New Look, New Adventures

Hey folks! It's been awhile!

I'm back with big news. My last post was over a year ago, so obviously I think the biggest thing you'll notice (if you only know me from the blogosphere) is that my hair is blonde now and way shorter than it was in Hong Kong. Surprise! I look like a totally different person.

However, the reason I'm posting isn't just because I'm really excited about my sweet haircut (though it IS pretty cool). I've actually just recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz and I'm heading back to Asia for more noodle-filled adventures! But I won't be going to Hong Kong. This time, I'm headed to Japan!

Crazy, right? I've been hired as an Assistant Language Teacher for the JET program. I'll be helping to teach English in Japanese elementary and junior high schools in the Miyazaki Prefecture, in a small town called Kadogawa. I figured since the title of my blog still applies, I'd just continue where I left off. So hello again readers! I hope you've been doing well!

So let's get down to brass tacks. Here's what I know about my future living situation in Kadogawa:

• It’s a town on the coast of Kyushu (the southernmost island of Japan) in the Miyazaki prefecture
• It’s population is around 17,000-18,000 people (which is about the same amount of people as the amount of students attending the university I just graduated from)
• It has a population of endangered birds that seem pretty cool
• It has the ocean on one side of the town and some mountains and forests on the other
• It’s nestled between two larger cities in the prefecture (so I’m not too out in the middle of nowhere)
• I’ll be working at 6 schools - two junior high schools and four elementary schools
• I’ll be teaching an adult English conversation class

That’s about all I know so far! I’ve been talking to my JET predecessor, the guy who’s in Kadogawa currently (I’m taking his place when he leaves), and he kept calling it a dream placement. I’m looking forward to it tremendously, especially because I’ve never been to Japan. Guess I'm getting a real crash course in Japanese culture, huh?

So this is just a quick hello as I'm going through the process of pre-departure - getting visa requirements done, packing, finishing up with everything in Santa Cruz so I can fit all my life in a suitcase, etc.

Time to learn some kanji! Ciao for now!