Today 1 year ago! Congratulations to all the ETPers

Hello everyone,

I have realized that I have not written for 1 month. Many things have happened, good things (of course!). Well, there is one that is not so good, one day, after coming back from Omotesando I switched on the computer and denied to work. I did everything I knew but ended up phoning my brother in Spain for help. We did not managed and I preferred to wait for Christmas and take the laptop home than going to a shop and explaining my case in Japanese :o
Sorry for having you there. I have made nice pictures the last days but I cannot upload them to show them to you. Hopefully by the end of the year.

Let's continue. End of November... we finished the language component!!
Now we are ready to work and communicate in Japanese and in a working place! :-) A few days off at the end of November and I went to Korea (Seoul) and besides shopping and having my tailor made suit done for my first working day, I met the ETP Participants that are spending the year ni Korea.

Then, first day of work. Really good, speech in Japanese in front of 50 people and "welcome party" in the afternoon. Everyday a couple of three of the department colleagues came to pick me up and take me for lunch. I have met so many people in such short period of time that I can recognize the faces but don't remember the names and that's quite embarrasing!
Everybody is super nice to me and I think that they can say the same :-) Although sometimes we have difficulties with the language, or some people are very shy, we always managed to understand each other or overcome all kind of barriers.

During the last 3 weeks, I have been going out everyday, eating fantastic food and discovering new restaurants around work (located in an area surrounded of offices and Embassies and I pass everyday in front of the house of Prime Minister, Mr Hatoyama-san). Now I commute like millions of Japanese everyday from Shinjuku station (one of the most crowded places in the world, around 3.000.000 people pass every day). I go through the "experience" of getting on packed trains at peak time and arrive tired and sweaty to work. This week I took the courage to go to work by bike (only 35 min) but looking for shorcuts the only thing that I do is getting lost and the way is quite dangerous.

Last weekend I was invited to a Japanese house. It was sort of "Christmas party" and everyone had to cook. So in the morning on Saturday I spent some time in the Kitchen, then I met Taira-san (my private Japanese teacher -sensei-) and then passed by home to pick up the food and move 45 min by train for the party. It was very interesting to see a Japanese family in their context!

This week we had our "end of the year party". Nice hotel, buffet dinner, Karaoke -of course- and bingo. We had lots of fun and I joined the "second party" -continued partying with 7 more colleagues- until it was time for the last train (one of them unfortunately missed it!).

Next year I start a Shiatsu course in the evenings. I already visited the school some weeks ago and managed to understand the information that I was given. I will follow this training in Japanese! (I cannot believe that I can communicate in such a short time! It is a great achievement!).

The weather in Japan is still ok. Today is the only night that my hands were really feeling that temperatures are going down but we are always in positive temperatures (considering the low temperatures in Europe and the snow, this is fantastic!).

Time to go, I have to finish the suitcase. I will not take many things because I need to bring winter clothes (thanks to the few things that I kept from my sister, I have been able to pass through the autumn). Although I am happy to be back to Europe and see many of you, I will be happy to come back and continue this exciting moment of my life. Today, is exactly 1 year ago that I learnt that I was accepted to come to Japan. I was so happy... do you remember, Robbie, that we had lunch, we were so nervous because we did not know anything yet... do you remember, Patrick, when I phoned you inmediately? All the work from 2008 preparing for it had been worth... and although sometimes not really easy, one year later, in this side of the world... I am living one big dream... and keep dreaming! ;-)

To all of you, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! O yasumi nasai!!