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.