had been taken in Paris.
It has been great and I learned a lots from the school.

The teacher told us at the last part of lecture that French is the language which is not easy to learn (Though not only for me), but one week is enough to forget if you won't study further.
Whether you've known or not, I have already decided that I am going to keep studying French for the next few years in order to speak and communicate who are speaking French. The biggest problem for me is that to find the oppertunity to learn French in Japan. English is the first foreign language for us and we sometimes can tough English of our life. Although not a lots of Japanese people can speak English, but I am sure that almost all Japanese people, they know some words such as; OK, thank you, hello which are, yes we use OK(Okkei), arigatou, Konnichiwa. However, when it comes to French we don't know even those easy words; d'accords(?), merci, bonjour.

In order to study French in Japan, I am looking for some DVD which has either French-Japanese as a language as well as should be subtitles or English-Fench movies. Actually I bought some DVD, which are some movies of E-F from US and UK as well as anime which is F-J. I think those my favorite movie will help for me French study.
The funny thing which I found while I was looking for DVDs was that I am not really fascinated by French culture. I think I don't know any film from France, actually I am try to buy at least one film which is from France. But I don't know which one is good film which means the film that I want to watch again. Neither I don't know any singer from France that is worse point to study French. Anyway, I think and I hope that those film will be fine for me.

It is really good for me to study French even only one month but I can speak a little bit of French.

Today, before I came to the library after I put my luggedge at the hostel, I asked with French like "Vous aves a palais pour mom velo?"(Do you have a place for my bike?) In Paris, today it has been rain and I wanted to park my bike and the person at the hostel told me "Ce coir(for the eveing)" I only could hear that she told me something for the eveing and I coudn't get it. Then I try to put my bike into the hostel but she told me in English that only for eveing! I decided that I park my bike with rain outside of the hostel.

After I got to the library, I tried again to speak French like this "Vous aves a plais ou je peux regardre mon DVD?" She got it what I was talking! But I coundn't understand what she told me. Something that there is no place to watch DVD I think.

I can speak a little bit of French but the problem is my ears they speak very quickly and I couldn't catch them.

When I back home, I definetely keep studying French to make an eaqual as my English.

One week left for staying in Paris.

Yuji @ Paris, Fr 42

The Last Week of French Lesson

It has been bad for the last week of French lesson.

Today is Tuesday and which means the second day of the week. Today at the lesson, I argued with the teacher, Claudine then I left at the lesson.

Things happened sometimes with very stupid reason but not for all.

Today I was on time to start the lesson and I took a seat and the lesson started with two other students as I told you.

I had a thing that I couldn't understand from yesterday's homework. I have been thinking why I couldn't understand and try to ask to Francoirse but neither I couldn't get it. Then today I asked to her why in this blanc that I have to put "lui" and try to understand what she was teaching me about.

When I ask that question she told me that "I already explained but I will do it again quickly." And then she started to write something about it with and to explain that why that blank is needed to put "lui" The question is as follows: I have to rewrite to guess from the former sentence.

From "Pierre amie ce film? " to "Oui, ce film ( ) plait." (I have to put a word into () as "lui")

But why "lui" come to the blank??

Firstly, I tried to ask her the meaning of the sentences the first question means that "Does Pierre like this film?" This is no problem to understand it. And then the next sentence is something like "Yes, this film please to him." uh??????
At this moment, I couldn't get it what the meaning of the sentences.

Then I tried to ask how I can understand it. And she told me that "I cannot explain it anymore. Or I would say that there is no suitable translation in English. I did my best so that you can understand of this sentences."

Then I said to her "I took to think about this sentences why I have to put "lui" for an hour in the last eveing! Why you cannot explain it? I really want to know!! " with loudly.

Then she again told me "I did my best. I don't know how I can explain it anymore. Both Yamili and Beate understand it but you couldn't understand. Why you all the time trying to say with like this! I am fed up to teach you about it and they also feel like bad. And each time when you couldn't understand the sentences you make me feel bad! I will do my best but if you don't want to learn in here, you just move away!"

Then I decided to move out from her school for today not to gave up to learn but I feel like that I wanted to be alone.

Lesson hold 5 days in a week. Everyday people have a different feeling especially in the morning. I know sometimes that she is hard to teach and I also have a time both good and bad day to learn. Past two days from Monday has been bad day and I know because I feel bad to learn and my brain couldn't understand easily.
The reason that she've got a bad feeling from my question is that well, I always trying to understand all sentences because I am doing my best for all the time to learn French especially I only have one month and I am supposed to go back to my home later on. It's normal to try to learn seriously what she is teaching, isn't it?
I know that I am really not a good attention for teachers all the time.(I don't like a teach in Japan who especially trying to make a distance between teacher and student. Cladine is not that kind of teacher who I hate but even so there is a something I cannot stand the attention from her.)I had some argument with a teacher when I was in a high school student. But the differences between the high school and now is that make something bad on purpose or by nature. I think I am the person who make a bad attention towards Cladine but how should I do it. This is me and I just try to understand though the way to asking makes her bad. I cannot chage it. Otherwise, I am just sitting on the class without saying anything but if I do so, I definetely lost a lots that I could learn from her and couldn't keep up with the lesson. I am serious that I want to learn French.

Yesterday, in the morning, my bike chain broke down on the way to class about one third on the way and I feel like that I won't take a but or metro. Instead I decided to push my bike to the class. Of course, I was late for school for 20 minutes. In addition, the night before I was at the hostel and a girl at the same room woak up at 4 am. and my freind from Algentina also wake up at seven.(I was supposed to wake up half passed seven.), which means that I couldn't sleep well that night. That's why I couldn't consentrate on my class.

The problem is that I have to consentrate on the class in order to understand of her explanation in all the time. Even always she explain French grammer with English, but I cannot understand it because of the different style of teaching that I've got in Japan. Then I have to ask "why you are explainig of this sentence at the moment?" which it was really hard for me to catch up with her lesson. But it is really important for me to understand those explanation. Otherwise, I won't understand anything from her lesson just listening some explanation with the word which I couldn't understand from her!! Again, if not, I can take on the seat at the class listening the explanation which I couldn't understand all the time. But yesterday I had no power trying to understand French because of the things from the night before.

But this is the problem of my personal things and shouldn't bring it to the class and it won't be a reason why I couldn't attend her lesson. I knew.

Tomorrow, I will go to the class as the third day before the last lesson.

Yuji @ Paris, Fr. 38

PS. It's pity that I missed a coffee with Beate.

The Third Flight

On 5th of February, I will be in Narita airport.

That is the day when this European journey is over.

I cannot imagine how I feel when I back home.

Former time when I was back from Tanzania, I've got the feeling that Tokyo, or I will say Japan is the very quiet without any strong impact from both society and people. I felt like empty.

Tokyo is one of the most peaceful capital in the world compared to the capitals in Europe. Without a lots of immigrants, without a lots of homeless people, though we have been a trouble for crazy trains both in the morning and evening.

Who told me that Paris is the one of the beautiful city in the world?

Paris is the multicultural city. People who have different back grounds living in the one big society. In addition, Parisian is the person what we call, city person.
As long as people won't make any trouble I respect the people who are living in here. Sometimes I feel really bad just because I can't understand what the people are thinking.

I will be happy that I can leave from here in a way but I have been doubting if Tokyo is one of the most comfortable capital in the world.
Either, I will continue to study French to be the same as my English! Do I need another 10 years???


Yuji @ Paris, France 36