http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/HeatherAnn/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from HeatherAnn en-us Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:37:50 +0000 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:37:50 +0000 PLEASE UPDATE YOUR BOOKMARKS. i HAVE CHANGED SERVERS. www.heatherinhokkaido.wordpress.com is my new address. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-200682.html Wow so I am looking at pictures on Facebook now from friends back home. SChool has just started and it seems that for everyone still there in Maryville life is going on as usual. It's so weird to see the same apartments and dorms but not to be in any of the pictures I'll always miss my college days. I don't think it's homesickness so much as it is just the realization that college is only http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/blog-198536.html OK so maybe we're not THAT bad... But the Hokkaido ALTS are by far the coolest sorry Honshu. You guys may have nice weather the Shinkansen bullet train and all that jazz but Hokkaido has style. This entry is mostly an excuse to tell you a little about us and post some pictures I have been meaning to post BY THE WAY I have a photobucket site now for posting ONLY pictures http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-198217.html Ok first things first sorry I have been so terrible about writing entries I'm just very busy I'm working and trying to be involved in the community as much as I can be I am also trying to get an online photo album going since I rarely post all of my pics here but it'll take some time so please be patient I am usually tired when I come home so I normally just veg out with a book an http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/blog-196525.html Oh wow so I've been in Japan for about two weeks now but this is the first time I have had time to write I guess there are quite a few things to cover about getting here and my first impressions so I will do that in this entry and then perhaps later have a few more specific entries about particularsThe flight First of all leaving Atlanta was a real pain in the ass... I felt especially bad http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/Shinjuku/blog-191911.html Today I went to change my voter's registration to Alabama and to apply for an absentee ballot. The clerk at the courthouse asked me Oh so where are you moving to which I responded Hokkaido Japan. The next question has become all too familiar to me OH That's great Are you a missionary.I wanted to take a minute then to list all kinds of responses I have gotten to my decision http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/blog-184895.html Oh wow I have LOTS to talk about because a lot has happened since my last entry. First I got some details about my placement My 12379124351240112356 predecessor unfortunately left early so I haven't had the best of luck getting info Usually Jet tells you how to contact this person about apartment setup etc etc but that didn't apply in my case. Though actually I just he http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/blog-182153.html First I want to talk a little about the Jet QA in Atlanta. It was AMAZING First I was finally able to meet the other Wakkanai jet Moraya We had been in contact through the online forum but didn't have a chance to meet in person til that weekend I also met a few other Jets and after the rigorous day in discussions and lessons Jets were invited to attend an optional cocktail hour. If http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/blog-182165.html Literally. But we're not talking about 1243112363123941235612290 We're talking about 3125820869 Wakkanai which I also don't understand and where I will soon be living. What I don't understand is how the consulate Jet thought they'd take someone from the 90 degree heat humidity of the Southeastern United States and put that person in the Northernmost point in Japan l http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/blog-169433.html So I found out my placement about a week ago but I haven't had a chance to tell you all because my computer was all well dead until recently plus I was busy graduating college Good news though it's back now and all my finals and graduating are out of the way. When I got the email from the Consulate General of Japan entitled Placement Information I must admit I was afraid to open it http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/blog-161565.html A few days ago I was talking to my suitemate Tomoko about studying and living abroad. You see she's a lot braver than I am. She's gone to an American college for four years now. When she came to America she started at a twoyear school in Hawaii along with my other very brave suitemate Aiko she did not know a lot of English and began school with an intensive ESL English as a Second Langua http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/blog-153900.html My new dictionary arrived today I have to say I am AMAZED by the service of the company I bought it from. For anyone who is looking to buy an electronic Japanese dictionary flashcards or textbooks I HIGHLY recomend www.whiterabbitpress.com. I placed my order last Friday and by Monday had an email waiting assuring me thatmy order had been shipped and asking if I had any questions. I wrote ba http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/blog-152310.html So since I have just a couple months before departing for Japan I'm beginning to collect for Omiyage12288123622230329987 and Meibutsu 215172928912288now. The last time I went to Japan I did this too but I think I have an even better understanding of the custom after having lived with Japanese roommates for so long. Food items and local items are best and NEVER NEVER NE http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/blog-149007.html I got the the letter of acceptance on April 3rd 2007. I was actually afraid to read it or open it because I was all by myself and none of my suitemates were around I was so afraid it would say I was an alternate the WORST possibility I'd rather know I had the position for sure or did not have it at all in which case I planned to accept a job with NOVA which I had already been offered thi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/blog-145882.html