Dear America, Meet My Mistress Named Japan

Dear America,

Parting is such sweet sorrow. We've been going steady for 23 years now; in that time I've only been away from you for 4.5 weeks! If that is not commitment, I don't know what is! You nurtured and raised me. You gave me one too many valuable life lessons. You taught me how to read, how to write, how to speak. You've been a great lover, indeed. But the time has come for me to move on; to start from scratch once again.

This is not to say that I won't miss you (well, parts of you at least)! And so to you America, I list all the things about you that I will miss:

• All my family and friends
• The English language
• All the bad food I know I shouldn't be eating
• Your amazing weather - Yeah, I'm talkin' 'bout you California... you cutie
• The English language
• Your amazing highway system without tolls
• Deodorant and good toothpaste
• The fact that I NEVER carry cash because I can use my credit card everywhere
• The English language
• Central heat & air + insulated housing
• The American Dream

Just don't start tootin' your horn too loudly, America. There are a lot of things about you that I'm not going to miss. Things like:

• Crime
• The "fight the man/society" complex that plagues you
• Litter
• Your economy
• Angry/mean/rude/pathetic customer service
• The "macho man" complex that plagues you
• Your lack of public transportation

Despite these weaknesses, and despite my betrayal with this mistress named Japan, you know that I will be back. It will be at least a year, perhaps five at most. In the meantime, please work towards fixing your issues. Most importantly though, please remain the America that I have always known and loved. Try and stay out of fights, and remember to walk regularly and eat lots of fruit. 

I will return to your warm embrace when the time is right. And though I may not return to you exactly as I left, I know that you will welcome me back regardless of whatever changes might occur during our break from each other.

And so, America, I say one last farewell to you... Know that I will always treasure our relationship and think on you with fond memories, warm feelings, and a special place in my heart.

Your kind and loving companion in life,

Jordan

PS: Tell California I love her!

I Have Done Nothing + Updates + Pics

Uhm... there are only about 3 weeks left until I depart for Japan and I have done nothing. I still need to sell my car, I still need to cancel my cell phone service, I still need to figure out what I'm taking and what I'm not... The list goes on.

Yesterday marked my last day at work though, so that was nice. Today I've done.... well, a whole lot of nothing. I can tell you all about progress! ;)

I've learned a lot more about my placement since my last post. My predecessor has been wonderful in answering my questions about my tiny town. First and foremost, I will be teaching at 5 elementary schools and 2 junior highs. Three of them (2 elementary, 1 junior high, + BOE) are within walking distance from my house. Yes, house. Rent is only 3,500 yen a month (~$50 USD). There are a few drawbacks though - the biggest being the toilet.

Basically, I have a western-style toilet, but it does not flush. You simply do your *filing* into a hole in the ground (I wonder if it goes all the way to America?). Oh joy, the smell. Next, we have the shower. The shower is not actually attached to my house. Instead it looks to be about 2-3 feet away from the house. I dont really have a problem with this on paper, especially considering the shower room appears huge and *has a window*, but you know, this could change once I'm there. Finally, we have the bugs. Big, scary, gnarly bugs all the way from the moon. Maybe I'll get a cat. If not, a bed net for the win.

I also mentioned in my last blog that I wont be needing to drive, but I'm beginning to question this. If it gets to the point where the one-two punch of the toilet/shower combo is too much for me to handle, I might be moving (assuming my BOE is okay with it). If it comes to that, I'm thinking I'd probably go to the next town just to the south called Owase. My commute would be 25 minutes max to my farthest school.

This is not to say that I am already dead-set on moving. Criminey, I'm not even there yet. It's just something I'm keeping in the back of my mind. Going into this, I want to stay as long as possible (obviously subject to change) so something like housing is critical for my own comfort/sanity/nose-hairs.

More on my town: the population is around 10,000. Fishing is big. There is one convenience store and two grocery stores. There is a train station, though service is infrequent (read: every 1.5 hours, give or take). One of my elementary schools has a table tennis club, so you can rest easy knowing I'll have 10 year olds schooling me.

I'm pretty darn ecstatic. Bring on the adventure, good company, and great eatin!

More pictures (click to enlarge):

A beach-side park about 20 min from my house by car. There are some nice tennis courts nearby.

My largest Junior High. About a 5 minute walk from my house.

One of my elementary schools (not the one I live next door to). 

Pretty sure I'll be doing some hiking. This leaves me speechless.

Can you say %^&#@*!! Beautiful beach about 25 min from my house by car.

Thats my town way out in the distance. Just below is a pretty nice camping site.

Stay tuned - more to come!