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　　Getting paid to talk about the World Cup is a great job I’m not a football commentator(评论员),though-just an English teacher in japan．

　　I came to japan two years ago, and didn't think I would stay, but japan has that effect on you. People after endup tiving bere longer than they planned

I think it’s best to teach in a biggest eity where there are onther foreigners to mix with. Rather than a small town where English teachers often complain of feeling like a goldfish in a bovd Many people choose to live in Tokyo, of course, which is good for the nightlife factor. But I’d say that for geueral quality of living, cities of neither too large nor too small, like Sapporo where I live, are better choices．

　　I teach English privately, which means I’m my own boss. If you want to devote yourself to private teaching, it’s well worth doing a TEFL eourse first. Beeause your lessons will be much better for it. The problem with private teaching is finding students; it took me a year to build up a full schedule(日程表)of private lessons, so I started out teaching in schools part time．

　　Most of my foreign friends here work full-time for big English conversation schools. The salary is fine to live on. But whether you can save money depends on how much going out and traveling you do here．

　　The schools are reluetam to take time off –even teachers with tichets for the England-Argentina game had trouble getting the day off．

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　　I was in arush as always, but this time it was for an?date I just corldn’t be late for!I found myself at a checkout counter behind ar?woman seeingly in no nuny as she paid for her groceries．A PhD student with not a lot of money, I had humied into the store to pick up some flowers．I was in a huge rush, thinking of my upconing evening．I did not want to be Late for this date．

　　We were in Boston, a place not always known for small conversation bitween strangers．The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me．She smiled．It was a nice smile-warm and reasuring-and I retuned her gift by smiling back．

　　“Must be a special lady,” wboever it is that will be getting \those beautiful flowers．”she said．

　　“Yes, she’s speciao,” I said ,and then to my cnbarrassment ,the words kept coming out．“It‘s only our second dute, but somchow I am just having the feeling she’s‘the one，’”jokingly, I addcd,“The only problem is that I can’t figure out why she’d want to date a guy like me．”

　　“Well, I think she’s very lucky to have a boyfriend who buings her such lovely slowers and who is obviorsly in love with her,” the woman said．”My husband rscd to bring me flowers every week-even when tines were tough and we didn’t have much money．Those were incredible days; be was very romantic and-lf course- I miss him since he’s passed away．”

　　I paid for my flowers as se was gathering up her groceries．There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her．I touched her on the shoulder and said“You were right, you know．These flowers are indeed for a very special lady．”I hand??the fowes and thanked her tor such a mice conversation．

　　It took her a moment to realize htat I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased．“You have a wonderful evening ,”I said．I left het with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers．

　　I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story．A couple of years later, when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me, she told me that this stoty had hdlped to seal it for ber-that was the nigtht than I won her heart．

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