Well, it is now May 22nd and I have roughly 2 months until I take off to Japan to begin a new life there (or lack of haha).  I intend to spend 2 to 3 years in the program.  My goal is to become project coordinator but life always throws new things at you right?

This week, I found out I will teach English in Yatsushiro City in the Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu (quite a mouth full right?).  Basically, I will teach English in Southern Japan.

Yatsushiro City has a population of roughly 134,000 residents which makes it the second largest city within it's prefecture; first place going to the prefectures capital, Kumamoto. 

Here is a map of Kyushu:



If you look on the south western part, you will find Yatsushiro.  It is located on Yatsushiro Sea across from the Amakusa Islands.  Yatsushiro City has several festivals, one being held in October.  This festival is a Fireworks Competition and is considered one of the largest in Japan.  I will post videos I have found of this festival.  There is another festival of riding horses through the city streets I believe.

Being in Southern Japan, it can be very hot with the temperate this May being 60 degrees with 80-90% humidity.  It only gets to about 30-50 degrees in the Winter.  However, it does snow it the higher elevations; close to Aso-san or Mount Aso.  Mount Aso, located just north of Yatsushiro is a active volcano and is one of the worlds largest caldera,

I look forward to calling Yatsushiro my new home or home away from home.  While I wish I was closer to Hiroshima or Nagoya, I am very happy with placement because Kyushu has such a rich and diverse history and culture.

If you don't want to read paragraphs of my nonsense, feel free to scroll down to the summarized edition of my post:

Well, I promised myself that I would blog when I was in Japan this summer.  The first month I was busy as heck with studying, traveling, and other mind-numbing-teeth-grinding chores that came with being in a on-month long study abroad program.  Then, finally, I had some time to myself the last month and a half.  I got through the first week or so until I forgot/too lazy to actually update this xanga.  So, unfortunately, I returned home on August 13th'ish with a major fail in online blogging.  But who can blame me.  I was busy enough doing things I enjoyed such as traveling, eating, talking, and meeting.  As well, my own safety and plans often got in the way i.e. where will i eat tonight, how do I get from Tokyo to Hiroshima, what is this Japanese word again?

So now it's 9 months later and what have I done?  Besides failing at blogging (which is a lost art to me now); I have finished my last semester at BGSU, graduated in Asian Studies, traveled to California and saw a lot of cool things (and experienced driving in downtown LA -_-;;;), traveled to Chicago, and other interesting things.  It's been one trip however one constant reminder kept bothering me in the back of my head: what is my future?  Up until now, I had a idea of what I wanted to do but the path is difficult and unreliable.  Yet, I want to chronicle my feelings on this xanga.

I left Japan with a uncompleted blog and, maybe, left my readers angry or disappointed.  Again, I am sorry.  If I have a chance, I would like to put more pictures up.  If you want to see more, go to my shutterfly account which I believe is listed somewhere.  Well, I told myself if I go to Japan again, in the near future sometime, then I will for sure update my xanga or possibly another blogspot/journal/internet diary program.  Well, I guess I will get my chance again.

In December, I sent my 8 page application to the JET Programme (Japanese Exchange Teaching) to apply for the Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) to teach English in Japan.  This program is essentially a 1-5 year program where one is hired to teach English to kids ages Kindergarten to 12th grade in Japan.  You live by yourself (unless you are married or your significant other is hired along with you), fend for yourself, and generally have fun while being paid.  Sounds like a job for me unlike where I work now (ahem Target ahem).  Well, one snowy day in January, I went to the doctors office cause I suspected it to be a ear infection.  As well, the long-awaited Tatsunoko vs Capcom game was to released and I planned to get my reserved copy that afternoon.  I checked my email that day and to my surprise and delight, I found out I had an interview with JET!  I was ecstatic and nervous.  My interview was for February 9th...or 10th's...can't remember.  I studied up and researched as much as I could about the JET interview process. 

Slowly, that fateful day approached and before I knew it, I was sitting in front of my three interviewers; all of them were nice people.  I felt pretty good after the interview after a long month of hearing horror stories of court-room type interrogations.  Of course, I had post-interview doubts and waited through February and March to hear my results.  It is now May and I heard the results would be posted in early April.  March dragged on and then April 1st came around.  I heard the earliest they sent the notice was the 1st.  The 1st passed, the 2nd, the 3rd, etc.  During this time, my desktop over-heated, exploded, and died.  That was a Wednesday, the 7th.  I took that to be a omen that I would receive the notice the next day.  I woke up and went to work; using my room mates computer to check my email: none.  Work dragged on and then, when I got off work, I went to my parents house to check: none.  I was pretty bummed; heck downright depressed.  I felt I would be stuck at ahem Target ahem my entire life.  As well, I have a lot of friends in Japan and, well, I was jealous.  I ate lunch with my mother and she prayed that I would get it (I figured you'd yell at me if I left that out, Mom haha).  I checked after lunch and, lo and and behold, I got a email from JET.  With sweat pouring down my forehead, I opened the email.  I found out to a little confusion but much delight: I was placed on the short-list.  It was not until i found out that the short-list basically means "you are in" did it hit me.

So here I am now, waiting to hear where I will teach English at and, anxiously awaiting the day I will leave America to start a new life in Japan; one of my dreams.  I will leave July 31st and stay anywhere from 3-5 years but we will see. 

Therefore, I will try to start updating this a bit more and linking with with facebook!  So keep on reading!

Here is a summarized edition of my post:  I graduated from BGSU, I traveled in America, I applied for JET (Japanese Exchange Teaching), Had a interview, traveled some more, was hired by JET, and now awaiting to find where I will go teach English in Japan.