Leaving home...

Leaving home was harder than I thought it would be but easier than I felt it should be. Its a hard thing to describe the leaving is so easy but all the ties and connections to people, places, and things are so hard to cut.

While it is not August 1st. as I write this I am remembering the details of those days and writing them down for others who are interested and wanting to read.

I left home early in the morning. Saying goodbye to my kittens Monkey and Cerulean before heading out to have my last breakfast for awhile with my grandfather. We ate and oddly enough I can't remember precisely where I ate or what I had. I think it was at a Bob Evans but it could as easily been at a 'Canadian Restaurant' we went to from time to time.

While I knew I would not be boarding the plane today I knew it would be the last time I saw my home and the area for a long time. After my pre-departure orientation I would be heading to the Detroit Metro Airport where my hotel was. And tomorrow I would be flying out.

I had my final Japanese lesson today. The last bit of practice before I would be thrust into Japan. I did not pick up much from it but it went over some of the basics and ingrained them into my head a bit better. Just being with other JETs who were as anxious as me was worth it. While I was learning Japanese my mother (my ride for the day) was out and about, taking a look at the stores around Oakland University and seeing what she could find as far as places to eat. A suprise was in store for me as the JET coordinator for my consulate asked if I would give a speach to the other departing JETs! I am not the best speaker and have never felt comfortable doing it but since I respected him (and all the other JETs had fled the room) I accepted. After the Japanese lesson we went and she bought me some sunglasses from a place called See and then we went off to eat at Olga's Kitchen, a place with had some excellent gyros.

There was still some time before the pre-departure orientation but we decided to head down there anyway. My mom had headed down there to find the place while I was in my Japanese lesson and it was a good thing since she had gotten lost on her trial run! But thankfully she learned from it and we got there with quite a bit time to spare. One of the first to arrive we simply sat in the parking lot of a church for awhile and watched as other JETs arrived early as well. After we had a large enough group we decided to start the walk from the parking lot to the residence of the Consule General.

It was a very very nice house and definitely had a sense of security about it with the gate and video cameras. As we entered we came upon a table with name tags and packets. As well as our passports with their new 3-year Japanese Visas. Getting them we moved to our seats. Knowing I would have to make a speech at one point or another I chose a chair closer to the front.

The atmosphere was relaxed as we talked to the other JETs around us seeing where each was from and trying to find others who were going to the same places. We started off with introductions each JET standing up giving some information about themselves and then sitting down. Each JET was also to say their biggest fear and what they were most looking forward to. My biggest fear at the moment was public speaking, and what I was looking forward to most in apan was meeting the teachers, students, and community where I would live in teach... and becoming a part of them.

A bit more generic info that most of us already knew but probably needed hammered into our skulls a bit more followed the introductions (which for around 60 people took some time). There was a talk about culture shock and then there was a reception where we had a break to eat, drink, and socialize. The sushi that had been warming on the tables for the past few hours didn't really hold that much interest for me so I instead went with a simple drink. One of the speakers had lived in Shiga for awhile and I talked with him for quite a bit. I also found the other person (remembering him from the introductions) who was also going to Shiga. Considering that Michigan has a sister-state relationship with Shiga I was suprised to find out that we were the only two of our group heading there.

The group slowly broke up and we headed off back to the church parking lot (closest public parking to the 'event') where my mother was waiting (but had not been the entire time). I was tired but a burning anticipation was inside m. For I knew that... it was happening. That I was really going. That this time tomorrow I would be mid-flight on the airplane.

It took about an hour to get through the suprisingly light Detroit traffic. We got to the hotel which was actually connected right to the airplane terminal I would be taking off from. I got my bags and said goodbye to Jackie (my mother's orange car) and we went to our room. I went through everything double checking what I had and laid out every bit I would need for the next day. We found that we could go to the airplane terminal since we were staying at that hotel. It took a bit to get the security pass and then to go through security (which was even more exciting since my mother has metal replacement knees). It gave me an idea what it would be like the next day and since I was not in a hurry took it with some interest.

We ate at a mid-eastern restaurant in the terminal and then headed back to our room to sleep. Tomorrow... I would be leaving the country for my new job in Japan.

My Last Day at Home

I've spent the past week saying goodbye to friends and family as I prepare for my move to Japan. I've gone to my favorite restaurants to eat the food I will miss. I've gone to the theaters and rented the movies that I have been wanting to see. My mother and grandfather have been a huge help, each time saying how they will miss me and that they don't want me to go. My friends are happy for me, most of them excited but a few mad that I am leaving. Oddly enough I think I will miss my cats Monkey and Cerulean the most since its hard to tell them that I will be going or to even know that they will miss me. Theres also no good way to interact with them from afar, cats don't seem to hold much interest in phone calls or web cams.

So many things are still left undone yet everything I truly have needed to do I have somehow managed. My bags are packed, my clothes for tomorrow are set aside, my bike is boxed up and ready for transit. I have tried weighing my bags and they seem to be within acceptable limits. I am amazed how much stuff I am able to fit into the bags and yet also amazed how little room it all takes. I am really moving away, very far away from all that I know and that knows me.

Yet I could not be happier. I need a major change in my life so I can work on changing myself for the better. I have been so worried that I will stagnate here or end up living with my mother or grandfather till I am 30, 40, or worse. I am hoping that going to Japan will be a catalyst for a lot of positive changes in my life. Even if I end up dieing due to my choice, even on the trip over, it is worth it.

Japan, living on my own, and being away from any of my safety nets will force me to change whether I want to or not. That I want to change should make it all the better. One of the best ways to change habits or ingrained patterns is to change your environment. And I can think of few changes more drastic than moving from Michigan in the United States to Japan.

This is my last day at home.

This is the last night in my bed here.

Tomorrow I will not be living with my mother, or grandfather.

Tomorrow I will be on my journey to Japan.

In less than a week I will be at my new apartment in Japan with a new job.

In less than a week I will have spent my first day at home.

The Cake is NOT a lie!

Went out with my grandfather today for lunch and went to a Memphis Style BBQ place that I've been to a few times. Its a tiny lil restaurant thats hidden behind a gas station in a not-oft traveled place in town... but it by itself convinced me that ribs and pulled pork can be pretty tasty. Before I tried them there I was not a fan of either but now... its one of my favorite places to eat out for lunch.

Ordered a lunch special; a pulled pork plater that came with cornbread with almond butter and two sides. I went with my favorite side of maple sugar dusted sweet potato fries and asked the waitress what side she recommended. So I went with their fiji spiced apples. Just opted for water as a drink and asked if they had any bourbon pecan pie (my last visit I had just discovered they had deserts there and I was curious how they tasted). The waitress said she would check and since I was in no hurry (still had to wait for the food) that was fine.

Food came, waitress still didn't know though they were checking in back. Eventually the check came and by then she discovered they were all out. But since she couldn't find out she offered another desert for free... so I chose the carrot cake. Mind you I think carrot cake is alright but I have never had a satisfactory piece of carrot cake at a restaurant. Its always a tiny lil square with a dollop of cream cheese frosting.

What was brought out was a huge slice of triple layar carrot cake with tons of cream frosting and even a huge rosette of the frosting on top. Shaved carrot over the top and shaved white chocolate on the back of the cake! It was moist, it was delicious... bugs bunny would pimp himself out to have a slice of it. So... while the pie may be a lie rest assured that the Cake is NOT a lie! It was free, and it was good!

The First Post

Twenty-six years of life. I have accomplished some things during that time yet there is still so much more I want to do. I have a bachelors degree in a field I have no career interest in, and I have traveled some, most of it in the first half of my life.

My first 13 years of life were spent moving every 3-4 years as I followed my mother, a member of the U.S. Navy. I was born in Spain though I moved only three months after being born to Hawaii. From there I moved to Illinois and then onto Alaska. Finally with my mother retiring she and I moved back to Michigan, where she was raised.

For the last 13 years I grew up, went to high school and then university in Michigan. I missed traveling and seeing new places. Over two years ago I started applying to teach English in Japan via the JET program. After nearly getting in on my first attempt and not even making it to the interview on my second, I made it on my third and even got my first choice for placement.

For the next few years (at least 1) I will be living in Higashiomi City, a rural area in the Shiga prefecture of Japan. I am excited, I will be away from those who know me and expect me to act certain ways. I can be on my own and do my best to improve myself to be the person I want to be. It is my first time traveling since I left Alaska for Michigan 13 years ago. Hopefully it is the beginning of another set of travels that will take me across the world.

When my stay on the JET program ends in 1-5 years I have many options to chose from. I could stay in Japan and find a job there, I might come back to the states and work on getting a degree in a field I could see myself getting into (Education or Culinary Arts). I might join the Military as my mother and grandfather did, or I could go to Europe and teach English there for a few years. The JET program lets me prepare, both by finishing off student loans in my past and letting me save up money for things in my future.

I intend to record this time in my life. For friends and family to share what its like to live in another country, for myself to see how I change during these times, and for any others who have an interest in Japan.

So welcome to my journal, I will be improving it as time goes on. I may even begin video blogging if I can make it interesting enough.