Departure Tomorrow

Yeah, so I realize I haven't updated in a while, but what better time than... THE NIGHT BEFORE I LEAVE!?!?!?

I'm sitting in a hotel in Houston, eagerly awaiting tomorrow morning's flight to Minneapolis, followed the big one all the way to Tokyo. I have plenty of Dramamine, Tylenol PM and a hard drive full of e-books and movies, and some combination of those 4 should entertain me for 14 hours. I had horrible visions of chunky butt neighbors and screaming children on my flight from Dallas to Houston this afternoon, but I'm staying positive and hoping for a peaceful, relaxing trans-Pacific trip.

I really haven't dished out much (any) new information in the past two months or so, but not because I haven't been receiving it. I'll try to catch up gradually with a few facts about my new life in Japan:

-I will be teaching high school english classes to three different grades at Kita Otsu High School in Shiga Prefecture. I will have my own cozy apartment in the city and will ride my bike to and from school and around town. I hear the area has lots of really neat stuff to see, so I should be providing some stellar snapshots of the scintillating scenery.

-Also, to my surprise, I've been hired to teach two beginner level spanish classes at the school. I suppose that my multitalented nature has impressed a few individuals at the Houston Japanese Consulate. My predecessor, who has been a huggggeee help to me, told me that my spanish skills landed me my placement at Kita Otsu. I'm really excited to be teaching these classes and can't help but think about how hilarious some of the pronunciation attempts will be.

-Zach, my predecessor, won't be leaving Japan until a week after I get into town from Tokyo. This means two things. One, I will have, at my disposal, the very man I am expected to fill in for. He will be able to show me, in person, all the best restaurants, pachinko parlors and karaoke joints in the area as well as give me pointers on where to shop etc. This also means, however, that I will not be able to stay in my apartment for my first week in Shiga. Graciously, my supervisor at the high school has offered a place at his home for me to stay. On his property he has a log cabin guesthouse, which will belong to me for my first week here! It sounds rustic-chic... I'll be sure to snap some pics for everyone when the time comes.

So, now that I've dished out some knowledge, I'll tell you about my last few days in America. I spent last night with my family and dearest Lindsey in Edmond, getting everything together and proceeding to absolutely lose it all at the airport this morning (emotionally, not physically). I never really anticipated exactly how hard it would be to say temporary goodbyes to the people I love. But hey, Skype video conferencing definitely eases the pain! Also, mad shout out to my steller little brother Jeff. At 5 PM yesterday, as I was gathering my last few things to pack up, the computer I had just received from my dad decided to wrench my plans and melt down. Representing essentially my only connection to the Western world, a laptop is an essential material possession in my new Japanese existence. Fearing future mania, I freaked out for a while, wondering where the hell I was going to get a new computer in time to leave. In steps Jeff, offering me his pride and joy without hesitation. You da man Jeff! If that ain't love, then I don't know what is! You can direct thanks for this and all future posts to him. Jeff also happens to be the newest member of the Frontier City team! Everyone stop by and toss a few rings on those oversized coke bottles. The man's just trying to make a living...

Sooooo, after the emotional "see ya laters" I zonked out for a few quick flights to DFW then Houston, where I met up with the rest of the JET group from the Houston Consulate. We're an eclectic and interesting bunch, to say the least. Once we all arrived and changed into our business attire, we herded onto a few shuttles and slogged through Houston traffic to the Consulate-General's residence for our pre-departure orientation. In reality it was more reception/dinner/drinking party than orientation, which was just fine with me. All 44 new JET's got to enjoy some delicious sushi and wine while hearing about how wonderful, hilarious and eye-opening our future experiences would be. I managed to tipsily fumble a piece of pie through my chop sticks, off of my clean dress shirt and onto the even cleaner, white carpet floor of the Consulate-General's lavish household. Fortunately, my quick reactions resulted in relatively few condemning glares, minor embarrassment and only slightly noticeable carpet stainage. Not to be outdone, my temporary roommate, Marcus, managed to spill his full glass of wine on the carpet as well, taking the cake for the most nervous, clumsy move of the night.

I love Skype. If you don't have it, get it. If you do have it, my user name is j_hildebrand. Skype me. You could get third priority in my Skype heirarchy. 1) Lindsey 2) family 3) youuuu???

It's getting late, I'm pooped and I have a flight to catch in about 7 hours. I hope this update appeases some of the haters out there in the blogosphere. Just keep in mind folks, those doubting my commitment to this blog are only giving me bulletin-board material for the locker room. I am Ray Lewis (circa 2005) and I will deliver bone-crushing, gut-wrenching blog post hitz.

I'll be hollering at you from the other side of the Pacific next. Peace easy western hemisphere.
Rots of rove,
John