My DipTESOL Adventure: Part 2
It has been almost three months since I started my Trinity DipTESOL studies. How have I been doing? It’s hard to answer this question. We are already well into the course, and I have been learning many things I couldn’t have encountered without this course. At the same time, I feel out of my comfort zone, which usually results in feeling “inadequate” for most people. I am not an exception. When you try something new, you are often reminded of how much you don’t know rather than how much you are learning. I felt the same when I started my…
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Marchventures: The Beaches of Kyoto and Fukui
It is raining cats and dogs as I write this. We are nearing April, and I still don’t know how time has passed by this quickly. I appreciate this grim weather because I wouldn’t be able to put pen to paper without it, or in my case, to put my fingertips on the keyboard. I have had a great time this month and embarked on remarkable adventures. Of course, they are “remarkable” by my standards, but they might seem downright dull for more adventurous people! One of those adventures led me to the beaches of Kyoto and Fukui prefectures—both situated…
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My (Im)perfect Japanese Neighborhood
I live between two cities and among the Japanese elderly. Wherever I look, I see older people taking a walk with their equally-old dogs. The neighborhood is embellished with unconvincing posters that say, “No lonely death in this neighborhood!” It is one of the typical neighborhoods in Kobe. If you yearn for bustling streets and the sight of the youth, you might find this place incredibly boring. But not me. This is a perfect neighborhood in which I thrive like a succulent. Life is slow here. I don’t come across busy people like those around downtown. Nobody acts like they…
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Marchventures: A Day Trip to Awaji Island
We are a very democratic couple. I initiate all the plans, and Takashi executes them. It is rarely the other way around. So, I was astonished when he approached me last Friday and asked if I would like to go to Awaji Island (淡路島) and a few other places in Kansai this week instead of Kanagawa. I set my heart on Kanagawa, so it took him some time to persuade me. Besides, I was going to finish a book review post that weekend. Nevertheless, traveling itself was more appealing than writing about traveling! So, like always, the travel bug won.…
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Farewell February, Welcome March
February has come to an end. I don’t usually talk about my daily life here on this blog, but talking about it isn’t such a bad idea. Posts about daily life might be shorter, but that doesn’t mean they are less critical than adventures and thoughts. Doesn’t my everyday life build up and give way to awesome adventures and significant life events after all? I have finished grading exam papers and had my last class this week. I teach junior and senior high schools and have taught junior third-graders and one first-grade class. I feel sentimental because I have spent…
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Wild Weather in West Hyogo: Oysters and Snow
The weather has been quite wild on this side of the world. February’s weather was full of contradictions. We experienced both freezing cold weeks and then warm spring-like days. It even snowed in Kobe, a rarity here! Meanwhile, I have been studying for DipTESOL and only have a little time for my adventures. But, of course, even postgraduate studies couldn’t stop me from getting itchy feet last week after I heard about a famous oyster festival in West Hyogo. So much for an earnest student! I sometimes wonder if I am a “normal” functioning adult because people around me seem…
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My DipTESOL Adventure: Part 1
Thank you for reading my last blog post. I am still not okay since the Turkey-Syria earthquake death toll rose above 46,000. I wanted to write this blog post to take my mind off it. I decided to study Trinity DipTESOL (Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and started the course via OxfordTEFL last month. I want to share my first impressions with you in case you have considered doing it or wonder if it’s worth it. TEFL? TESOL? DELTA? DipTESOL? TEFL? TESOL? DELTA? DipTESOL? Don’t let the terminology confuse you! Although there are some differences between…
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On Trauma: 2023 Turkey and Syria Earthquake
I am devastated, angry, and shocked. I am so many things, but not okay. I go to work, come back home, and tend to my daily routine, all while trying to ward off the ghosts of the past. It’s not my first earthquake trauma, but I hope it will be the last. I was a kid when I first experienced a major earthquake. It hit my hometown, Kocaeli, on August 17th, 1999, and was felt across the Marmara Region. My mom woke us up and tried to sound as calm as possible. Something was wrong. She couldn’t reach my grandparents…
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To the Philippines and Beyond: Part 4
After having a blast in Cebu throughout the last week of December, I want to spend New Year’s Eve on Bohol and Panglao islands. It takes about two hours to reach Bohol by ferry, and when we do, a beautiful sunny day greets us at the port. Bohol Island is famous for several things, but I don’t intend to squeeze them all into one day, so I choose the ones related to nature: Loboc Cruise River, Chocolate Hills, and Tarsier Sanctuary. Loboc River Cruise We rent a van at the port and first head to Loboc River Cruise to enjoy…
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To the Philippines and Beyond: Part 3
January has proven to be a busy month at work. I also made a significant career decision and enrolled in the Trinity DipTESOL course that I plan to write about in the future. However, taking some time off from writing blogs encouraged me to blog more about my Philippines journey. If you are new to this blog, you may want to read the first two parts here and here before scrolling down. Lastly, I started blogging about my journey thinking it would end in four parts. I was delightfully wrong. I will keep writing about my adventures in The Philippines…
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Bahanur is abroad! 