Less than 2 weeks to go!

As I sit in my Disney pajamas watching the Good Wife with my mom and Nyxie (my dog), I can't help but think about everything that I'll miss when I'm in Japan. Mostly my mom, Nyxie, and my family and friends, but also things like milk (not sure about the whole shelf milk thing yet), driving on the right side of the road, and being able to speak the major language of the country where I live. I have been trying to learn at least simple Japanese so I can ask simple questions and things like the colors and numbers (oh to be back in kindergarten again). I'm happy that there will be people who speak English in my building, but if I'm in Japan I want to learn Japanese. I'm not going to be that American who refuses to learn Japanese just because I'm in the JET Program and technically only have to speak English in the classroom. In two weeks I will be in Tokyo participating in the last day of orientation before I head to the Akita prefecture, to Odate where I'll be living. In three weeks I will be moved into my new apartment (living by myself for the first time in my life) and trying to get used to the new routine I will be going through. By September I will be assisting in English classes at two middle schools in Odate. As I continue to count down to the new, exciting events that I will be experiencing in Japan I realize that I have to take advantage of the next 11 days and do everything that I will miss when I am in Japan. I will have to pass the God Bless Y'all Real Good sign countless times, watch movies with my mom and Nyxie while sitting on my couch (as I am right now), and eat enough Chick-fil-a (I support their food, not their political views) and southern cooking as I can before I'm off to the land of cherry blossoms and green tea. Months from now when I am (hopefully) completely settled into my new apartment and am at least more comfortable with the Japanese language, I hope that I have no regrets and that I am too busy having new adventures and meeting new people to miss the little things (like English). Here's to looking toward the future with a smile and having no regrets. And now I'm off to pack and enjoy the time that I have left in the land of God and tobacco.

My future has been decided...

And I will be heading to...Odate-shi in the Akita prefecture of Japan! For those of you who do not know where that is (I was one of you before I began to frantically Google search Akita) it is in the north-western part of the main island of Japan (see the circled part of the map below). For those of you who know me well, I went through many different decisions and choices before finally settling on the JET Program, but I couldn't be happier. I am currently writing this on the first of June (I leave August 5th) and it has been a long, long process. From the application which was delayed to the interview that I almost couldn't take, and finally to my unofficial acceptance in April and my official acceptance in May, it has been a long year. The next 2 months and 4 days will be ridiculously busy-I am currently finishing up my student teaching year at South High Community School in Worcester for the next three weeks, then I travel to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for the three weeks after that, and finally I have three weeks in Maryland to catch up and say goodbye to everyone before I leave for Japan. I am going to be busy and loving it. As the year goes on, I will update this blog as frequently as I can (and because I will have internet, that should be fairly frequently) and let you all know about my experience as an Assistant Language Teacher in Akita, Japan. Feel free to message me on the blog or email me at careybibb@gmail.com with any specific questions about my experiences.