Pre-Departure Seminar

Yesterday was the pre-departure seminar in NYC for JETs leaving out of New York. I had to wake up at 4:45 to make it to the bus station in time for a 6am bus into the city. Ended up sitting around in a Starbucks from 8-9:30 waiting for registration. Survived the rest of the day on a caffeine high....

I ended up really enjoying the event, but not as much for the reasons intended by the coordinators. While the event was designed as one big, repetitive Q&A, I personally found it most rewarding to attend because it was a chance to put faces to the personalities I've been talking to on forums and such. It was also a chance to talk with other people in the same boat as me, putting the waiting and anxiousness into perspective and driving home that I'm not in that boat alone.

It was especially great getting to know some of the people who will be in the same prefecture, who I'll probably be seeing a lot more of in the future. They say that having a strong support network in Japan is important for maintaining sanity when culture shock and depression are at their worst, and I can really see how that could be the case. I'm really looking forward to getting to know the people I've already met as well as the others in my prefecture from around the world within the coming months.

At this point in time, I'm very restless, anxiously awaiting the beginning of this next chapter of my life. I received my contract in the mail, and I'll be signing and mailing it back this week. I should also hear details regarding my specific placement, travel itinerary, etc. in the next week or so. I'll definitely be updating once I've found out some of that info.