If you want to be emailed these types of writings as I write them, email me at rob@robnugen.com
It's 5:21am Wednesday 26 March 2003. I'm leaving for Japan in a
couple hours.
For those who haven't heard, I'm going to be teaching English for a
company called Nova in Japan for the next year. I found them via
google, verified they're good reputation via the Japanese consulate in
Houston, got the job. I have my passport with visa, CoE (certificate
of eligibility to work in Japan), plane tickets. I hope that's all
the paperwork I need, cause that's all I've got!
I'll be living in an apartment in Yokohama, the second largest city in
Japan. Yokohama lies just south of Tokyo (they share a border) on the
bay.
In the past couple of days I've been on a clothes buying frenzy at
Target and Ross ("Dress For Less"). According to books I've read, one
can never be too well dressed in Japan. And the Japanese apparently
appreciate brand name clothes. So now instead of shorts, rally
t-shirt, bare feet, I'll wear things like Georgio Armani shirts and
ties, Polo slacks, something else shirts and ties and Polo belts, blah
blah blah. I still need to get some soft leather shoes.
I've got some casual button-with-collar shirts of various colors for
my casual wear.
I've been in touch with Frank, one of my future roommmates, who told
me to bring only 1 suit with jacket. I'll bring the one I bought in
California during my western state road trip, the last 6 weeks of
2002.
I've just finished packing all this; it basically took all night
because I waited until the last minute.
- - - -
In a way that feels blessed and lucky and wealthy, I have accumulated
$3600 to take with me to Japan by working, borrowing, not spending for
a while except with credit card. And the credit card balance has been
transferred to a 0% card. I've converted about $1200 of this to
38,000 yen.
I'm relatively certain I'll be quite able to pay everything back
quickly, like I paid back my student loans after college. Back then I
owed $14,000 dollars I think, plus the remains of $4,000 medical bills
from hitting my head in 1992(?). This time it's like $6000 total
(actually less), so I'll be able to knock that out quickly.
I think the exchange rate is about 110 yen to 1 dollar. (Interesting
how everyone is against the war, but the dollar went up in value after
we actually started invading Iraq) The books I've read say that crime
is very low in Japan and everyone carries wads of cash for purchases.
I wonder how many yen I'll have in my pocket most days. I wonder how
my spending habits will change. I wonder if I'll really notice a
change.
- - - -
For the past 6 or 9 months I've been living in Dallas with Janette,
the mom of two of the youth from church. Living there has been an
absolute blast. We play and goof around all the time, going for walks
and random adventures to random places (lake, woods, railroad tracks,
houses being built, local park, Austin, Houston, Hawaii...) It's been
sooo great. I'm really going to miss her while in Japan. Plus she
cooks amazingly well. Cookies, cakes, lasagna, chicken soup, vegan
pancakes,.. everything seemingly effortlessly. Such a huge blessing!
However, I've decided I'm not coming back to the US during the year
that I'm in Japan. I'll use any vacation time to explore more areas,
not come back for a frantic emotional week to rush around hugging all
my friends. After my contract, maybe I'll take some months off and
hug everyone back here. It just seems so silly to come back in the
middle, so I'm not going to do it. I can predict heart-wrenching
emotions when I hear/read about rallies and especially SWUUSI (the
week long summer camp for my high school youth), but I've got to
continue boldly forth.
I do intend to write letters. My address in Japan is
Bell Wistaria #101
1-26-6 Tarumachi
Kohoku-Ku, Yokohama-Shi
Kanagawa-Ken 222-0001
JAPAN
Okay; I've got to go take a shower and be at the airport in just over
an hour.
With Love
- Rob!!!