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
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