One door closes...

For the past month before leaving the United States I was very depressed. This would be the first time living away from my parents. Even though I can go weeks without seeing them. I at least took comfort in knowing that they were there if I needed to see a friendly face or if I needed someone to talk to. The past month I began feeling lethargic and I would get teary for any little thing. I was not really excited about the move, I was sad more than anything else. I didn't know what to expect. Saying goodbye to my friends was not easy either. Although I didn't full on cry, I was sad to leave all of them. I am not sure If my parents wanted to get rid of me or if they were just excited for me. My parents didn't really get emotional but I am sure they were a little sad to see me leave (and maybe a little happy too). My last day to spend quality time with my family was on Thursday the 24Th. My mother, Joe and my nephews went to Raging Waters that day. On the way to Raging Waters my mother and I were listening to a Spanish singer and jokingly my mother said "I dedicate you this song". It was about a man who was leaving his loved one behind and didn't know when he would return. My mom and I began laughing and crying at the same time. We thought the whole situation was silly but we couldn't help getting emotional.

The next day on Friday I had to go to a mandatory reception for most of the day. I was really upset about this because I wanted to spend some more time with my family. We didn't even have a goodbye meal or anything. Sadly I did not get to hug my nephews’ goodbye either. I did talk to them on the phone and Diego made me cry. All he said was “Tia I love you with my whole heart”. UGH! That killed me. I miss those little buggers a lot.

The day of my flight I was sad and focused mainly on what I was leaving behind. Once I got on the plane it began to sink in, I was about to embark on a new adventure and I should be happy about this opportunity. The flight was surprisingly short (bare in mind that I went to India and that took 24 hours to get to my final destination). I received special treatment on the plane it so happens that If you request vegetarian food, you get served before anyone else. I LOVED THAT! I didn't really sleep much the day before the flight, and I didn't sleep much on the plane either. The only time I slept was when Fools Gold was on, my body wouldn't let me stay awake through what I assume was a bad movie.
Upon arrival to Japan we were greeted very kindly. They took us from the Narita airport to a beautiful hotel in Tokyo. We were spoiled. The food was really good and the workshops were very helpful. They kept on reassuring us that they are here to make us feel at home and that if we need anything to make our stay in Japan more pleasant, not to hesitate to ask. Too bad we spent most of our time in the workshops the three days we were in Tokyo. Even so, I got to see a little bit around the hotel. I slept on average 3 hours per night. Some people blame it on Jet lag. I think I was just too excited to sleep. After the Tokyo seminar we were taken to our prefectures, Shiga is mine. We went to Otsu, the capital of Shiga. There we gave a brief introduction in Japanese and our "hosts" gave one in English. Our hosts consisted of a member of the Board of Education and an English teacher we will be working with. They were both very kind and after the introduction ceremony they took me to my hometown of Tsuchiyama in Koka city. There I visited the Jr. High that I will be teaching at. There I met a few teachers and two students. The students were really cute; they introduced themselves to me in English. I can’t wait to begin teaching. Classes begin in September, this time will mostly be spent adjusting to my new hometown and planning lessons. I will write about my school and town in detail at a later time.