Preparations

I leave for Seattle on the 22nd of July. Then I leave for Japan on the 24th.

These are facts that I have committed to memory, but facts that I have yet to actively wrap my head around.

A more accurate assessment would be:

I will be saying goodbye to my family, lifting at least one large and heavy suitcase and some backpacks onto a train, having the awkward "we're going to be apart for a little while" chat with my partner on said train (again), training with many other JETs, checking into a flight, and waiting on a plane for 14 hours before training in Tokyo.

Before then, I need to unpack. Yes, unpack. From college. Then I need to pack. My goal: one suitcase. This will be accomplished with a lot of ebooks and not a lot of clothing. Luckily, Komatsu is not Minneapolis/ St. Paul, so I don't have to worry about a lot of bulky items. I've heard that my future apartment is itty bitty, and I want to try living with a minimum of clutter. (Stop laughing!) My European housemates in Cape Town had it down: just a few pairs of pants, a nice variety of shirts--enough that they could go a week without wearing the same outfit twice, but no longer. I want to bring minimum essentials and then have a big box of yarn and knitted/winter items ready to be shipped. Right now, whittling down the books is the hardest!

Also, omiyage. OMG omiyage. Oregon does delicious regional treats really well, but it also does green very well--none of the treats are individually wrapped like Japanese omiyage. The searching continues for a tasty オレゴンから treat! For students and prizes, I'm going to buy a massive pile of postcards. That way, students can collect them and learn something about my hometown in the process. I need to find a few nice things for the people who I'm sure I will be really indebted to...principal, whoever sets me up with bank/cell/etc. Chocolates? Too bad there's a limit on wine!

The whole teaching bit is weird. I know I'm going to be at the front of a classroom, but I still can't picture myself there. I've been a student for too long.