The confirmation has been unconfirmed

So apparently my company was using the term "confirmed" loosely, since my confirmed schedule has been changed. I was supposed to leave for Vancouver Nov. 4 and Japan Nov. 9, but now I'm leaving for Vancouver Nov. 18 and Japan Nov. 23. The man who hired me explained that the Japanese Government has been taking its sweet old time to get all of my official documents (visa, immigration, etc.), despite their efforts to get them up to speed. It's not really that big a deal, it just caused a little bit of a hassle since I'd already booked my tickets to Vancouver, but my company is going to cover all the re-booking costs so I'm not too concerned. In the long term 2 weeks doesn't really make a big difference and my employer explained that everyone in Japan is waiting for me to arrive. It's kind of crazy, I feel sort of like a much awaited celebrity! I even have a "Leila" poster that they have put on the wall of the school I'll be teaching at so that the students, management, and other teachers (if there are any) can get to know me. The poster is made up of mainly photo's since obviously not everyone can understand English and it's got pictures of my friends, family, pets, and travels... it's pretty freakin' awesome.

I've started some of my preparations for traveling to Japan. I have a pile of stuff on my bureau that I plan to bring with me; I add a little to it each day. Some of the items include half a years worth of contacts, a flashlight, and a fold up hamper... essentials if you ask me. I also took some time today to pack all of my dvd's into a travel case in alphabetical order. No, I am not obsessive, alphabetizing just makes it easier to find individual dvd's since I won't have the cases to help me recognize them in Japan. I have yet to start my 2nd correspondence package, but since there was the scheduling conflict I have 2 extra weeks to procrastinate! Don't worry, I won't wait until the very last night, I'm not that bad.

Oh boy, this is all just so exciting! For now I'm just trying to live up my last few weeks in CT! This is my favorite time of year and I'm so glad I get to be here for it. On Tuesday I'm going pumpkin picking with Laura, which now that I think of it, is a truly North American experience (I think they pick pumpkins in Canada too). I have also joined a gym for my last month here so that maybe I won't look quite as cow like among all the tiny Japanese women. Shopping for clothing in Tokyo is going to be a real treat... but it's ok, because it's all part of the crazy, new, overwhelming experience.

Preparation and Strangeness

Well, my schedule has been confirmed (it's the one I posted last time) and today I booked my flight to Vancouver and to Japan. I went shopping for professional clothing with my mom the other day. My company's dress code is ridiculously strict so most of the clothes I owned until 2 days ago really won't be much help in Japan. I got a few suits (if we wear pants they must match the jacket) and some skirts and blouses. Shoes are also an issue because they must be both closed toed and closed heeled and I do not own any nice shoes that actually fit that criteria. I've also read that it can be difficult to find shoes above a women's size 6, so the fact that I take between an 8 1/2 to a 9 could make things tricky once I arrive. Life's been pretty hectic lately dealing with all the preparations for my trip in addition to the ridiculously awful sales job that I took (BIG MISTAKE). I cannot wait to just get through with all the planning and actually go! I've included a couple of pictures demonstrating some of the oddities that await me... I'm excited!

Tentative Placement

I recently received my tentative date and placement for Japan. I asked for a somewhat rural location or someplace that would at least not be considered "urban"... so of course they have placed me in Tokyo. Oh my god!! I have never lived in a city before, let alone a city where I don't speak the language, so this is very very scary for me... but I am still really excited. Since this is just a tentative placement there is still a 20% chance that I may be moved. If not I will be teaching in a school called Shinonome SC (Shopping Center), which is located in downtown Tokyo. My tentative schedule is as follows:

Nov 5-8, Training in Vancouver
Nov 9, Fly out from Vancouver
Nov 10, Arrive in Japan

So basically, if all goes as planned, I've got about a month left here in the US and TONS left to do! I still have a bunch of work to do on the correspondence packs that must be completed before my training, plus shopping, packing, bank stuff, and saying goodbye to all the people I love. This Saturday is my family's Sukkah Party / My going away party, so I guess that's when the farewells will begin. There are some people I'm going to miss so much, I still don't know how I'm going to handle living without all of them for a year.