Leaving one home and returning to another.

This week has been very busy. I've been getting my stuff ready to go and seeing people before I leave. On Monday, I got to hang out in the city with immelmanturn because she's back in Chicago. Then, on Tuesday night my friends surprised me with a going-away party at Allison's house. I honestly wasn't expecting it, especially because so many of my friends have been M.I.A this summer and our friendships had been feeling kind of neglected. Almost all of my friends from home where there and I was really happy. They also gave me some sweet presents, like a photo of all of us that everyone had written 'good luck' messages on the back. Some of the messages made me cry (mostly DJ's). I'll miss them.

 

I started intensely packing yesterday. It looked like my entire life had exploded all over my bedroom. Choosing what to bring with is so hard when you're going to be gone for a year(+). It took most of yesterday to pack and I was getting kind of frustrated. I still have a bit more to do, but at this point I mostly just need to finish packing my shirts and then weigh my suitcases to make sure that the fall within the airline's 50 lb. weight requirements.

 

I'm such a mix of feelings right now. I'm so excited to be going. It feels like this is what I've been waiting for for forever (I can't tell you how many years I've wanted to do this), but now that it's here it's a bit scary. It's such a big step and a big change in my life. I'm not worried about going back to Japan though. I love it there. I'm also a bit sad because the fact that I'm leaving has really hit me. Saying 'goodbye' is going to be really hard. I'm going to miss a lot of people while I'm gone. I know I'll get to see some of my friends over in Japan though (the ones who live there and friends from America who will be teaching there) which makes things better. I'm sure I'll meet a bunch of new people, too. This is going to be my next big adventure in life.

 

Today is my last day at home, so this should be my last entry for a little bit. I leave for pre-departure orientation tomorrow afternoon. After orientation, there's a farewell dinner and then we (the new JETs) stay the night in the hotel. On Saturday around 1:30 PM our flight leaves for Japan. There will then be two days of orientation in Tokyo before we leave for our new homes. I don't know how much internet access I'll have during both orientations, but I should have internet in my apartment after I move in. If nothing else, you guys should hopefully hear from me by mid-week next week. I'll talk to you later!

 

またね！日本に帰ります！

Leaving one home and returning to another.

This week has been very busy. I've been getting my stuff ready to go and seeing people before I leave. On Monday, I got to hang out in the city with immelmanturn because she's back in Chicago. Then, on Tuesday night my friends surprised me with a going-away party at Allison's house. I honestly wasn't expecting it, especially because so many of my friends have been M.I.A this summer and our friendships had been feeling kind of neglected. Almost all of my friends from home where there and I was really happy. They also gave me some sweet presents, like a photo of all of us that everyone had written 'good luck' messages on the back. Some of the messages made me cry (mostly DJ's). I'll miss them.

 

I started intensely packing yesterday. It looked like my entire life had exploded all over my bedroom. Choosing what to bring with is so hard when you're going to be gone for a year(+). It took most of yesterday to pack and I was getting kind of frustrated. I still have a bit more to do, but at this point I mostly just need to finish packing my shirts and then weigh my suitcases to make sure that the fall within the airline's 50 lb. weight requirements.

 

I'm such a mix of feelings right now. I'm so excited to be going. It feels like this is what I've been waiting for for forever (I can't tell you how many years I've wanted to do this), but now that it's here it's a bit scary. It's such a big step and a big change in my life. I'm not worried about going back to Japan though. I love it there. I'm also a bit sad because the fact that I'm leaving has really hit me. Saying 'goodbye' is going to be really hard. I'm going to miss a lot of people while I'm gone. I know I'll get to see some of my friends over in Japan though (the ones who live there and friends from America who will be teaching there) which makes things better. I'm sure I'll meet a bunch of new people, too. This is going to be my next big adventure in life.

 

Today is my last day at home, so this should be my last entry for a little bit. I leave for pre-departure orientation tomorrow afternoon. After orientation, there's a farewell dinner and then we (the new JETs) stay the night in the hotel. On Saturday around 1:30 PM our flight leaves for Japan. There will then be two days of orientation in Tokyo before we leave for our new homes. I don't know how much internet access I'll have during both orientations, but I should have internet in my apartment after I move in. If nothing else, you guys should hopefully hear from me by mid-week next week. I'll talk to you later!

 

またね！日本に帰ります！