First Week

Well, I haven't posted in a while, but I proudly announce that it wasn't for not wanting to. I have very limited internet at this point, as I have not yet gotten a cell phone and my internet won't be set up at my house for at least a couple weeks. My internet access is limited to work, and therefore, my freedom to make posts is limited.

Being here is phenomenally overwhelming. When I was studying abroad, there is absolutely no denying that they held our hands tremendously. We were essentially put into a little foreigner bubble in the middle of Japan, and were then able to venture out into the real Japan in small, controlled bursts to test the water. Now, it is as though I dove straight into the deep end in the middle of winter, and the shock of such a dramatic change is really really hard to deal with.

I have been blessed to have a wonderful predecessor who has been coaching me through the entire startup since my arrival in my new home. I can rely very little on English to do anything. At work, I speak anywhere from 70 to 100% Japanese in pretty much everything I do. There is no humility here, I'm really not fluent enough to manage that, but it is the only option. Having coworkers speak to me in Japanese and me having to grasp at as much understanding as I can muster, and then grasp at every ounce of my own Japanese in an effort to reply, I have certainly been challenged. However, there is also absolutely no doubt that this environment will ensure that my linguistic skills improve exponentially.

Initially, working at my main base school was difficult because there was a tangible barrier between myself and my coworkers. I'm pretty sure that barrier was simply a mutual lack of confidence in the ability to communicate. However, last night, the office hosted a farewell party for my predecessor and a welcome party for myself. A large majority of the school staff attended, more than 30 people, ranging from the principle and vice principle to the master gardener. That event convinced me, unquestioningly, of the value of Japanese enkai. All of a sudden, I was able to really express who I was, and get to know who everyone else was. Within a matter of hours, I felt like I had gone from an isolated stranger to a welcomed coworker. Everyone was eager to speak with me, in both English and Japanese, and to let me know that they look forward to working with me.

At the event, I was asked to provide a self introduction speech, or 自己紹介. I gave this entirely in Japanese, which was daunting in itself. The food was amazing, the comraderie was amazing, the setting was amazing, it was just an all around great time. Afterwards, a portion of the original group headed to karaoke, which again turned out to be a wonderfully fun time. It was especially great being able to see everyone in a relaxed, informal state.

Today is my first work day at one of the two night high-schools I have been assigned to. The students range from approximately 18 and up I believe. For all of the schools I will be working for, classes don't begin until September 1st, so the month of August will be limited mostly to getting accustomed to the work environment, getting to know my coworkers, setting up my basic living needs, and preparing for classes. I have been asked to make a few small presentations about my home culture during a senior high school open house for junior high school students next week. I also have a training seminar to attend in 2 weeks.

Alright, I've rambled long enough. Not sure when I'll be able to post again, but I definitely have a lot more to share. Please, feel free to ask questions or make suggestions of what I should talk about if you want to know more.

Tokyo Orientation

This is my last day at the Tokyo Orientation before I ship off to my new home in Takarazuka, Hyogo. The last couple days have been a whirlwind. Traveling here went smoothly, although I suffered a pretty rough bout of exhaustion once I first made it into Tokyo. I went out on Sunday night with another friend in the program and some old friends from our time studying abroad in Japan. We had yakiniku, and then wandered around near the school we went to.

I have been very surprised but also proud how well I remember everything here. It's almost like my memory is a video, as I have absolutely no problem navigating the streets of this city. My Japanese has dramatically improved since my last time here as well, and the ability to communicate and read my surroundings has had a major level-up.

I have several pictures and some short clips that I've taken since I arrived, but it's a little too much for me to sort through now. When I do get around to that, I'll definitely post them on here.

My Return to Japan

Apologies for this getting posted late. I wrote the following two nights ago from New York, but I didn't have the chance to get online and post it until now. I'm now in Tokyo, Japan attending the orientation events. I'll post more about how that is going tomorrow.

Today I traveled to New York City to have our final pre-departure meeting with the consulate. Afterwards, I enjoyed dinner with my parents at the Atlantic Grill in the city. Tomorrow morning, I'll be taking the 13.5 hour flight that will bring me into Narita Japan. My old classmates from my semester abroad in Tokyo are meeting myself and another JET friend at our hotel for a welcome back party. The plan is karaoke, which I've been missing a lot since I returned home. I have to imagine it will be pretty rough though, with jet-lag combined with an immediately busy evening. On Monday, meetings begin bright and early at 9am. I'm anticipating being a zombie for those meetings....

The Final Countdown

In one week, I will be back in Tokyo, Japan. I apologize for having not updated sooner, but I quite literally had received no new information about my new job. They told me I would be working in Hyogo Prefecture teaching high school, and that was it. That's like being told you'll be working in Oklahoma. Okay....Oklahoma City, Oklahoma or nowheresville Bushyhead, Oklahoma? To this day, 6 days before my flight, I still have no official info on what town I'll be in, what schools I'll teach at, what my housing situation will be, what my rent and upfront costs will be, etc. The list of things that they haven't told me yet goes on and on. But, I'm not alone, this is apparently pretty standard for a lot of people on the program.

Luckily, I know some things unofficially, and I'll be glad to share them once they do become official. Thanks to this info I have, my concerns have been largely relieved, and it sounds like I'm going to be in a wonderful placement.

My rough itinerary for the next week or so:
Fri. July 24th - Pre-departure meeting in NYC. Spend time with family afterward
Sat. July 25th - Depart NY to Japan. 13 1/2 hour flight into Narita
Sun. July 26th - Welcome back party with old friends from Japan
Mon. July 27 - Day 1 of Tokyo Orientation
Tue. July 28 - Day 2 of Tokyo Orientation
Wed. July 29 - Departure from Tokyo to my new residence in Hyogo via shinkansen

In the meantime, here's what I've been up to back home. Packing is an adventure, as I'm limited to two 50lb bags plus my carry-on. Clearly, I'm going to have to leave behind a lot of things. The process of going through everything I own and determining what I absolutely need, as well as what I want that is actually feasible to pack, has taken days. I'm also making it a point to document what I'm leaving behind, so I know what's there, where it is, and how to instruct someone to find it should I need it shipped to Japan for whatever reason.

I've also had a host of other things to clear up back home. I have gotten an International Driver's Permit in case I ever need to drive in Japan. Because my first payday won't be until the middle of August, I need to bring some startup money to pay for initial expenses for the first couple weeks. I ordered Japanese yen to be sent to my local bank to make an exchange for this purpose. I also squared away all my other banking needs in anticipation for my time abroad.

Lastly, I've been doing things to prepare for my first few days on the job. I'll be expected to give numerous introductions of myself, both formally to coworkers as well as more informally to students on the first day of my classes. For this, doing things like taking pictures of my home town and old university will give me visuals to accompany my talks, and allow the people I meet to see what things were like for me back in America.