Good morning. It's another day of nothing to do. I bought a philosophy book to school with me today, after hearing that so many other JETs read their own literature in the office during the day. Also, I was talking to a friend last night about Enlightenment philosophy and I was reminded just how long it has been, and just how much has slipped my mind since I studied the likes of Kant, Hegel, Marx etc. The discussion came up at bible study, which is a weekly get-together of Christians and non-Christians to talk about faith and religion, and just about any matter related to spirituality. The Christian members of the group are very liberal, and they don't mind my criticisms. Me and Gavin, an Australian JET, are the only non-Christians going. There are seven of us in total.

So, I've got my reading material for today, and I might do a little bit of J-study as well. I find language learning a difficult pursuit on my own. I can write and rewrite the clauses over and over again, but it doesn't have the same effect as it has when I am in conversation with somebody.

Mum and dad have offered to pay for me and Aki to fly to England in the summer, and Aki just told me last night that she can get some time off work. It's not much, but it'll do for a short break. My parents had planned to come to Japan this summer, but thought that it would be better to put me (and Aki) on a plane and fly us both to England instead. Sounds like a good idea to me, but Aki is still a little bit shocked at my dad's decision to pay for her flight. Now she wants to have a formal introduction for me and her family before she announces that she will be going to England this summer. Why can't people just chill out in this country? Man, now I have to act responsible in front of her parents and stuff like that. It's heavy, man, it's really heavy!!