Sorry for the lack of updates
I must apologise to you regular readers for the lack of updates over the past month. I have been pretty busy with work and some personal things and have hardly had the time to sit down and tap away at my keyboard. But the week at my school is coming to an end and so I find myself witha bit of time on my hands and an inkling to update you with what’s been happening in my life.
Since I got back from England at the end of August it’s been pretty busy for me, despite the 2 public holidays (and therefore long weekends) we’ve had. We’ve had Respect for the Aged Day on September 17th (I called my folks and respected them!), and we had a subsitute holiday for the Autumnal Equinox on the 24th. When a public holiday falls on a Sunday in Japan, the next day is taken as a subsitute holiday in lieu. Pretty good deal if you ask me, but the Japanese need as many holidays as they can get as they’re a very highly stressed out race. I don’t think I’ve met a people work such long hours. Note that they’re not so productive at work, but they work long hours. I’m sure if they did a reasonable amount of work during the day, they wouldn’t have to stay at work until 8 or 9pm at night. But that’s beside the point…
I’ve had a couple of diving courses start too, and I’ve had the expected lateness and cancellations from my students. Calls an hour before a session is due to start telling me that the student in question had just woken up hungover and had forgotten about the class, other telling me they can’t make it because they’re celebrating after a school event (a month after we were meant to meet previously, having cancelled twice before) and a couple of others have tested my patience. And of course, in any diving course there’s always one or 2 people who will turn up late, all apologies, but who you know will be late the next time too. But those who know me know that I’m a very tolerant and cool-headed person, and I’ve acted in quite impressive restraint in telling them they’d have to reschedule at a time that suits us both in the future. It’s a complete joke but there’s not much I can do about it unfortunately. I know that without the lure of alcohol and the chance to embarrass the foreign community in front of members of the Japanese public, it’s a hard sell I’ve got on my hands. Saying that though, I do have 2 cracking students at the moment, who will hopefully be doing Open Water dives 1-4 this coming weekend. They are by far the best students I’ve had going through theory and the pool sessions, and I’m sure they can continue it through to the ocean tomorrow. Hopefully my standard (and tardiness) of dive students my increase in the near future though. Kadena Marina, one of the US military dive shops, has offered me a part-time dive instructing job with them. I’d have access to the base classrooms, equipment, pools and base access. It will be a great opportunity for me as it will give me the chance to increase the number of students I certify, get a little extra money on the side, and possibly open up the door to staying in Okinawa whenever my teaching contract finishes. I am waiting to get the contract from the dive shop, but will let you know how that all goes. From what they were saying before, they wanted me working for them from mid-October, so I expect to hear something soon.
We had a typhoon pass through the area 2 weeks ago, which caused a surprising amount of panic. On a Friday afternoon, the students were dismissed early due to the fact that the buses had announced they were closing down in a couple of hours. I’m pretty sure it’s just because the following Monday was a public holiday and that someone high up in the bus company decided they wanted an even longer weekend than normal! The students were pleased, obviously, but puzzled. I was talking to a few of them just before they went home, and we simply couldn’t work out why they were being told to go home. At the time there was bearly a breath of wind in the air. The typhoon did come in the evening, and passed relatively close to the southern tip of Okinawa, but within 4 or 5 hours it had gone. In over 3 years of living here, I have never seen typhoon come, go and get back to normal so quickly. It would have been fine if a 2nd typhoon which passed way south of us hadn’t got going. That was a pretty big typhoon and even though it was a couple of hundred miles away, it was pretty windy in Okinawa for a few days, which messed the water up and made the place even more humid than normal.
Other than all of that, life is pretty normal here in tropical Okinawa. Looking out of my window now I can’t see a cloud, and the temperature is about 33 degrees. I’m looking to get potentially 3 more students signed off as Open Water and Advanced Open Water divers this weekend, as well as being out and about in the sun doing a job I love doing. Things couldn’t get much better!
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Good to hear from you again, Dave. It has been a bit of a draught indeed, but I’m looking forward seeing some regular updates on this blog again.
Good luck with your dive classes.
Yeah - no real excuse for it I’m afraid, but I’m glad you’ve returned and left a comment.
Rest assured, more entries and photos will follow in the very near future:)
Spiffy that you got the base contract, if you do pick it up I am sure my husband and I will see you often as we are there quite a bit. Most of the folk at the Marina are a pretty good bunch.
Maybe we will even see you around when ever they offer Rescue Diver again
Crystal - Thanks for the comment:)
I know a few of the people at the Marina and get on with them pretty well. I’m sure our paths will cross at the shop or when diving at some point.