Time is going by uncontrollably fast, and it is already time for the annual JALT conference again. JALT, which stands for the Japan Association of Language Teachers, is one of the largest organizations of its kind. There are chapters throughout Japan, with member ranging from authors to university teachers. The chapters frequently have small presentations and events, but their biggest effort, however, is spent on the huge three-day annual conference, which brings together professional teachers from all over Japan, and even from other parts of the world. There are always some great presentations and workshops (and a few lame ones!), and usually some famous featured speakers. This year Jack C. Richards, who wrote the Interchange series, will be speaking; dry though I fear he is, I’m looking forward to seeing him.
Brian and I, as well as most of our co-workers, will be spending our long weekend at the conference enjoying some edifying speeches and even more edifying post-conference beer. Kita-Kyushu is a long (long!) way away, about five hours by super-express bullet train, so we’re leaving tonight straight from work and hope to arrive before midnight to check into our hotel.
I’ve never been to Kyushu, and as we’ve decided to take a couple of days off (Monday and Tuesday) we’ll have a chance to look around the area a bit more, maybe even stay in Fukuoka city for a night or two.
What all this means is that we may not be blogging for a few days…but hopefully will have some fun stories to share when we return.
2 comments:
Sounds like a good time. It's nice to get the opportunity to share your experiences with those who know where you are coming from. BTW a friend here lent me the JET for new teachers learn Japanese part 1 beginner and part 1 intermediate. I am going to start myself and my son learning Japanese finally. Maybe he will be ready to travel in Japan by the end of high school.
Hope you have (had?) a chance to take a hot mud bath. My favorite part of Kyushu.
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