Hello everyone!
Things are changing so fast, it's hard to keep up. We're engaged! :) We're moving! We have been so busy over the last couple weeks, but one thing's for sure: there's no turning back now! As of this moment, we find ourselves in a strange limbo. No jobs, no place to live, and one car between the two of us. With all this unburdening of material goods, we could float to Japan!
For those of you we don't see too often, here are the latest stats:
We will be living in Ashikaga City, Japan and working at two different junior high schools as ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers). Ashikaga City is about 50 miles north of Tokyo and has a population of 160,000. This means we will be working with a Japanese English teacher as her assistant - which means our primary purpose is to provide the correct pronunciation and accent to English words. Sounds easy, right? We'll see! Our contract goes from September 1, 2009 to July 20, 2010. Our official date of departure is August 16, 2009.
Jon's mom (Mary Ann) was kind enough to allow us to squat at her house for two weeks before the big departure. 14 days and counting! The only thing left in our way is the completion of the work visa. A trip to the Japanese Consulate in Chicago may be in the NEAR future.
Here are our expectations of Japan - we'll see how well these mirror the actual experiences:
1. Our apartment in Ashikaga will be tiny - Jon might have to sleep diagonally in the room in order to stretch out completely!
2. We will eat A LOT of sushi - at least a couple times a week.
3. Our jobs will be a breeze!
4. Our first month-ish will be overwhelming and exhausting.
5. We will be able to travel quite a bit around Japan (and outside of it) during our stay.
6. Jon will always be a head above the crowd!
7. We will be astonished by the average body weight of the Japanese people.
8. We will update our blog weekly.
9. Our trip will force us to step outside of our comfort zones and allow us to grow in ways we wouldn't have without going out of the country.
10. This will be one of the best experiences of our lives.
Please feel free to subscribe, post comments, feedback and share with us how you're doing. We hope to see as many of you in Japan as possible!
Sayonara (almost)!
Veronica and Jon
Things are changing so fast, it's hard to keep up. We're engaged! :) We're moving! We have been so busy over the last couple weeks, but one thing's for sure: there's no turning back now! As of this moment, we find ourselves in a strange limbo. No jobs, no place to live, and one car between the two of us. With all this unburdening of material goods, we could float to Japan!
For those of you we don't see too often, here are the latest stats:
We will be living in Ashikaga City, Japan and working at two different junior high schools as ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers). Ashikaga City is about 50 miles north of Tokyo and has a population of 160,000. This means we will be working with a Japanese English teacher as her assistant - which means our primary purpose is to provide the correct pronunciation and accent to English words. Sounds easy, right? We'll see! Our contract goes from September 1, 2009 to July 20, 2010. Our official date of departure is August 16, 2009.
Jon's mom (Mary Ann) was kind enough to allow us to squat at her house for two weeks before the big departure. 14 days and counting! The only thing left in our way is the completion of the work visa. A trip to the Japanese Consulate in Chicago may be in the NEAR future.
Here are our expectations of Japan - we'll see how well these mirror the actual experiences:
1. Our apartment in Ashikaga will be tiny - Jon might have to sleep diagonally in the room in order to stretch out completely!
2. We will eat A LOT of sushi - at least a couple times a week.
3. Our jobs will be a breeze!
4. Our first month-ish will be overwhelming and exhausting.
5. We will be able to travel quite a bit around Japan (and outside of it) during our stay.
6. Jon will always be a head above the crowd!
7. We will be astonished by the average body weight of the Japanese people.
8. We will update our blog weekly.
9. Our trip will force us to step outside of our comfort zones and allow us to grow in ways we wouldn't have without going out of the country.
10. This will be one of the best experiences of our lives.
Please feel free to subscribe, post comments, feedback and share with us how you're doing. We hope to see as many of you in Japan as possible!
Sayonara (almost)!
Veronica and Jon
Oh I am so excited for you!!! I can't wait to hear all about it! Are you planning a Mt. Fuji climb this season? It was such a feat... but so worth it in every aspect! Good Luck on your adventures!
ReplyDeletesounds like a trampy stampy time!
ReplyDeleteSounds like it should be a blast. America will miss you. When in a crowded city, I recommend pointing to a tall building and screaming "Godzilla!" Have fun, learn much, be safe!
ReplyDelete-Ross Berbig
Miss you both already! Enjoy every moment, take tons of photos. Can't wait for your updates to start rolling in.
ReplyDeleteJon, I suppose you won't be trying Sake?
-Jay, Lindsey, Patrick & JR
Beep Beep.
ReplyDelete-Patrick