My first eikaiwa and my second birthday

So, as well as teaching kids out here, I also have an adult class (eikaiwa) every Thursday evening. I have a beginner class and an intermediate class and it has by far been the most stressful thing I have done since coming to Japan!  The main problem is that I do not have a Japanese English teacher teaching with me that I can hide behind, and more importantly no one to be my translator. Here we hit the main problem and the root of the stress in the class - I have no translator, and my Japanese students are COMPLETE beginners! How, pray tell, am I supposed to teach English when I do not speak Japanese and  my students don't understand basic English?!!?
I think I managed to introduce general greetings and goodbyes successfully - though there was a bit of confusion as to when to say 'Nice to meet you' - once again almost impossible to explain without words!
Needless to say I did not enjoy the first lesson. Every time I turned to write on the board, the thought crossed my mind just to run out the room crying or screaming! I am already dreading next week!

On a positive note my intermediate class can speak English and seemed very relaxed and happy - even though my lesson was pretty shit and unprepared! The main 'pick me up' of the evening was that one of my students brought in a present for me - a birthday cake with 2 + 3 candles!
 Even though it is a couple of weeks after my birthday - I must have told them last week that it was my birthday the week before and she remembered. Japanese people are so  bloody thoughtful and nice! Anyway, myself and Broc (my friend who happened to be round at the time) thoroughly enjoyed munching our way through the cake that night - he even sang happy birthday to me again!
Second birthdays are awesome!

The message says: Welcome to Donari. Enjoy with your friends. Thank you for coming.