Spotting an advert in a newspaper which said: 'Teach in Japan - experience with children vital' during a PGCE primary teaching course in Edinburgh last year, I decided to apply.
To my surprise, I was offered the job teaching English to 3 to 12 year-olds in kindergartens just outside Tokyo. Now it is hard to believe I've been here eight months. God's faithful provision to me in every way has been amazing. I can testify that he 'opens (his) hand' (Psalm 104.28), no matter where we are on earth.
As my thoughts turn towards home, I have one recurring question: 'What will I say when people ask: 'So what is Japan like?' Because if there's one thing that has struck me about this fascinating country, it is that Japan is impossible to sum up neatly! It is a country of incredible contrasts and sometimes startling paradoxes. On the train to work each day I see ladies in full kimonos sitting beside teenagers who flash designer labels from head to toe while grooving away to 'J-pop' on their state-of-the-art mini-disc players.
