Are You Ready?!

So the past couple of days have been very eventful for me! I heard from my predecessor finally and so now I know for sure I will be moving to Yamaga village on the outskirts of Kitsuki. She sent me this huge 30 page word document detailing her work life and the different schools and her responsibilities therein. 9 schools in total and 8 of them are elementary schools. She was super informative telling me everything from which teachers were worth getting to know and what classes they teach to which tea lady will bring me snacks after lunch and who I eat with. [with whom I eat?] Needless to say after I read it I felt a lot better. Although JET says we are never to be teaching alone I guess as long as the teacher is in the room we are covered because she says some classes I will plan and teach entirely on my own. Eeck!

So an update on everything else:

Car - M (my pred) says she is just going to give me the car. The catch - Japan does inspections every two years, thorough inspections, and the car is due for one in October. Because it is an older car (~95 Toyota Corolla), it may not pass. Should the car pass the inspection I have to shell out around $1,000 to renew the license for another two years. If the car fails - I have to buy a new one. Guess there is still a price to pay for a car but I will at least have a few months to save up money in case I have to buy one. Sigh.

Apartment - So M did JET with her boyfriend and since he was in Beppu they decided to find their own apartment between the two cities. This means the BoE has to find me one near the schools. They are having a difficult time, however, because in a town of 3,000 people there aren't really a lot of temporary housing options. They will broaden their search this week to include the actual city of Kitsuki. Hopefully by the end of the week I will have an address and everything. :-). Because the apartment will be in the BoE's name and not my own I will likely not be responsible for key money or any of the other crazy fees Japanese people seem to charge on renting an apartment. This is not for sure yet though and until I have heard from them directly (I have still only been in contact with M and R and K - the current ALTs) I will assume everything is a rumor.

Furniture - M sent me lots of pictures of everything and a full inventory of everything included in her 'furniture package.' Basically everything for the kitchen including rice cooker, bread maker and cooktop, bed, two couches, night stands, lights, TV, DVD player, etc. She wants ~$1,300. I think this is pretty reasonable but I will consult with my family before I decide on anything. Knowing Japanese apartments are like to come with nothing except a toilet and a fridge if I'm lucky, I think this would be an awesome investment and save me so much money having to purchase all this stuff on my own. They have a real bed which is kind of a bummer since I was looking forward to a futon but I suppose my back will thank me.

Clothes and attire - She gave me the full rundown on weather and shoes and the like and it looks like I am pretty well prepared except for lacking in a pair of comfy shoes I can slip into inside the schools. She said she actually brought too many pairs of shoes - a mistake I am likely to make as well.

I feel like I need to be catching up on Japanese.

I have also been packing up my life here. When Mom dropped me off on Monday she left with a car full of everything she could fit from my apartment. All my books, including the shelves, winter clothes, any and all paraphernalia I am unwilling to part with and my winter clothes. Now all I have left is my PS3, TV and some clothes, shoes and my new suitcases. All the furniture remaining - bed, desk, nightstand, etc. - is being sold or already has been. My alarm actually echoes in the morning because my room is so barren. :-(.

Have started wearing the attire I will wear in Japan to work everyday so I can get used to the slacks and everything. At least I will know how everything looks when it gets all stretched out too. Shoes are a problem because they have been destroying my feet. Oh well.

Sorry for the long post but I had a lot to update on! Love!