Boarding

So I’m about to board the plane along with all the other JET participants here in Portland. Boarding doesn’t actually start for another 10 minutes though. I couldn’t start to write anything earlier, because the internet connection here at the Portland airport is spotty at best

Four other JETs and I got some lunch on the other side of airport security. My last American meal was Wendy’s. the frosty was good, but the fries were disappointing.

I cannot wait to get to Japan. I know they’re going to feed us one meal on the plane, and then one other snack, but other than that, I don’t know what amenities they’ll have for us. I just hope the flight is as painless as possible, and that the jet lag isn’t too bad.

Consul

July 29, 2011

 

I’m writing this in a word document, because the Internet connection is down at our hotel, and apparently at all of the hotels around us according to the front desk.

 

Anyway, Mom and I went to the Orientation and the Reception. Good thing I double-checked my email last night, because Mom and I were set to drive to the Consulate’s office, but instead it was at the Consul General’s house. Since we knew we were going near the end of rush hour, we had to plan to leave the hotel earlier.

 

I had a hard time sleeping the night before. I kept dreaming of being stuck in traffic, or of missing the plane to Tokyo, and I woke up at least 6 times last night. But we found the Consul’s house just fine, and we were on time!

 

When I checked in, Mom asked the woman at the desk if she knew of any good places to hang around until the reception started. The woman kept telling Mom to just start following roads that we didn’t know about, since we don’t live in Portland. But a Japanese man just told Mom that she could stay, that there was room, so long as she stayed in the back. He was really nice, and turned out to be the Consul General.

 

The Orientation went fine. I got my passport back, for a while. They handed everyone back their passports, just see we could look at our Visas, and make sure all of the information was correct, before handing them back in. It’s because they don’t want anyone showing up tomorrow and forgetting their passport. We get our passports back tomorrow when we check in at the Delta desk.

 

There wasn’t that much new information during the orientation that I didn’t already receive from the various emails and information packets that I’ve been getting from JET. But it was good to make sure everyone was on the same page, and could ask questions.

 

After orientation, everyone was ushered outside, where the JET participants and their family members could mingle, and drink either white or red wine, beer, water, or sparkling cider.

 

While everyone was outside the General Consul gave a speech, wishing us JETS good luck on our journey, and about the strong cultural bridge we were building between the US and Japan. Afterwards, everyone moved inside for a buffet lunch.

 

The buffet lunch was interesting. We had our choice of pork-katsu sandwiches, yakitori, beef slices, and these big salmon and vegetable sushi squares. For dessert they served strawberries and cherries.

 

The reception was over by 2 o’clock, so afterwards Mom and I went to AAA and got my International Driver’s Permit, which actually wasn’t that difficult to get. The we went to the Oregon Historical Society, and then to the Oregon Art Museum. We parked on the street, so Mom had to pop out twice to feed the parking meter.

For dinner, Mom and I went to this place called North Bay Seafood and Grill. It was okay, but it wasn’t fantastic.

 

Then we went back to the hotel, and did some last minute re-arranging and packing, just make sure I had appropriate items in the right bags. Mom and I weighed my two big bags, and they’re both around 40 pounds, so now we know I’ll be good when it comes to the weight limit.

 

Tomorrow, I have to be at the airport by at least 10:30 am to meet the JET representative at the Delta desk, get my passport back, and check in. My flight doesn’t leave until 2:10 pm, so I should have time to pick up a snack or something, and maybe check my email before I go. I’m not sure if I’ll have access to free Wi-Fi at the Portland airport, so I’m not sure when I’ll have internet access again, or when I’ll posting this entry. But I can safely say, that I feel more confident in being able to transition into my new home in Japan without too much trouble.

 

Kanpai!

Packing

I pretty much finished all of my packing today. And then I had to do a lot of re-packing and re-organizing my bags. My larger one was originally 51 pounds, and then re-packed some things and it went down to 44 pounds. Then I re-packed some small things and it went to 54 lbs. I just did some more re-organization, and now my larger bag is somewhere between 46 and 48 pounds. So as long as I do not add anything else to that bag, I should be good.

My smaller bag is only 38 pounds, but there’s not enough space to add more stuff, and I’m already having a hard time closing the zippers. I’m already losing space in my carry-on as well, since I was re-organizing things. I still need to pack my computer and my medications at the last minute tomorrow, and I need to save the rest of the space for all of the material I’m supposed to be receiving at orientation. I’ve been getting notices from JET saying to expect “between 9 and 12 pounds” of material and to make room for that. I hope the majority of it is papers, so it’s easier to consolidate.

I also went and took care of a few monetary things today, since I need a large amount of cash to convert to yen when I arrive in Japan so I can pay my deposit on my apartment. Other than that, things are going well, although I am feeling a bit stressed over the move. I’m pretty sure I’ll be more relaxed once I’m actually in Japan, because then the actual transit will be over.

Tomorrow, Mom and I head down to Portland, Oregon, after we drop off Aunt Darlene, and Justin and Rachel at the airport.

Getting Ready

I am going to fly out to Japan within the next four days! I’m excited and anxious at the same time. I can only bring so much with me in my luggage, and I have to make sure I can make the money in my checking account last until my first paycheck on August 21st.

But I’m so excited to finally be moving, and working at my new job! I’m a little nervous about not knowing so much Japanese, but so far I know enough to do a small self-introduction, and know how to form a few questions.

So far, I know I’m going to be working with high school students at Inagaku-en in the town of Ina-machi in the Saitama prefecture. It’s about an hour from Tokyo by train.

My predecessor told me about the apartment. It’s small, with a bathroom, shower, washer, kitchenette, and a/c, and heating, which is good. Apparently there is also an internet router, but it either doesn’t work, I have to pay extra for wi-fi service. He told me the apartment is within walking distance from the school, so that’s good too. He’s selling me his rice-cooker, bike, and some of his old dishes, etc. for a lump sum of about 22000 yen, which actually isn’t too bad.

I just hope the transition, in general, is easy. I’m ecstatic to be going somewhere new, but I know that there is work involved, like opening a bank account, buying a new cell phone, and paying for the plan, paying rent on my own. Just thinking about this reminds me that I’m not quite a full-fledged adult yet, and that thought is a little bit scary.

Well, I’m going to try to finish packing. I’m about halfway finished, and may need to re-organize and re-pack everything while I’m at it. Wish me luck!

Jaa ne!

Victoria