Newsletter
Posted on December 3, 2004
I managed to get a copy of the newsletter Dan and I were in, so here follows our writeup:
PS. I have on idea where “The Hoover” came from. I’m not sure Dan knows either
Dan “The Hoover” Mays “loves Toronto like a second home” but hails from Canada’s capital, which loyal Times readers will recall as Ottawa. Dan found training centre legend Mr. Onishi to be a “funny memorable character: reminds me of my grandfather.” His favorite thing about Japan has been the food, although he already warns us “watch out for that Boss Coffee, it’s addictive.’ (aaah, I just had a Fine Roast myself after reading that. Delicious!-Ed). Besides the pursuit of The Perfect Lesson, Dan will use his first year based in Iwakuni to get out and see the many wonderful sights of Hiroshima prefecture…and beyond, while sampling the cuisine and expanding his Japanese language skills.
Meanwhile, Brad McNair brought his mad Japanese skillz to the source all the way from Burtonsville, MD. Brad says he is “looking forward to putting [his] Japanese language and culture studies to good use and helping out fellow language students.” One of his model lesson students “explained her hobby as following a person from the train station without being seen. Finding an appropriate word in English proved interesting/hilarious.” He also enjoyed the “extreme friendliness and willingness of people to speak in both Japanese and English”. “It’s Brad, OK? Brad.” joins the team at Higashi Hiroshima school, where he hopes to “have fun teaching and enjoy the smaller town atmosphere in Saijo.” Good luck to you sir!
All this talk about Japanese language reminds me that trainer Tim said I was probably the most skilled in Japanese foreign teacher to come through the company in a long time. That’s pretty cool.
Jonathan
On December 4, 2004 at 13:11
Is it cool, or is it scary? I don’t actually know just how good you are.
Dan Mays
On April 11, 2006 at 19:34
My friends call me hoover because I eat a lot. But compared to two girls and a guy with Crohn’s disease (a digestive disorder) anybody would get that nickname.