A goodbye isn't painful unless you're never going to say hello again.

We only part to meet again.

Why does it take a minute to say hello and forever to say goodbye?

Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love.

There are a million ways to say goodbye in English (well that may be a slight exaggeration...). I use lots of different phrases every day with different people and in different situations. I use 'See ya' with friends, and sometimes 'See you later'. I say 'Goodbye' to the receptionist at work. I say 'mata ne' to Tomono and Oscar (but that's Japanese so don't worry about that one). Oscar usually says 'bye-bye' to me. When I'm on the phone I usually say 'speak to you later' with friends and family. At work I might say 'bye for now'. If I'm in a funny mood I might say 'cheerio' (it sounds a bit posh). After seeing friends I say 'Cheers' (even though there are no drinks!).

Hmmm...I'm sure I've missed out a few more too. Can you help me out?

Lots of my favourite singers and groups have written songs about saying goodbye (and hello). Here are a few of my favourites:

I really love the Jeff Buckley song. It is an incredibly melancholic ode to love lost that gives me goose bumps when I listen to it. It reminds me of being a university student, probably after just splitting up with an ex. I actually hadn't listened to that song for a few years and memories just came flooding back to me .

So it is time to say farewell from me. I have enjoyed the last month reading Dommi's blog and helping her with her English. It's also been a blast catching up with a few students from my time blogging 4 years ago, and of course meeting lots of lovely new students.

So what's next for the Davies family? Well, Tomono will be busy with cocoro, I'll be shooting off all over the place for work and we'll both be having fun with Oscar (especially with the holiday season coming up...).

And who knows, maybe I'll be back in another 4 years to tell you all about it.

Until then, so long and thanks for all the fish.
Lewis

Useful phrases:

(something) catches your eye
(something) gives you goose bumps
(to) split up with someone
memories come flooding back (to you)
"It's been a blast"
(to) catch up with someone

Can you believe that we are only a few days from the end of our one month blogging together? Time flies when you are having fun!

To be honest, I feel a little sorry for September being only 30 days in length. When you told him that he had lasted long enough did he protest and say "Give me a break! I've got one day fewer than August and October."

I'm really happy that you feel you have matured this month and gained far more fluency in English. Give yourself a pat on the back for all your hard work.

How can I sum up September?

I didn't stay at home as much as I did in August because I had lots of trips and events. September has also been a bit weird weather-wise, as typically, it is much cooler than August. However, this year August was miserable, but September has been pretty great overall with lots of sunshine and warm weather. We had a great day out at Japan Matsuri and had a housewarming party to celebrate moving into our new place - did I tell you about that?

For me September signals the end of summer, the start of school and the beginning of Autumn. Oranges, yellows and reds. Harvest time. Playing 'Conkers'. Wet grass in the morning. Raking up leaves in the garden. Eating pod peas. Turning the heating on. What does September conjure up in your mind?

But now it is late September. And do you know what that means? It means we are on the slippery slope to winter. The nights are starting to draw in. It gets dark around 6pm now, and within another month it will get dark at around 4pm. It's also blowing a gale outside and throwing it down with rain.

So Dommi are you packing your bags for Senegal? What do you have planned for the Autumn and Winter?

I'll tell you all about what the Davies family are going to get up to for the rest of 2010 in my final blog on Thursday...

Best,
Lewis

Useful phrases:

"Time flies when you are having fun!"
"Give me a break!"
"Give yourself a pat on the back"
(to throw/have) a housewarming party
(to) signal the end of something
(to) conjure up something (in your mind)
(to be) on the slippery slope (to somewhere)
(the nights start) to draw in
"It's blowing a gale (outside)"
"It's throwing it down (with rain/outside)"
(to) get up to something

Wow, what a super-lovely garden you have! But it does look like you need to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in to maintain it.

I remember when I went home for the summer holidays in August I had to help my parents mow the lawn and pull out the weeds from between the paving stones. The only trouble is that the weeds will soon grow back over the following few days and it's back to square one. I know how you and your sisters feel about wanting to run away at 'gardening time'...

Like in Cameroon, it rains a lot in the UK so there's usually not much need to water the garden (even in summer!). However, you do occasionally see people using sprinklers if there has been a dry spell for a few days.

As I mentioned previously, I don't really have green fingers but I do enjoy visiting beautiful gardens in the spring and summer. One such garden that is incredibly popular in the UK is at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. Tomono has been there loads of times and absolutely loves it. She's always going on about how impressive the gardens are, and how beautiful they look in all the different seasons. She also loves the cream tea they serve in the cafe. Have you ever tried English cream tea?

Yesterday Tomono, Oscar and I went for a lovely walk along the Thames from Marlow to Bourne End. I love seeing all the activity on the river - the people fishing, the rowing club teams racing each other and the little sailing boats. There are also some really amazing houses on the other bank of the river too. It makes me think about how the other half live. I was so impressed that Oscar walked about half of the distance by himself. He only said "Daddy cuddle" a couple of times when he wanted to take a breather.

When we got back to the car he really wanted to get behind the wheel and drive home. After a long discussion with him about the legalities of a 2 year old driving a motor vehicle he reluctantly left the driver's seat. :)

Can you believe we are down to our last week blogging together? How time flies!

Anyway, time to grab some shut eye as I've a big day ahead of me tomorrow.

Best,
Lewis

Useful phrases:
(to) roll your sleeves up (and do something)
(to) get stuck in (to something)
(to go) back to square one
(to have) a dry spell
(to have) green fingers
(to) go on (about something)
how the other half live
(to grab) some shut eye
(to have) a big day ahead of you

I loved your post about farming. Y'know living in the UK nowadays it's very easy to feel distanced from the land and from agriculture in general. But your post sowed the seeds of an idea in me for my post today, so we'll see if you can come up with the theme of my useful phrases.

If you visit most houses in the UK you are likely to find a small piece of land behind the house (of course I'm talking about a garden) where people plant flowers, grow a lawn full of grass and relax in the warmer months. However, to be honest, these days many British people pave over their lawns, or put down wooden decking. I guess you could say many of us have lost touch with mother nature - sad but true. Although, I sometimes daydream about living on a farm in the future...

Anyway, isn't it nice to have a new crop of students reading your blog and commenting on your posts? It must give you such a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. I just hope that my posts to you start to bear fruit and lots of people start to improve their English.

And to you dear students, you many not know this, but after reading your lovely comments on my blog (and Dommi's) a smile could be seen sprouting from the edges of my lips. It's such a pleasure to know what you like reading these blogs and that they have flowered into such a blossoming online community of keen English language learners.

Here are a few replies back to the comments from my previous blogs:

Pary - Thank you for your comments. Oscar is indeed getting bigger (and cheekier) by the day. He has started counting now. He likes to shout "1,2,3,4,7!"

Marianna - Life seems to be manic at the moment but I'd rather have lots to do so I don't get bored. Japan Matsuri was wonderful - why don't you come next year and see for yourself?

Anita - Wow! how amazing you saw me again after so long. Thank you so much for your kind words about Tomono and her baby kimonos. They were a big hit at the matsuri so she is very happy. How is your family and wonderful garden?

Ali - I must admit to liking traditional Japanese music too, especially 'Shamisen' and the Yoshida brothers. Have you heard them?

Sero - Thank you for your comment and I love the way you used the new phrases! That's what I call a great student.

OK guys, it's bedtime for me. I hope you like today's bumper crop of useful phrases - but did you catch the theme?

Oyasuminasai,
Lewis

Tomono had been preparing for the event for about 2 weeks. It's her biggest Japanese event of the year and is the highlight of the events calendar. Last year it was absolutely chock-a-block with people. In fact, you could say people were packed in like sardines, but I don't think anyway minded too much - they were too busy having a great time.

Here is the official video of last year's matsuri:

This year's matsuri was even bigger and better. It was twice the size and there were so many more events, performances and stalls selling all sorts of yummy Japanese food and gorgeous Japanese crafts. From vegetables and herbs like shiso and daikon, through to traditional cookware and stunning kimono.

We arrived about an hour before the event started to get Tomono's stall ready. She had been preparing for the event for a couple of weeks so had arranged everything carefully so we could easily set up the display. We did have one heart sinking moment though when we realised we had forgotten our folding chairs - we had no where to park our bottoms! And after standing up for a few hours you always need to take a break and put your feet up, don't you? Anyway, luckily someone was kind enough to lend us a chair. Phew!

Not before long lots of activities and performances started. There were demonstrations of kendo, judo and other Japanese martial arts. I used to be a dab hand at karate when I was younger and watching those guys has inspired me to look into taking it up again.

The highlight of the event for me (and lots of other) was the Taiko drumming performances. I simply love the sound they make and the sheer dedication of the performers to always give their best. I'll tell you what it takes more than a little elbow grease to play those huge drums.

Oscar had a great time too. He loves tucking into tasty Japanese food (especially the snacks on his mummy's stall) and jigging away to the musical performances. It was so wonderful to see him having a whale of a time.

So here are a few more photos and videos of Japan Matsuri, and who knows maybe we'll see you there next year!

Best,
Lewis

Useful phrases:

(to be) brim full of something
(to be) chock-a-block
(to be) packed in like sardines
a heart sinking moment
(to) park your bottom
(to) put your feet up
(to be) a dab hand at something
(to) take something up
(to) give your best
elbow grease
(to) jig away (to music)
(to) have a whale of a time

I've been racking my brains trying to think of a clever title for my blog today, but I've drawn a blank so far. You know when you try to hard to think of something and it just won't come to you? Don't you just hate that? I'm sure I'll be brushing my teeth later and I'll have an 'aha!' moment, but by then I'll have shut down my laptop and it'll be too late.

Anyway, I found your blog really fascinating today and it made me reflect on the groups in society that I belong to (or don't).

You are right to say that almost all of the readers asked the same question, so thanks for setting us straight in your post. When you say that there are many traditional practitioners of sorcery, do you mean there is one in every village? Or more than that? And how do they use 'natural forces' in their work? It all sounds very mysterious.

When you say that we may rightly guess that solving one person's problems may have a detrimental effect on someone else, is it common using these methods for harm to be caused to another person to gain benefit for yourself? I think, as unfortunate as it is, that in many cultures it is common to believe that unexplainable differences in people are the root of their own problems. I guess it is an easy way to deflect blame from something else. I wonder if it is human nature to look to others for blame when we suffer bad luck in our own lives?

So you wish you had taken a cooking course to become a chef? Well, you have time on your side so never give up on the dream. A friend of mine quit her successful business career at the age of 31 to set up her own cooking school and catering business, and she has never looked back.

Like you I couldn't care less about about someone's cultural background or where they are from. That way you will never truly learn about the world we live in - just your little corner of it. This blog is a great way to get to know people from all over the world and see through to their heart. I think you've opened your heart to us Dommi, and we are all the richer for it.

Which group do I belong to? Hmmm...that's not easy to answer. I certainly don't belong to any groups that are based on excluding others. We all belong to different groups: family, friends, work, hobbies and so on. My young family is the group I am more focused on at the moment as you can imagine

As you know it was Japan Matsuri yesterday and we had a brilliant time at the festival in London. I'll tell you all about it and upload some pics very soon!

Best,
Lewis

Useful phrases:
(to) rack your brains (for something)
(to) draw a blank
(to have) an aha moment
(to) set someone straight (about something)
(to have) a detrimental effect (on something/someone)
(to) have time on your side
(to) never look back (on the past)
"I couldn't care less"

Well, I just got back from my trip to the US today and I am absolutely cream crackered. I don't know about you, but I find it almost impossible to sleep on planes. If I do manage to nod off it tends to be for only about 1 minute (even though it feels like I've been snoozing for hours). And of course I got a shocking crick in the neck for all my efforts at grabbing some shut eye.

Many people say that the UK and US are two countries divided by a common language. I mean we speak the same language, have many cultural similarities but we are just different. TV seems very odd in the US. There are so many infomercials on TV, selling everything from weight loss products to kitchen utensils. And there are so many ad breaks.

But the main impression of people in Illinois is just how polite and hospitable they are. The people I met just couldn't do enough to make sure I was comfortable and being looked after.

I just read your latest blog post Dominique and I found it fascinating. In the UK every region has it's own ways too, but not quite as much as in Cameroon I think. People from northern England tend to be friendlier than people in the south, but this is a gross generalisation as you can imagine. The UK used to be based on a feudal system too, and to some extent we still have the hangover of this in the class system which remains today.

Usually, we use anecdotes to describe short biographical stories rather than stories we may have read about in the newspaper or heard in the news. I've got a few funny anecdotes about my trip to the US, but it's best I save them for another day as I'm about to pass out on the keyboard.

It's Japan Matsuri tomorrow so I'll tell you all about it soon.

Sweet dreams!
Lewis

Useful phrases:

(to be) cream crackered (slang)
(to) nod off
a crick in the neck
to grab/get some shut eye
a gross generalisation
to some extent

Interesting post. I'm happy to play along, so here are my answers:

- My name is Lewis, but actually it isn't my first name. My first name is 'Simon'. 'Lewis' is my middle name. So why don't I call myself 'Simon' then? Well, that's a good question, and one I've been asked more times than I can count. Well, to cut a long story short, I simply like 'Lewis' and when I was old enough I just asked everyone to call me 'Lewis'. My mum and dad still call me 'Simon' though. I've also got a funny story about this that'll have you in stiches, but that's for another day...

- I'm happy being a male. I can't really get my head around what it must be like being a female. Best stick to what you know.

- Flora or fauna? Hmmmm....that's a toughy. I think it would be nice to be a big, strong Oak tree. They seem so noble and wise. But I think if push came to shove I'd have to be fauna. It would be too easy to say a Lion or Tiger, wouldn't it? I once watched a documentary about a Lynx and I thought it'd be pretty cool to be one of them. So I won't think about this too hard anymore and just say 'Lynx' (I do wonder what this says about my personality though - any ideas?)

- My favourite word in English? I like lots of funny sounding rhyming phrases like dilly dally and willy nilly. Do you know any funny sounding words or phrases?

- If I could have a super power I would have to choose the ability to be in two places at the same time. Is that a real super power though? Hmmmm...I'm not too sure but there is a real reason for choosing this. I'd love to be with my English family and my Japanese family at the same time.

Anyway, best get to bed. I'm in Chicago at the moment and have a big day ahead of me tomorrow. I just got here yesterday. It's a flying visit as I'll be back in the the UK on Friday.

Best,
Lewis

Useful phrases:
to cut a long story short
if push comes to shove
(to) have someone in stiches
(to) get your head around (something)
"that's a toughy"
(to) have a big day ahead of you
a flying visit

We left Japan and came back to the UK in December 2006. I don't know whether everyone who has lived overseas for many years feels the same, but I really felt like a fish out of water in my own country at that time. Some might say I experienced 'reverse culture shock' which is when your own culture feels alien to you.

I started to feel uncomfortable with people not automatically taking their shoes off when they visited my home, or I got really irritated when the train didn't arrive on the dot.

I know these may seem like trivial matters, but to me they really brought home the differences between my native, and my adopted cultures. I think it probably took me about 6 months to get over my 'reverse culture shock'.

Luckily, I brought a part of Japan back to the UK with me - my wife Tomono.

We tied the knot just over 5 years ago in a traditional Japanese ceremony (check out my old blog for a photo of our special day) but we first met in 2000. I remember the day we met just how much she made me laugh. Some people might say she needs a good sense of humour to be married to me!

Another quality I admire about her is her determination to make the most of every situation. I don't think it was easy for her to leave Japan and start a new life on the other side of the world, in a strange town and with no friends nearby. However, she started to make friends in no time and even started up her own business. How she managed to cope with a new life, a new baby and a new career escapes me, but she did.

One way we keep in touch with Japan is by making Japanese friends here in the UK and attending Japanese events. One big event is taking place next Saturday in London. It's called Japan Matsuri (meaning 'festival') and is a celebration of the relationship between Japan and the UK. We'll be there again this year tucking into some delicious yakitori, watching the taiko drummers and meeting new people.

Here are a few pictures of my Japanese family at Japan Matsuri last year.

Maybe we'll see you there this year?

If you have experienced 'culture shock' I'd love to hear your stories!

Best,
Lewis

Useful phrases:

(to feel like) a fish out of water
(to arrive) on the dot
trivial matters/things
(something) brings it home (to you)
(to) tie the knot
(to) make someone laugh/cry/smile
(something) escapes me
(to) tuck into something

First of all, I'd like to say 'wow' what a great descriptive piece of writing. You really evoked a real sense of the island and your feelings about the place and the people who live there.

Goree really sounds like one of Senegal's most magnificent islands from your description. I can understand from its history that is draws a lot of people from all over the world. I guess that I may be charged a more expensive fee for everything as my skin is not dark (actually, I burn very quickly in the sun...sob). My wife calls me 'yudedako' which means 'boiled octopus' when I get burnt...

I often see painters at tourist destinations. The painter you met there sounds like a real character. I can understand why you were interested in him if he was not in an obvious tourist spot - it seems a pretty weird place to be if you rely on tourists to make ends meet. Surely, he'd be happier if he could sell lots of his paintings by being closer to where the people congregate? I do like the one he is holding in the picture, but I wonder how much he would have charged me for it? :)

I haven't really been anywhere of historical interest for a while. I often pop in to London and that is steeped in history but like many English people I probably don't really appreciate it. I love it when friends visit from overseas and I show them around (or they show me...) as it opens my eyes to the rich history on my doorstep.

Of course the trouble with London, and most other popular tourist destinations is that you end up paying through the nose for everything. It seems to me like the natives can see the tourists coming a mile off. Don't you think?

I can't wait to read your next post!

Best,
Lewis

(to) draw (someone) from (somewhere)
(to be) a real character
(to) make ends meet
(to) congregate
(to) charge (someone) for (something)
(to) pop in to (somewhere)
(to be) steeped in history/tradition
(to) open (someones) eyes to (something)
(to be) on your doorstop
(to) pay through the nose (for something)
(to) see someone coming a mile off (slang)

Elisabeth - Thank you very much for pointing out the mistake in my article the other day. I felt like such a dummy for missing it. I guess my typing was so bad my spell check automatically changed it to 'anyway' instead of 'anywhere' - which makes no sense. When I edited it I couldn't figure out how to add a comment using this new blogging system so now I'm adding a comment to my blog until I can figure it out. So, don't worry I was the one who looked the fool - not you!

It's lovely to meet you! I was so happy to turn on my laptop this morning and see two wonderful posts from you, and I thought I had better hop to it and reply!

Some of you may be thinking "hmmm...I know this guy from somewhere", well if you have been following the BBC blogs for a while you may remember me from way back in summer 2006. I was the second teacher blogger. Go on, take a peek and see how the blog used to be four years ago...

A few things have changed since then as you can imagine. So let me write a few lines about myself before getting back to Dominique (I hope you don't mind). My name is Lewis and I live just west of London in an area often called the 'home counties'. I am happily married and have a 2 year old boy called Oscar. He's a little terror, but of course, I love him to bits! My wife, Tomono, is from Kochi in Japan and we have been married for just over 5 years. We moved back to England in December 2006 and have lived here since then.

Okay, back to Dominique... Again it's really nice to meet you! I've never been to Cameroon, or indeed Africa, so I can't wait to get to know you a bit better and learn all about your life, family and culture. I just hope a month will be enough. I'm so happy that you are dedicated to improving your English and you have summed up the courage to write about your life in this blog. From my experience it takes a lot of guts and I really admire you for it.

Here's how I'd like to help. I will respond to your posts and help you to notice any errors you made by using the same vocabulary and expressions in my blog. I will italicise any corrections so you can 'notice' them and then look back at your post and see how to improve it.

Does that make sense? Lets look at an example:

I often jump on the scales myself and complain about my weight just like you.

Ok, did you notice what I did? I took your expression 'complaining about this weight' and re-worded it with the more natural phrase 'complaining about my weight'. Simple!

I will also add lots of useful new words and phrases in bold so you can add them to your vocabulary books with the correct collocation.

So have no fear Dominique, you are not hopeless at English at all! I'm so impressed with the enthusiasm and energy in your writing.

I look forward to reading a lot more about you.

Best,
Lewis

Useful vocab:

(to) hop to (something)
(to) take a peek (at something)
(to) love someone to bits
(to) sum up the courage (to do something)
(something) takes a lof of guts