Friday 23rd of July 2010
I am sitting in my hotel room of the marriot waiting for the orientation to start. This is it, the last day in the united states. At the orientation I will get some more information, have a nice dinner, receive my passport back and the final instructions that I need to know for tomorrow.
We left pretty early this morning, around 4:30 because we were planning on picking up my friend Sam on the way. About 4:45 we get a call saying that she wont be ready and she will get someone else to give her a ride. About 7am I find out that she isn't going. This upsets me because I really enjoyed spending time with Sam and would have liked to have someone I knew to come to LA with, but also because it is a big mistake not only will she have to repay the JET program a lot of money, she is going to miss out on so much. The JET program is this amazing once in a life time adventure that only a select few get to enjoy. It's funny, I have been thinking a lot more about a friend missing something wonderful then I am about what I am about to do.
We got to the air port on time with no problems and then we sat around for a bit talking. I quickly meet up with the other JETs at the terminal and we formed a group. This helped a lot because there was no one meeting us there at the air port so we had to figure out how to get to the marriot and check in on our own. Not really that big of a deal but when you are going on a big adventure like this you already have way too much on your mind and you don't want more things to worry about or have more things to go wrong.
I have to say I feel very grown up at things like this. Fancy hotel, black suit, high paying job, I feel really important. I still sort of think of myself as that little teenage boy but I guess I really am an adult. All I need to do now is get married.
Well I have a few hours to kill so I think I am going to try playing fallout one on my little netbook, well see how well that works.
Wednesday July 28th 2010
I am writing this on the bus on my way to meet my supervisor in Kamogawa, it has been a crazy past couple of days.
The orientation in LA was fine, our recruiting agent talked way too long and it got a little boring with that but we had a nice mexican dinner party. It was kind of a bad descision though because it was hard to eat dripping fajitas while wearing a fancy suit. Sam did in fact show up. She bought a plane ticket from Tucson to LA at the last minute and made it, I was really happy to see her and she said that I really helped her out.
We got the the airport really early the next day and waited around a bit for the plane. The plane ride was actually kind of comfortable, even though I didn't get any sleep. Once we got off the plane we were hit with a wave of heat and I remembered just how hot it was there. We were greeted by all of the JET staff and that was really nice. It took a long time to get to on the bus and then it was about an hour and a half drive until we got to Tokyo.
I actually stopped here because we arrived at our location, I'll get to that in a little bit.
So the first night we were greeted by more JETs in this fancy hotel and they gave us a bunch of books and what not and our keys. After getting situated I went out to shinjiku to get something to eat when I just bumped into Emily Love from Konan. We had some ramen with this guy I found a little annoying. Now that I think about it I guess I can see a lot of myself in his annoyance. He had only studied a little bit of Japanese but acted like he knew more then I did, I can do that too because I have relatively had little Japanese experience.
The next day was tough, I got dressed in my suit which made me feel very grown up. The meetings were very boring and not all that much new information. In themselves it wouldn't have been so bad but that jet lag, (JET lag, if you will) made all of it really painful. The workshops were mostly useless. There was a banquet that night but I was feeling really light headed so I just wanted it to be over. That day I did get to meet up with Juliene Fang who is also a friend from Konan and we went out for ice cream afterwords. After that I came home early and got some sleep.
The next day was much better, jet lag was now that bad, the meetings were much more energetic and useful, got me a little worried about the actual teaching part of the job. We had a meeting with the prefecture advisor and got some more specific information about Chiba. That night we went out to eat with everyone from Chiba, we went to an izakaiya place. At these restuarnts you order a bunch of small plates that everyone shares. The amount of food you get is really small and people only go here because you can get all you can drink alcohol for a set price. I really hate paying $15 and still feeling hungry. I then just headed back to the hotel from there.
The next morning it was just packing, checking out and waiting for the bus. We rode a bus to Chiba city something something center. We had a very small meeting where the ALTs meet the contracting organization. Much like the meeting when I studied abroad. I was meet by HXXXX san and a coworker of her's that I do not remember his name. Even though I was really nervous at first, I quickly felt very relaxed and felt a real connection with them. I was able to carry on a decent conversation the whole way in Japanese and the guy treated me to a sushi lunch. HXXXX san is really wonderful she is so friendly and seems to be more like a best friend rather then a boss to Niji and Chris. She has even gone as far as to have me stay over at her family's house. They are so nice and friendly it is simply amazing. There is also a little kid in the house who is adorable and really wants me to come to his kindergarten. This is going to be the best job in the world and I can not believe how much the lord has blessed me.
Friday July 30th
I will not be posting the names of people I work with because Japan is very worried about privacy.
Well it has been a week since I left Tucson and started on this JET program. It has been a very long week and I want nothing more right now then to be in my own place and try and make it my home. Don't get my wrong I am very grateful for the accommodations I have received from the Japanese people (directly the HXXX family) but I want to unpack. I want to sprawl out on my bed and just take a big sigh of relief. Tomorrow afternoon I should be moving in, finally.
Yesterday was my first real day at the office and well I didn't really do anything. There isn't anything for me to do so I've been reading up on the JET manuals that I have received but Chris came by and he got on his computer, and he said it was alright, YXXX even offered her computer while she was gone. It just feels really weird to not be doing anything and getting paid for it. Like I am wasting tax payer money, and I get paid a lot. I get around 36,000 USD a year, tax free! Because I am making so much I bought a new TV. I ordered it on Yodobashi.com and I think I got a great deal. Now normally TVs are much more expensive in Japan then they are in the US but I got a 40” Sharp 1080p LCD TV for 89,000 yen with free shipping and 20% back on Yodobashi points. So I have about $180 credit at Yodobashi which I can use on an electric dictionary and almost get it for free. So $1000 for a 40” TV and an electric dictionary isn't a bad deal even in America, maybe not the BEST but I still feel good about it. I found out that Japanese TVs have two things weird about them. The first thing is that they have three broadcasts going on, the first two are simple analog and digital broadcasts like the states went through and the other is this thing called BS where you have some sort of card inserted into your TV and you get channels that are more like little programs then anything else. I have no idea how that technology works but it is probably why Japanese TVs are more expensive. The second thing weird about them is that a lot of the ones I look at don't have component ports on them. They have this D5 terminal thing, which I guess is supposed to be the same quality as component but who knows. This means that all of the cables that I thought I wouldn't need in Japan, I actually do. Xbox VGA, ps2 composite, and HDMI -DVI cable. I sent an email to Dad asking him to mail them, we'll see how long the shipping takes on that I suppose.
Any rate it is really nice staying at HXXX's house. It is very Japanesey. There are tatami rooms, slidding doors, caligraphy, etc. I am enjoying it and I am enjoying getting all of that free food, some nice Japanese home cooking. There is a little boy there who is hilarious and that really makes me feel more at home.
So I am enjoying Kamogawa and it isn't a Inaka (very rural town) but I think it is proof that the JET program isn't for everyone. It is a good distance away from everything and there really isn't much to do. The town has what I need, there is a game store, a book store, a video rental store, a walmart like store, karaoke, McDonalds, train station, but I am very distant from the life I had in Kobe. I think it lacks the excitement Kobe had. Which isn't that bad but I think I am really going to have to put a lot of effort into building a social life and finding what really makes me happy here. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you just want to be a long term tourist (like I was before) I don't think you could make it here.
Another thing I have learned is how bad and good my Japanese is. I can talk to just about anyone no problem, but I make mistakes. In the office I hear Japanese all of the time and sometimes I am like “wow I understood that whole thing” other times I am like “wow I didn't understand a word of that”. But this certainly is the total submersion that I had wanted. There is no gaijin bubble that I need to escape from, rather I will have to find chances to have a natural conversation in English. I think I will definitely improve my Japanese by leaps and bounds. In fact I will probably be studying a lot at work since there seems to be a lot of down time. I really just need to get my hands on a good JLPT level 1 book.
One thing that is a little uneasy right now is how helpless I am. Everything is dependent on getting the alien registration card. I need that for a bank account, for a cell phone, to take ownership of my car, for internet (maybe), just everything. Everyone is really nice and has helped me out a lot but still I want to get my own life started already.
I really hope I didn't come off as negative in any of this, I am grateful beyond measure. This job is going to be a lot of fun, I am really going to love spending time with my students, I have wonderful co-workers and just a breathtaking view of the beach. The town is good distance away from a lot of things but I love it all.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
catch up
Friday 23rd of July 2010
I am sitting in my hotel room of the marriot waiting for the orientation to start. This is it, the last day in the united states. At the orientation I will get some more information, have a nice dinner, receive my passport back and the final instructions that I need to know for tomorrow.
We left pretty early this morning, around 4:30 because we were planning on picking up my friend Sam on the way. About 4:45 we get a call saying that she wont be ready and she will get someone else to give her a ride. About 7am I find out that she isn't going. This upsets me because I really enjoyed spending time with Sam and would have liked to have someone I knew to come to LA with, but also because it is a big mistake not only will she have to repay the JET program a lot of money, she is going to miss out on so much. The JET program is this amazing once in a life time adventure that only a select few get to enjoy. It's funny, I have been thinking a lot more about a friend missing something wonderful then I am about what I am about to do.
We got to the air port on time with no problems and then we sat around for a bit talking. I quickly meet up with the other JETs at the terminal and we formed a group. This helped a lot because there was no one meeting us there at the air port so we had to figure out how to get to the marriot and check in on our own. Not really that big of a deal but when you are going on a big adventure like this you already have way too much on your mind and you don't want more things to worry about or have more things to go wrong.
I have to say I feel very grown up at things like this. Fancy hotel, black suit, high paying job, I feel really important. I still sort of think of myself as that little teenage boy but I guess I really am an adult. All I need to do now is get married.
Well I have a few hours to kill so I think I am going to try playing fallout one on my little netbook, well see how well that works.
Wednesday July 28th 2010
I am writing this on the bus on my way to meet my supervisor in Kamogawa, it has been a crazy past couple of days.
The orientation in LA was fine, our recruiting agent talked way too long and it got a little boring with that but we had a nice mexican dinner party. It was kind of a bad descision though because it was hard to eat dripping fajitas while wearing a fancy suit. Sam did in fact show up. She bought a plane ticket from Tucson to LA at the last minute and made it, I was really happy to see her and she said that I really helped her out.
We got the the airport really early the next day and waited around a bit for the plane. The plane ride was actually kind of comfortable, even though I didn't get any sleep. Once we got off the plane we were hit with a wave of heat and I remembered just how hot it was there. We were greeted by all of the JET staff and that was really nice. It took a long time to get to on the bus and then it was about an hour and a half drive until we got to Tokyo.
I actually stopped here because we arrived at our location, I'll get to that in a little bit.
So the first night we were greeted by more JETs in this fancy hotel and they gave us a bunch of books and what not and our keys. After getting situated I went out to shinjiku to get something to eat when I just bumped into Emily Love from Konan. We had some ramen with this guy I found a little annoying. Now that I think about it I guess I can see a lot of myself in his annoyance. He had only studied a little bit of Japanese but acted like he knew more then I did, I can do that too because I have relatively had little Japanese experience.
The next day was tough, I got dressed in my suit which made me feel very grown up. The meetings were very boring and not all that much new information. In themselves it wouldn't have been so bad but that jet lag, (JET lag, if you will) made all of it really painful. The workshops were mostly useless. There was a banquet that night but I was feeling really light headed so I just wanted it to be over. That day I did get to meet up with Juliene Fang who is also a friend from Konan and we went out for ice cream afterwords. After that I came home early and got some sleep.
The next day was much better, jet lag was now that bad, the meetings were much more energetic and useful, got me a little worried about the actual teaching part of the job. We had a meeting with the prefecture advisor and got some more specific information about Chiba. That night we went out to eat with everyone from Chiba, we went to an izakaiya place. At these restuarnts you order a bunch of small plates that everyone shares. The amount of food you get is really small and people only go here because you can get all you can drink alcohol for a set price. I really hate paying $15 and still feeling hungry. I then just headed back to the hotel from there.
The next morning it was just packing, checking out and waiting for the bus. We rode a bus to Chiba city something something center. We had a very small meeting where the ALTs meet the contracting organization. Much like the meeting when I studied abroad. I was meet by Hatanaka san and a coworker of her's that I do not remember his name. Even though I was really nervous at first, I quickly felt very relaxed and felt a real connection with them. I was able to carry on a decent conversation the whole way in Japanese and the guy treated me to a sushi lunch. Hatanaka san is really wonderful she is so friendly and seems to be more like a best friend rather then a boss to Niji and Chris. She has even gone as far as to have me stay over at her family's house. They are so nice and friendly it is simply amazing. There is also a little kid in the house who is adorable and really wants me to come to his kindergarten. This is going to be the best job in the world and I can not believe how much the lord has blessed me.
Friday July 30th
Well it has been a week since I left Tucson and started on this JET program. It has been a very long week and I want nothing more right now then to be in my own place and try and make it my home. Don't get my wrong I am very grateful for the accommodations I have received from the Japanese people (directly the Hatanaka family) but I want to unpack. I want to sprawl out on my bed and just take a big sigh of relief. Tomorrow afternoon I should be moving in, finally.
Yesterday was my first real day at the office and well I didn't really do anything. There isn't anything for me to do so I've been reading up on the JET manuals that I have received but Chris came by and he got on his computer, and he said it was alright, Yoriko even offered her computer while she was gone. It just feels really weird to not be doing anything and getting paid for it. Like I am wasting tax payer money, and I get paid a lot. I get around 36,000 USD a year, tax free! Because I am making so much I bought a new TV. I ordered it on Yodobashi.com and I think I got a great deal. Now normally TVs are much more expensive in Japan then they are in the US but I got a 40” Sharp 1080p LCD TV for 89,000 yen with free shipping and 20% back on Yodobashi points. So I have about $180 credit at Yodobashi which I can use on an electric dictionary and almost get it for free. So $1000 for a 40” TV and an electric dictionary isn't a bad deal even in America, maybe not the BEST but I still feel good about it. I found out that Japanese TVs have two things weird about them. The first thing is that they have three broadcasts going on, the first two are simple analog and digital broadcasts like the states went through and the other is this thing called BS where you have some sort of card inserted into your TV and you get channels that are more like little programs then anything else. I have no idea how that technology works but it is probably why Japanese TVs are more expensive. The second thing weird about them is that a lot of the ones I look at don't have component ports on them. They have this D5 terminal thing, which I guess is supposed to be the same quality as component but who knows. This means that all of the cables that I thought I wouldn't need in Japan, I actually do. Xbox VGA, ps2 composite, and HDMI -DVI cable. I sent an email to Dad asking him to mail them, we'll see how long the shipping takes on that I suppose.
Any rate it is really nice staying at Hatanaka's house. It is very Japanesey. There are tatami rooms, slidding doors, caligraphy, etc. I am enjoying it and I am enjoying getting all of that free food, some nice Japanese home cooking. There is a little boy there who is hilarious and that really makes me feel more at home.
So I am enjoying Kamogawa and it isn't a Inaka (very rural town) but I think it is proof that the JET program isn't for everyone. It is a good distance away from everything and there really isn't much to do. The town has what I need, there is a game store, a book store, a video rental store, a walmart like store, karaoke, McDonalds, train station, but I am very distant from the life I had in Kobe. I think it lacks the excitement Kobe had. Which isn't that bad but I think I am really going to have to put a lot of effort into building a social life and finding what really makes me happy here. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you just want to be a long term tourist (like I was before) I don't think you could make it here.
Another thing I have learned is how bad and good my Japanese is. I can talk to just about anyone no problem, but I make mistakes. In the office I hear Japanese all of the time and sometimes I am like “wow I understood that whole thing” other times I am like “wow I didn't understand a word of that”. But this certainly is the total submersion that I had wanted. There is no gaijin bubble that I need to escape from, rather I will have to find chances to have a natural conversation in English. I think I will definitely improve my Japanese by leaps and bounds. In fact I will probably be studying a lot at work since there seems to be a lot of down time. I really just need to get my hands on a good JLPT level 1 book.
One thing that is a little uneasy right now is how helpless I am. Everything is dependent on getting the alien registration card. I need that for a bank account, for a cell phone, to take ownership of my car, for internet (maybe), just everything. Everyone is really nice and has helped me out a lot but still I want to get my own life started already.
I really hope I didn't come off as negative in any of this, I am grateful beyond measure. This job is going to be a lot of fun, I am really going to love spending time with my students, I have wonderful co-workers and just a breathtaking view of the beach. The town is good distance away from a lot of things but I love it all.
I am sitting in my hotel room of the marriot waiting for the orientation to start. This is it, the last day in the united states. At the orientation I will get some more information, have a nice dinner, receive my passport back and the final instructions that I need to know for tomorrow.
We left pretty early this morning, around 4:30 because we were planning on picking up my friend Sam on the way. About 4:45 we get a call saying that she wont be ready and she will get someone else to give her a ride. About 7am I find out that she isn't going. This upsets me because I really enjoyed spending time with Sam and would have liked to have someone I knew to come to LA with, but also because it is a big mistake not only will she have to repay the JET program a lot of money, she is going to miss out on so much. The JET program is this amazing once in a life time adventure that only a select few get to enjoy. It's funny, I have been thinking a lot more about a friend missing something wonderful then I am about what I am about to do.
We got to the air port on time with no problems and then we sat around for a bit talking. I quickly meet up with the other JETs at the terminal and we formed a group. This helped a lot because there was no one meeting us there at the air port so we had to figure out how to get to the marriot and check in on our own. Not really that big of a deal but when you are going on a big adventure like this you already have way too much on your mind and you don't want more things to worry about or have more things to go wrong.
I have to say I feel very grown up at things like this. Fancy hotel, black suit, high paying job, I feel really important. I still sort of think of myself as that little teenage boy but I guess I really am an adult. All I need to do now is get married.
Well I have a few hours to kill so I think I am going to try playing fallout one on my little netbook, well see how well that works.
Wednesday July 28th 2010
I am writing this on the bus on my way to meet my supervisor in Kamogawa, it has been a crazy past couple of days.
The orientation in LA was fine, our recruiting agent talked way too long and it got a little boring with that but we had a nice mexican dinner party. It was kind of a bad descision though because it was hard to eat dripping fajitas while wearing a fancy suit. Sam did in fact show up. She bought a plane ticket from Tucson to LA at the last minute and made it, I was really happy to see her and she said that I really helped her out.
We got the the airport really early the next day and waited around a bit for the plane. The plane ride was actually kind of comfortable, even though I didn't get any sleep. Once we got off the plane we were hit with a wave of heat and I remembered just how hot it was there. We were greeted by all of the JET staff and that was really nice. It took a long time to get to on the bus and then it was about an hour and a half drive until we got to Tokyo.
I actually stopped here because we arrived at our location, I'll get to that in a little bit.
So the first night we were greeted by more JETs in this fancy hotel and they gave us a bunch of books and what not and our keys. After getting situated I went out to shinjiku to get something to eat when I just bumped into Emily Love from Konan. We had some ramen with this guy I found a little annoying. Now that I think about it I guess I can see a lot of myself in his annoyance. He had only studied a little bit of Japanese but acted like he knew more then I did, I can do that too because I have relatively had little Japanese experience.
The next day was tough, I got dressed in my suit which made me feel very grown up. The meetings were very boring and not all that much new information. In themselves it wouldn't have been so bad but that jet lag, (JET lag, if you will) made all of it really painful. The workshops were mostly useless. There was a banquet that night but I was feeling really light headed so I just wanted it to be over. That day I did get to meet up with Juliene Fang who is also a friend from Konan and we went out for ice cream afterwords. After that I came home early and got some sleep.
The next day was much better, jet lag was now that bad, the meetings were much more energetic and useful, got me a little worried about the actual teaching part of the job. We had a meeting with the prefecture advisor and got some more specific information about Chiba. That night we went out to eat with everyone from Chiba, we went to an izakaiya place. At these restuarnts you order a bunch of small plates that everyone shares. The amount of food you get is really small and people only go here because you can get all you can drink alcohol for a set price. I really hate paying $15 and still feeling hungry. I then just headed back to the hotel from there.
The next morning it was just packing, checking out and waiting for the bus. We rode a bus to Chiba city something something center. We had a very small meeting where the ALTs meet the contracting organization. Much like the meeting when I studied abroad. I was meet by Hatanaka san and a coworker of her's that I do not remember his name. Even though I was really nervous at first, I quickly felt very relaxed and felt a real connection with them. I was able to carry on a decent conversation the whole way in Japanese and the guy treated me to a sushi lunch. Hatanaka san is really wonderful she is so friendly and seems to be more like a best friend rather then a boss to Niji and Chris. She has even gone as far as to have me stay over at her family's house. They are so nice and friendly it is simply amazing. There is also a little kid in the house who is adorable and really wants me to come to his kindergarten. This is going to be the best job in the world and I can not believe how much the lord has blessed me.
Friday July 30th
Well it has been a week since I left Tucson and started on this JET program. It has been a very long week and I want nothing more right now then to be in my own place and try and make it my home. Don't get my wrong I am very grateful for the accommodations I have received from the Japanese people (directly the Hatanaka family) but I want to unpack. I want to sprawl out on my bed and just take a big sigh of relief. Tomorrow afternoon I should be moving in, finally.
Yesterday was my first real day at the office and well I didn't really do anything. There isn't anything for me to do so I've been reading up on the JET manuals that I have received but Chris came by and he got on his computer, and he said it was alright, Yoriko even offered her computer while she was gone. It just feels really weird to not be doing anything and getting paid for it. Like I am wasting tax payer money, and I get paid a lot. I get around 36,000 USD a year, tax free! Because I am making so much I bought a new TV. I ordered it on Yodobashi.com and I think I got a great deal. Now normally TVs are much more expensive in Japan then they are in the US but I got a 40” Sharp 1080p LCD TV for 89,000 yen with free shipping and 20% back on Yodobashi points. So I have about $180 credit at Yodobashi which I can use on an electric dictionary and almost get it for free. So $1000 for a 40” TV and an electric dictionary isn't a bad deal even in America, maybe not the BEST but I still feel good about it. I found out that Japanese TVs have two things weird about them. The first thing is that they have three broadcasts going on, the first two are simple analog and digital broadcasts like the states went through and the other is this thing called BS where you have some sort of card inserted into your TV and you get channels that are more like little programs then anything else. I have no idea how that technology works but it is probably why Japanese TVs are more expensive. The second thing weird about them is that a lot of the ones I look at don't have component ports on them. They have this D5 terminal thing, which I guess is supposed to be the same quality as component but who knows. This means that all of the cables that I thought I wouldn't need in Japan, I actually do. Xbox VGA, ps2 composite, and HDMI -DVI cable. I sent an email to Dad asking him to mail them, we'll see how long the shipping takes on that I suppose.
Any rate it is really nice staying at Hatanaka's house. It is very Japanesey. There are tatami rooms, slidding doors, caligraphy, etc. I am enjoying it and I am enjoying getting all of that free food, some nice Japanese home cooking. There is a little boy there who is hilarious and that really makes me feel more at home.
So I am enjoying Kamogawa and it isn't a Inaka (very rural town) but I think it is proof that the JET program isn't for everyone. It is a good distance away from everything and there really isn't much to do. The town has what I need, there is a game store, a book store, a video rental store, a walmart like store, karaoke, McDonalds, train station, but I am very distant from the life I had in Kobe. I think it lacks the excitement Kobe had. Which isn't that bad but I think I am really going to have to put a lot of effort into building a social life and finding what really makes me happy here. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you just want to be a long term tourist (like I was before) I don't think you could make it here.
Another thing I have learned is how bad and good my Japanese is. I can talk to just about anyone no problem, but I make mistakes. In the office I hear Japanese all of the time and sometimes I am like “wow I understood that whole thing” other times I am like “wow I didn't understand a word of that”. But this certainly is the total submersion that I had wanted. There is no gaijin bubble that I need to escape from, rather I will have to find chances to have a natural conversation in English. I think I will definitely improve my Japanese by leaps and bounds. In fact I will probably be studying a lot at work since there seems to be a lot of down time. I really just need to get my hands on a good JLPT level 1 book.
One thing that is a little uneasy right now is how helpless I am. Everything is dependent on getting the alien registration card. I need that for a bank account, for a cell phone, to take ownership of my car, for internet (maybe), just everything. Everyone is really nice and has helped me out a lot but still I want to get my own life started already.
I really hope I didn't come off as negative in any of this, I am grateful beyond measure. This job is going to be a lot of fun, I am really going to love spending time with my students, I have wonderful co-workers and just a breathtaking view of the beach. The town is good distance away from a lot of things but I love it all.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The day before
Tomorrow morning I leave for PHX airport where I will go to LA for orientation, then the next day fly to Japan. My job officially starts tomorrow. I don't know why but it still hasn't hit me. This is the moment I have been dreaming of for years and years and it is at my finger tips but it just seems like a normal day. It has been stressful though, so many things to pack and store and through out. So much paperwork to worry about, so I think that has been sucking some of the fun out of it.
Or maybe it is because I have studied abroad before that I know I can see my friends again, I can skype with people, and I can visit home, that I am not feeling so anxious. It kind of like how when I went before I was like a kid on Christmas morning, and now I am like a parent on Christmas morning, I have to make it all somehow work even though I will still enjoy it.
Thinking back though I have really enjoyed my time in Tucson. I had a little bit of a rough start making friends and I had my ups and downs but I have wonderful people in my life and I am grateful for that.
I wonder what my new life will be like. Having build a social life from scratch might be a little rough at first but as long as I always try and find something to do or go to, I should be alright. Or rather I know as long as I stay true to being a good church member, it will be alright.
So I guess I'm ready to go.
Or maybe it is because I have studied abroad before that I know I can see my friends again, I can skype with people, and I can visit home, that I am not feeling so anxious. It kind of like how when I went before I was like a kid on Christmas morning, and now I am like a parent on Christmas morning, I have to make it all somehow work even though I will still enjoy it.
Thinking back though I have really enjoyed my time in Tucson. I had a little bit of a rough start making friends and I had my ups and downs but I have wonderful people in my life and I am grateful for that.
I wonder what my new life will be like. Having build a social life from scratch might be a little rough at first but as long as I always try and find something to do or go to, I should be alright. Or rather I know as long as I stay true to being a good church member, it will be alright.
So I guess I'm ready to go.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Leaving for Japan, bitter sweet.
It is now 16 days until I board a plane to LA, go to orientation then fly off to Japan the next day. It is all happening very soon. I of course am excited, I have such an amazing adventure waiting for me. But I am also a little sad. There are so many people in AZ that I really enjoy spending time with. Of course my family, I love them and they are going to be the ones I call the most for sure. But I'm also going to miss my "long time az friends" Cameron, Tyler, Heather and Rob. I've been in AZ since late 2004 and I think it was like mid 2006 that I really started to be friends with all of them. For a long time they were my only "real" friends and that didn't bother me. They are such wonderful people. But I also have my "con-nichiwa friends". All of the friends I made while working on our Tucson anime convention "con-nichiwa". I've wanted friends that I can just sit back and watch anime with for a really long time and it wasn't until I was about to move to Japan that I started making friends like that. I really hope that I can arrange enough time off next year to be able to visit everyone.
So leaving all of these people is starting to get tougher then I was expecting. Life is like this sometimes and you just have to move forward. It is going to be tough though. Going from having a bunch of friends to having to start up an entire new social life from scratch. I know I can do it, but it will be a little tough.
So leaving all of these people is starting to get tougher then I was expecting. Life is like this sometimes and you just have to move forward. It is going to be tough though. Going from having a bunch of friends to having to start up an entire new social life from scratch. I know I can do it, but it will be a little tough.
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