bfg on emails and no snow

So the news is in.

It arrived when I was meeting the bf so he could both buy me a coffee and keep me company before going over to McGill where JET is offering all short-list and alternates free Japanese language lessons. It was while waiting for my Mocca over ice that I desided to quickly check my e-mail and relate to the lover the details about my day. I am a true multi-tasker.

Two emails from the JET coordinator.
Pause.

Shrill Scream. Arms Flapping. And a crazy brunette jumping up and down with tears in her eyes: "OMG! Ant! I got it! I am going to Shizuoka-ken."

So yeah folks, it is official. I actually got my first choice! How rare that is... I can't even begin to fathom. I could guess here - one out of a thousand applicants - but I don't have the numbers to support it and I don't want to get in trouble just in case someone other than my dog is reading this. But the chances are slim and I know there are others who requested the same prefecture/city and did not get it. So I am one lucky giant gal. Lucky indeed.

As you may have noticed, I only know my prefecture but not my city/town. Some of my peers have specifics as to exactly where they are going. Here is a good time to maybe elaborate on some of the more intricate things about JET and what I have learned from the many blogs and forums I have stalked these past few weeks in keen anticipation.

When you recieve your placement, it does not indicate which school you are teaching at - which can be a bit frustrating. After ten weeks of waiting, all you get is a place! But there are patterns... if you are given the specifics (i.e. prefecture and city/town) than the chances are pretty hight that you are teaching elementary school.

However, if you, like myself, are only given a prefecture than it is likey you will be heading out to a high school... and several of them at that.

The reason is  elementary schools in Japan are run on the municipal level whereas prefectures administer high school education. Therefore, my contract is with the prefecture of Shizuoka not a particular city. I have read that there are some differences between a Prefecture Alt and Municipal mainly that the provincial government will ask the former to attend events that are away from your school which will require that the JET travel somewhat within the province. The same goes for the municipality. Essentially, I think interacting with the different age groups is in itself a drastic day-to-day experience between JETs. The prep and patience for younger children is just not the same - am not referring to quantity but type of. I am just better with older children in general since I too often take their questions seriously and answer them to the best of my ability which has gotten me in trouble a few times.

What is it about Shizuoka that had it at the top of my list? Well, first off its location. I wanted to find a place that was central in Japan so that week-end trips to Tokyo, Osaka and so forth were financially and schedule-wise feasible. Also, I wanted a city where I could possibly hope to find clothes that could fit the fatso white teacher but not be surrounded by other foreigners. One of my main goals in going to Japan is learning the language - I need the kick in the ass to survive in an environment where to really communicate I need to learn. Too bad, so sad.

There are many things to keep me occupied: museums, temples, Fuji-sama, and the hot springs! But most of all, and this comes from a die-hard Montreal city girl who has spent way to much money on boots in her lifetime, the fact that in Shizuoka it does not snow.

On that fact alone, I may never come home.

So for any future JETs, this may be a place for you to consider. Just be sure that you list the things you like to do on your own. I love going to museums so it was/is important for me to be relativly close to a place where I can revisit often.

In other news, I got another special email this evening. Ash from Toronto sent me a long letter which I hope will be the beginning of a long two month correspondence leading up to D-Day. We met through a mutual aquaintance known as "Favourite Author" who was kind enough to connect us.

Considering the support system is pretty much non-existance, it is nice to be able to make friends with the people who will be having similar experiances as yourself but just scattered accross the country. Today, I spent the afternoon with C practicing Japanese and talking about shoe shopping. Also, I am hoping that we are allowed to pick the other two girls we can share rooms with while at Tokyo Orientation.

Oh god! I am actually going to be in Tokyo. Domo arigato, Mr Robato!

bfg on tech diet

The second part to this weeks title is: ... and tech binging thereafter!

Oh yes - I am a computerless woman! Do not fear, I have not gone cold turkey. Having decided not to sell my phone until July I still have access to my e-mail and can even chat with friends. But writing or paying my bills is something that will have to happen at the bfs (like now) or at work when its quiet.

There is something liberating about that though. Too often, I have tried to sit back and read a book these days but can't- the Inbox keeps filling up, so much calling I need to do canceling this or suspending that and when it is quiet a voice in my head says I need to repost on Craig's and Mcgill classifieds. All to say - the fact that the computer is unavailable means I CAN'T do any of these tasks even if I wanted to... there is something to that. My brain jerks then says, "Ok. No computer... what were other things I needed to get done?"

Though I have only read about 50 pages of my novel (INKDEATH - read it people), I have also gone a ways with the packing. About one third of the books are in boxes and the hard part of dividing them between what was going to the bf's and what was going in storage.

Yet the site of empty walls and kitchen cupboards has led to a physical realization that I am actually leaving.  Like really leaving people! I can't believe it - Tokyo won't be an idea it will be streets with people and sounds and smells. Reading about business cards and proper way to place one's hands when bowing... I am actually going to have to do that! Don't get me wrong, I will continue to read about the Japanese for the rest of my life. But to have a yardstick of experiences in which to test and bounce these ideas off of... It's scary and oh-so-exciting.

I think the main thing here that makes my JET experience a little unique from other participants is that I don't just have an adventurous spirit here. Nor is it about me getting some experience in the classroom. Japan has been the topic of most of my school papers. The Japanese language a challenge I have been trying to conquer for years. The theories concerning their culture and people have been intellectual preoccupations that have fascinated me. Japan is not just about my imagination or entertainment - it is also about my intellect and the combination of the three has me in a state of angst.

Don't get me wrong - I have no intentions of putting everything in a test tube. I won't be a bystander who observes. I don't even think my genes would allow me to be. What I mean is, my intentions are not to study the Japanese when I am there. But I do intend to catalogue in detail with some academic vigor - in some ways this blog/journal is meant to jog my memory at times. And I know my brian - I may be bowing and honourifically introducing myself to the local principal but in the back of my mind I will be contemplating the gender identities in nationalism for the past 200 years. Or when I purchase high-tech gadgets (which I will!), there will be more than a few seconds spent gazing at this object and thinking of its cultural contextual meanings over the 20th century.

In essence, I will be experiencing Japan on a level that many others will not be: a philosophical one. And this 4th dimension may just drive me crazy. I could totally see me bursting in tears over a blossom or the first site of the caves of Okinawa.  Forget that! I will probably cry while separating my garbage into 24 different compartments.

So walking into the apartment that is fast becoming bare is exhilarating. It is a fresh start and liberating to leave very little behind to worry about. In a silly way, this tech diet and furniture dispensation has made me feel kinda grown up.

It's about time!

bfg on long days

I may recycle this title... we shall see.

Today was a long day.

On the side of being positive, I got to spend real quality time with my nephew which is awesome. I had a great time playing with him but upon reflection I am so not ready to be a parent.

Tomorrow is Nephew Luca's first birthday so you can probably imagine: 60+ people with my bf probably the only non-Italian there. This morning I went to my sister's early and distracted the boy while the bf and she cooked. Fun.

But I was tired by 2pm and the day was far from over. It was ALSO my younger sister's communion which was nice. I got to sit accross my Nonnina and chat with her. She is not happy about my going to Japan; "Your ovaries are rotting!" she keeps on telling me. Even though Ant reassured her, it seems like she is set on being mad. One more reason to avoid storing books in her basement.

Tomorrow is B-day but before I need to go back to Pharmaprix and retake my passport pics. The Government of Canada REJECTED my application because:

- the photo was not cut properly
- there was too much of a focus on my face and shoulders without appropriate amount of white space around it.
- and there are shadows on my face (huh?)

So I have to go through this all over again. Can you imagine!! So sad and annoying; am concerned I won't get it on time but hopfully it will work out.

I wish it would end here but since I posted stuff on Craig's List my lunch hours and post-5pm time belong to the curious eyes of potential buyers. So far so good... but I really hope to get it all out soon.

Wednesday will be my first Japanese language class with JET which is exciting!
bfg goes to bed while watching GLEE.

bfg on getting used to things being smaller

Today sent out an email to family and friends with a link to my Picasa album of all the juicy things I am selling.
Many are so surprised that I am selling my laptops for a netbook.

The answer is I need to get used to smaller.

As an honourary giant, I have certain privileges in life. I was never a delicate walker for instance - instead I bulldoze ahead. Some people think its rude but the really small kids that I run over I often don't even see in my hurry and long shadow.

But this has been a privilege. I am going off to a place where space is limited and where my height which here is passably tall will be extremely noticeable (so I am told). I need to get used to it.

I am soooo excited to get rid of my stuff. It's time for a fresh start even if it will be a tough one.

In other updates, today via email I got my Pre-Orientation Schedule from JET. It turns out they are going to host 4 hr/week Japanese language lessons at McGill! How awesome is that! I am so excited - it will be so good to get into a grove. I am lost without a classroom. It is like a sailor with no boat. Pathetic but the presence of a teacher and the fear of disappointing them really moves me forward.

In June there is also a karaoke get together where I will meet other MTL JET Short-Lister's and Alternates! Again, amazing.

with that I sign off - returning to my craig's list frenzy.
Here is the link to my album in case you did not already know: http://picasaweb.google.ca/vgiovanna/MovingCallsForAFreshStart?feat=directlink

bfg on no being the new yes

The past two days haven't been easy.

Still, I am going to take the advice of L from work and start with the good news.

I did get my leave of absense from work! That means when/if I return from Japan in a year my job will still be waiting for me. Hopefully, I will be able to either get a teaching position at a CEGEP or upgrade to a position that requires more than ten percent of my brain space. Don't get me wrong - my job has been perfect for my needs right now. I required something that left me stress-free at the end of the day to go to school but still paid me decent enough to live. But it is not challenging nor does it use any of my many god-given talents...  I want wake up in the morning and love what I do. Hopefully, Japan will be a time like that.

More good news is that the criminal record papers are in so technically JET Consulate has everything they need from me to send me over to the big J. The coordinator even confirmed on the phone that she was looking at all the docs right then. I do have to send them a copy of my renewed passport (since mine expires in early 2011 before I would get back) but that is not required for now. No - I can now sit back (figurativly) and wait for my Pre-Orientation package and the big Contract.

And just now I finished with the roomie TM and the bf Ant to take pics of all the oh-so-many items I am selling: electronics, furniture, small appliances and knick-nacks. I love selling stuff not just for the extra money but because I physically feel like I am loosing weight. I watch some stranger come in my house and carry out that table or the big desk and it feels so fresh. This is going to feel good.

Whatever I am keeping is partly going to the bfs and in part going to my Nonnina's garage. Last time I stored all my books there, she would call me when she thought I was being "bad" and threaten to burn them. So in order to decrease the threat's sting (she never did it though but still she has the power to), I sent out an email to close, trusting friends offering to lend out books from my library for a year. I hope people take me up on it  since it means my babies will be loved and cared for while I am gone. Everytime I pack a box of books I can't help but feel a little guilty at hiding its awesomeness from the world for my convenience.

Alas, the past 48 hrs haven't been so upbeat.

I don't want to go into the details mostly because it is so confusing. The big stick-in-the-ass was when I discovered that the Government Student Loan doesn't GIVE me a bursary, they pay that amount to themselves. In the end, it is still good - there is less money for me to pay back to them but I was counting on that for my Japan fund.

I have a perhaps unfounded fear of being stuck in Japan with no money. It scares the begezzes out of me. So I am trying super hard to surpass the JET recommendation of $2,700 and hit at least 3K.

So this news set me on the panicking mode which makes me far from the best of company.

Basically, I just spent hours on the phone calling banks and government offices and other big authoritative institutions that had me on hold for way too long and refused to take responsibility for their inaction or actions. It was frustrating but with these things you just have to grind your teeth and smile. They may not see your smile but let me tell you something for free - they hear it.

Its getting late and I still have lots of things on my list I need to check off. It's been a long day so I think will just leave it at that...

bfg stays awake by the shear anticipation of completing another check-list item.

bfg on envelope etiquette

I came home early today. And there, on my kitchen table was a crisp white envelope containing my criminal record check from the police station.

That document cost me $85.oo so you better believe I want to make sure that I do this right.

The last bit of paperwork that JET needs from me is a "Vulnerability Check" - it means that I have not been convicted of a crime or involved in any activity while I have been in Canada that would lead someone to believe that I am a potential threat to youths. Obviously, these people haven't been to my Sunday sermons.

I called Tania G., the JET Coordinator for the Montreal Consulate. I try very hard NOT to call the Consulate because I can only imagine how many they get an hour. A hundred? But considering what was at stake I decided to bother her and ask if I am allowed to open the envelope and make photocopies as back-ups. It turns out it was aye-okay and I did just that. Piece of advice: anything you paid for, photocopy. How often have people lost the doc, never received it or just can't read it... and then in comes Nessa waving the photocopies and proofs saying "Oh no! You got this." Trust me, it will save your ass. All you need is a beautiful black filing cabinet like mine to organize it all in. A worthy investment since only important people have filing cabinets and shredders - true story.

There is something to be said about a crisp piece of paper all stamped and shiny the way paper does that says I am a good person. Not nice, but good. I haven't killed anyone, or hurt them in any way that has been a detriment to society. I think once I come back from Japan I may frame my photocopy and put it in my entrance or something.

Something else though... one pieces of 8x11 inch paper drove me crazy: had me go to 2 police stations, call 3 centres, borrow the car with the bf, wait in line for 40 mins, stress for 3 weeks and bite my nails... all over this itty bitty piece of paper. Puts things into perspective - I need to get a life.

bfg returns to calming yoga tactics.

bfg on wrinkles

One thing I love about blogging is that you naturally start to browse other people's sites to see what is on their radar and, especially when it comes to reading about current JETS, how they are dealing with the recent turn of events in their lives. In many ways, I started this blogging adventure so I can record my inconsistent thoughts as well as potentially help others in the future. And maybe you all will learn a little more about my great love, Japan, in the process.

Now for anyone who knows me, I have always been into healthy skin care; I wear sunblock all year round, never tan and avoid the beach like the plague (though that has more to do with not getting sand in my ass, but anyways). I also try my best to avoid squinting and frowning, often hearing the opening page to The Princess Bride in my head when Adela loses her beauty as she devotes too much time to fretting about the loss of her youth; the wrinkling of her brow led to worry lines and creases abound.

I write this because a small, very small, part of me is starting to worry.

Oh, don't get me wrong I am excited. But there have been some critiques of JET - very vague ones - that have preoccupied me since I started asking around about the program.

At a birthday party last June when I mentioned in conversation how I was thinking of teaching in Japan through JET a friend of the bf bellowed, "JET sucks." And though he had several other very imaginative adjectives to add, his complaint lacked any substance to sway me.

But I have since encountered similar persons and it has been frustrating. The most concrete critique has been the lack of organization. Too date though, I have been amazed at how JET, especially the MTL Consulate who I have had the most direct contact with, has been able to coordinate everything with such precision, albeit giving themselves a significant amount of time to complete tasks; it took 10 weeks for them to provide answers of JET acceptance after the interview! Still, they have been responsive, responsible and informative. At my interview, they said they would mail all answers on April 12th. April 14th I had my response in my mailbox - lovely. The best part was me being able to tell people that - when I came back to work from lunch that day, everyone asked me and I had the letter in my hand ready to share it with them (and all who would listen in this universe). I squealed all afternoon and the girls and Brian were kind enough to tolerate this (and still do).

Other blogs have posted that there are significant differences between job experiences: some schools give you the freedom to create your own lesson plan while others have you there to replace the tape-recorder. I can understand and empathize with that but I don't think it is the fault of JET in the least (unless there is some information I am missing) and seems to have more to do with circumstance than anything else. To be honest, am really scared of being in such a position where I have no creative freedom - not even a little - in the classroom but there is still a big as to whether that challenge will even be mine to face so I will set aside the pacing and handle the issues that I can for now.

To be frank, I have found that JET has been really generous to date with their time and efforts. Though at times curt and somewhat cut throat - they only gave Short-Listed JETs TEN DAYS to do all the medical tests and send in proper documentation for acceptance, my guess is that they have to be to weed out the people who just want a trip to Japan and keep the applicants who are going first to teach, than to learn.

Anyways, all my fears are overshadowed by my excitement at meeting my students. Geez, I am in love with them already. And hopefully, a firmer, clearer image of what to expect will start to form once the much anticipated contract arrives in two weeks.

Tomorrow - spring cleaning and the commencement of selling all my possessions until am nothing but a serf ready for grand Pacific adventures.