My parents got an email this morning from some old neighbors. The email said that one of the men in the neighborhood suffered a heart attack yesterday and died. He was 35 years old, had a wife and 3 kids, and was in excellent shape.
I really only met the guy once, but it's still very sad. To pass away at such a young age is devastating. I can't even imagine what his family is going through right now.
And it got me thinking: I'm in terrible shape. I've probably gained 10 lbs in the last year or so, and when I look in the mirror I am ashamed. Lately I've been telling myself that my habits are okay for now because I'm moving to Japan soon. My mind was of the thought that I will move there and instantly start losing weight and be in much better shape. But assumptions and expectations alone are not enough to make a difference. It takes action.
This in mind, I have committed myself to working out everyday up until Japan - and hopefully beyond. I've already cut soda out of my diet (haven't had one since 09 March 2011), and I'm looking to ingest less food in general. Lately I've been eating to levels of uncomfortableness... so no more of that.
I'm not sure if I'm going to start jogging or riding my bike, but I am definitely going to take up one of them because my current lifestyle is unhealthy. I am oftentimes lethargic, sore, and my overall complexion is somewhat dull and lifeless.
All I know is that I cannot continue on like I have been. Something's gotta give.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
My Japanese Hit List
Not to much to share this time around as not too much has happened. I purchased a suit case finally and got a pretty good deal on it. It is kind of a dark orange (I got this one on purpose: so it will stand out in the sea of black luggage) and it was only $85 at Target. It is one of the ones that has 4 wheels so it can swivel in any direction (this was a must for me).
But that's not really that interesting. The main purpose of this blog entry is to keep track of all the things I hope to accomplish while I'm in Japan. Obviously, since I do not yet know my placement I can't really guarantee that I will be able to do all this. Nevertheless, here are the things that I hope to accomplish during my time in Japan on the JET Program:
- Pick up a working knowledge of the language (enough to speak and listen effectively - I probably wont even try to read and write anything beyond hiragana and katakana. Sorry to say, but Kanji is just ridiculous).
- Be the best teacher I can
- Attend as many of my students speeches/club competitions as possible
- Climb Mt. Fuji
- Operate an English club after school
- Join a Table Tennis club at school or in the community
- Join a Taiko club at school or in the community
- Visit Takeya at least 4 times a year
- Save at least $15,000 USD a year
- Get in shape
- Get a Japanese girlfriend?
- Go to every single Enkai or work party (barring sickness or extreme exhaustion)
- Muster up the guts to go to an Onsen - nude
- See sumo at every venue (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka)
- Document as much of my adventure as possible (be it blogs, vlogs, or photos)
- Ride the Shinkansen or bullet train
- Do (not) become a Pachinko addict
- Visit as many Japanese theme parks as possible
- Keep my apartment clean and tidy
I will probably come back later and add more to this "hit list" as I think of things.
I'm still waiting to hear back about my placement results. Rumors abound on the internet that JETs leaving this year have started receiving the documents/applications that we new JETs just recently submitted. I should find out once the contracting organisations and prefectures make their decisions about which JETs will be going where. I expect to hear by June 3rd at the latest.
To finish up this blog, here are some photos I've taken with my spiffy new camera!
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| The new suit case I purchased |
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| My cat Callie who I will miss dearly |
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| A simple shot of the backyard - pretty in spring |
Saturday, May 7, 2011
The Ups, the Downs, and the In-Betweens
Talk about an emotional roller coaster.
You know, applying to the JET Program takes a lot of patience. To be a serious applicant, one has to begin the preparation for applying in probably September of the year before departure. You have to get all your ducks in a row and really fine-tune the application (less than 20% of applicants make it in), but you don't actually know if you've made it until April (a whole 6-7 months later).
I thought THAT would easily be the most painful part of waiting. However, now that I've made it in, I can safely saying that KNOWING you've made it - but having to wait 3 long months before departure - is absolute torture. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm completely miserable with where my life is at now: my job is dull, I live with my parents, being single isn't as spectacular as I remember, and I don't have any real friends here in Livermore.
That said, Japan is the perfect opportunity for me, or for anyone for that matter, to get a reset on life. I can make whatever personal changes I'd like and no one will know the difference. I see it as a true opportunity to really become a better person.
So yeah - those two thought processes describe the roller coaster of emotions pretty well. On the one hand there are the up-days: where all I can think about is Japan and what it will be like and the people I will meet and the friends I will make and the adventure it will be. But on the other hand there are the in-between days: where life goes on as normal and I pretty much don't even spend a second thinking about any of it. And of course there are the down days: where I worry about my colleagues not liking me, my students not being interested, and of course the current radiation concerns in Japan.
These bad days tend to be the days on which I end up buying something to take with me (perhaps I get comfort in buying things lol). Just recently, I purchased 4 really nice dress shirts and matching ties. One of the ties is bright orange, but I like it a lot, and I kinda want to be the odd gaijin with all the crazy ties. No jokes.
In other news, the Consulate of Japan in San Francisco (where I applied and interviewed) will be hosting an alumni-led orientation on Saturday, June 18th. I'm quite looking forward to it. As is suggested by the name, it will be run by JET alumni who will talk about adjusting to Japanese life, as well as the ins and outs of being a gaijin and a JET in Japan. There are so many odd things that run through my mind from time to time - stupid things like "When I first meet my boss, should I offer my hand to shake hands, or should I bow?" or "What do I do if someone offers me whale to eat?" or "How will I operate my microwave... All the buttons are in Japanese!" Haha. But I think that this is the point of the orientation. And despite all these silly questions, at the end of the day, I know I'll survive.
I think the worst part of waiting is not knowing what part of Japan I'm going to. For all I know right now, I could be placed in the bitter cold of northern Hokkaido or way down south on the tropical island of Okinawa. But the good thing is that work has been keeping me busy, and I've just now realized how quickly time seems to be passing. And, at the end of the day, I can only think about how lucky I am to be able to do this - not many Americans go abroad to live. Even if I only spend a year in Japan, I know that it will be completely worth it.
I'm just so darn excited! I'll even admit it... I have a white board at work counting down the days until departure. Yes, I know... I suppose I should just get back to being worried about whether they have cheese in Japan or not...
Be seeing you next time!
Jordan
You know, applying to the JET Program takes a lot of patience. To be a serious applicant, one has to begin the preparation for applying in probably September of the year before departure. You have to get all your ducks in a row and really fine-tune the application (less than 20% of applicants make it in), but you don't actually know if you've made it until April (a whole 6-7 months later).
I thought THAT would easily be the most painful part of waiting. However, now that I've made it in, I can safely saying that KNOWING you've made it - but having to wait 3 long months before departure - is absolute torture. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm completely miserable with where my life is at now: my job is dull, I live with my parents, being single isn't as spectacular as I remember, and I don't have any real friends here in Livermore.
That said, Japan is the perfect opportunity for me, or for anyone for that matter, to get a reset on life. I can make whatever personal changes I'd like and no one will know the difference. I see it as a true opportunity to really become a better person.
So yeah - those two thought processes describe the roller coaster of emotions pretty well. On the one hand there are the up-days: where all I can think about is Japan and what it will be like and the people I will meet and the friends I will make and the adventure it will be. But on the other hand there are the in-between days: where life goes on as normal and I pretty much don't even spend a second thinking about any of it. And of course there are the down days: where I worry about my colleagues not liking me, my students not being interested, and of course the current radiation concerns in Japan.
These bad days tend to be the days on which I end up buying something to take with me (perhaps I get comfort in buying things lol). Just recently, I purchased 4 really nice dress shirts and matching ties. One of the ties is bright orange, but I like it a lot, and I kinda want to be the odd gaijin with all the crazy ties. No jokes.
In other news, the Consulate of Japan in San Francisco (where I applied and interviewed) will be hosting an alumni-led orientation on Saturday, June 18th. I'm quite looking forward to it. As is suggested by the name, it will be run by JET alumni who will talk about adjusting to Japanese life, as well as the ins and outs of being a gaijin and a JET in Japan. There are so many odd things that run through my mind from time to time - stupid things like "When I first meet my boss, should I offer my hand to shake hands, or should I bow?" or "What do I do if someone offers me whale to eat?" or "How will I operate my microwave... All the buttons are in Japanese!" Haha. But I think that this is the point of the orientation. And despite all these silly questions, at the end of the day, I know I'll survive.
I think the worst part of waiting is not knowing what part of Japan I'm going to. For all I know right now, I could be placed in the bitter cold of northern Hokkaido or way down south on the tropical island of Okinawa. But the good thing is that work has been keeping me busy, and I've just now realized how quickly time seems to be passing. And, at the end of the day, I can only think about how lucky I am to be able to do this - not many Americans go abroad to live. Even if I only spend a year in Japan, I know that it will be completely worth it.
I'm just so darn excited! I'll even admit it... I have a white board at work counting down the days until departure. Yes, I know... I suppose I should just get back to being worried about whether they have cheese in Japan or not...
Be seeing you next time!
Jordan
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