OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG....

Yes, OMG is right. I'm in the midst of packing and it's slowly sinking in.

I mean, I've worked my last day at work, my schedule's packed with people I need to see before I go, my coyote-bashing car's sold, new clothes, new passport, medical insurance.......

At any rate, it's only two days left before I leave. I'm almost done learning hiragana and katakana (thanks Mariko!!) and....... well....... there's not really much else to say. At least the weather's starting to pick up.

So......... check back in a few days to see how my first week in Sugito works out.......

Oh oh....... I also checked the weather in tokyo. And it's a mild and convenient 20-23 degrees and likely to be raining. So it'll be like June in Vancouver except everything will be in Japanese.

Sugito is much the same EXCEPT that the humidity is at 94%!!!!! Well, it's better than 35 degrees and 94% I guess haha......

Oh, and one more thing, I just heard today that a typhoon is expected to hit in the next few days. So I'm gonna arrive with a bang.............. ha ha....... ha............... ok.......

... 13 days... 12 days...

Speaking of days, Happy Canada Day!! Of course, Canada Day also means I'm that much closer to leaving, which is slowly starting to sink in. Mostly in the form of an extremely packed schedule of things to do before I go.

But, on the other hand, I've done pretty much all the things I needed since my last post. Things like my visa, airfare, clothing. Still haven't done presents yet but those don't take as long.

I also met a very kind and generous Mark Taylor who set up Shiramizu internship two years ago and was thus the first one to do it. We chatted for quite a bit and he gave me some suggestions on how to prepare as well as an idea of what to expect. Although at some points, we both agreed that it's more fun to not tell me so I can experience what it's like to jump in the deep end and fend for myself.

He (as well as Richard sensei) mentioned that the third month is the hardest. The first apparently feels much like a vacation since it's so new. The second is when it starts to hit you that, hey wait, I really don't understand anything around me, and that gets a bit overwhelming. And by the third, it's getting pretty rough since you start pining for things at home as the overwhelming-ness becomes over-overwhelming. But, apparently, after the third month, it's easy as I get into the groove of things and make friends and such.

The other thing too is I'm not sure how often I can update this, but keep checking back as I want to maintain a weekly posting schedule. I'll have lots of pictures (unlike this bland past few posts) and lots of stories, so hopefully this'll work out. But please still leave lots of comments. It's rather fun to read and reply to them.

Oh, and one more thing. I hit a coyote last night- it ran out from behind a parked car about 2 feet in front of me. That was exciting in an OMGWTF kind of way... those crazy coyotes and their poor decision making...

25 days... 24 days... 23 days...

Yes, it's T-minus 23 days as of today and things are going pretty much right on schedule.

My visa's been approved and is waiting to be picked up, my airline ticket is confirmed and also waiting to be picked up, my traveler's cheques were picked up, I picked up a pair of dress pants and some ties and will be picking up a suit and some new dress shoes. So, in general, just a lot of picking things up.

Most important, I need to go get gifts to thank a very kind Arakawa sensei for taking me under his wing and a very generous Matsuda sensei for providing me with a home-stay. Apparently smoked salmon is quite popular so I'll probably just get some of that. And maybe hedgehogs cuz everyone loves those hazelnut truffle filled chocolate critters. And Purdy's has Turkish Delight too!! If you haven't tried any, you should. It's quite good if I do say so myself, even if Purdy's doesn't make the best Turkish Delight I've had. Considering the alternative is Turkish Delight from Turkey, I guess it'll have to do...

So that's pretty much it. Just a lot of picking things up or planning on picking things up. It's now not nearly as exciting as I thought it was before, but that's ok. I hear Japan's really hot right now so I'll save all my excitement for when I'm being sauteed in my own sweat in the 40 degree heat and 1 million percent humidity. Air conditioning FTW......

Countdown

As the days tick by, the reality of my commitment hasn't really sunk in yet. I'm in the process of getting my work-holiday visa and otherwise getting myself ready to leave. Y'know...... things like getting a few more gi's, getting gifts, figuring out what to do with stuff I have to leave in Vancouver.

Oddly enough, everyone else seems more anxious than I am about me leaving. I'm not really the type to get all antsy about things like this- at least, not up until the last 30 seconds. So I'm likely to faint on the gangway getting on the plane but until then, I'm doing just fine. Or maybe everyone's anxious because they want me gone?? Who knows haha.....

At any rate, the real excitement doesn't really start until I get there so til then, the posts will be a bit far and few between.

In the meantime, feel free to leave lots of comments! As my Sugito-bred friend did who stumbled upon my blog whilst Googling "Sugito" and "blog", it seems. This furthers the notion that Google will eventually rule the world.

Sugito...

I think some people have been wondering where Sugito is..... Or maybe nobody's wondering, but here's a map anyway!

This is Japan. There's a tiny, slightly darker green prefecture which is Saitama. Within that tiny prefecture is an even tinier town known as Sugito, where I'll be staying. Tokyo's pretty much one prefecture to the south west, so it's not really that far. (Note- the northern island [Hokkaido] looks to me like a fish that's spitting...... at America.... hmm.....)

Sugito, as you can see, is shoved way to the east of Saitama. It's supposed to look like an eagle, but from this picture, it looks more like a caricature of a ghost.

Either way, it's pretty small, pretty out of the way, and pretty rural I'd imagine. Which is great, since I won't get bashed in by all the big city folk and really get a feel for what it's like to live away from a large city.

This page has a larger map of Sugito and it does indeed look like an eagle. It also seems to contain such things as five elementary schools, a long distance relay race convention, and the suki-suki Sugito 36 parking....... it's at the very south, if you're looking for a place to... umm..... park....

Also, visit Sugito's own website. There's an English version of it that contains....... well..... a page on its history and a page on...... garbage collection?? At least the garbage page is "new". Not to mention a misspelling of the town name (Sugio Wings).

Hey, if I'm gonna teach English, I should be particular about these things, right?? Right........

Confirmed!

Get it?? webLAWg?? Brilliant, no??.............. Hmm....... maybe not...... at any rate, I don't normally keep blogs but I figured a blog would be a great way to chronicle my adventures in Japan.

In case you haven't heard, I've just been accepted for the Shiramizu Karate Internship. I'll be in Japan from July 2007 to July 2008 and basically it's a chance for me to go to Japan and train martial arts with some of the top sensei's in the world. As well as training in the Shiramizu dojo, I'll be teaching English as a means of paying the rent, cell phone bill, and otherwise staying alive.
The town I'm in is called Sugito, about an hour's train ride northeast of Tokyo. It's not very big both area wise and population wise. At 30 square km, it's probably the size of UBC. And at 45,000 people, about the same density too.

There have been other interns before me so the people involved know what's going on and have things all set up, like the inn I'll be staying at and the kindergarten I (might) teach at.

In the mean time, I'll be updating this blog sporadically until the day I leave. Then the posts will be much more regular (once a week I'm hoping) and come with pictures. This way at least I won't seem like I've dropped off the face of the Earth.

And I won't have to retell all my tales of adventure to everyone........ I'll just direct them to this blog. Genius!

Anyway, I just thought I should put this first post up as background. And if you're expecting typical Lawrence jokes and humour, I promise all the following ones will contain much more. Til then........