it's not life that matters but the journey...

There's just too much going these days. I've been trying to get this apartment in Chicago all sorted out, and I even had my mom mail some checks to the manager so that she could start the credit check and hold the apartment. But after three days, the manager still hasn't received the money, so I'm still waiting to know that I have the apartment for sure. I might have to find some way to wire money from here! What a pain! Of course I have the job waiting for me, so that's a plus - but I need somewhere to sleep too:)

I went ahead and booked a flight to Chicago from Narita though - for April 25th. It's just a month away, and I have a lot to do! It is going to cost a near fortune for me to fly to Chicago in April, though, because of spring break and other Japanese holidays. But it just gets more expensive after that, so I have no choice. And of course I have to pay extra to take my cat on the plane, and get him a health certificate, so the costs will keep rising. Masahiko will plan to come to Chicago with me, but he might wait about two weeks and come in early May. Luckily, this apartment is supposed to fully furnished (except for maybe a TV and other electronics), so all I need to buy is a car!

I had hoped that I might start organizing things and packing this weekend, but I just don't feel motivated. However, I do need to get started.

And in other news, I have signed on to co-maintain an LJ Community! So everyone stop by and be sure to join thedailyactor okay? I will be sharing the responsibilities with the current maintainer gooniegal who has been too busy lately and needed some help. Since I love actors, and love movies, I am gladly helping her out! It will be a new challenge for me, and a way to meet more LJ people!

Today is a glorious sunny day, with a nice little breeze, and it is very spring-like. I even went for a walk to the store, so that I could enjoy the weather. Tomorrow we are supposedly taking Daiki, Masahiko's nephew, somewhere for fishing. It will be just the three of us, and should be fun!

Finally, I will write about my dinner with my friend Akiko, which turned out to be quite interesting.

Last night, I had a chance to meet my former supervisor and friend Akiko for dinner. I went to the station and waited for her at the donut shop (ate two donuts and had two cups of coffee while I waited 45 minutes for her to arrive). Then we went to a pasta restaurant and ate and enjoyed the drink bar (unlimited drinks) and talked for about three hours. It was the first time I'd seen her since New Year's Day since she's super busy these days as an English teacher at a high level high school. During the next school year, which begins in about two weeks (they have April school starts here), she will be the homeroom teacher for 3rd year students, which means she has to supervise their applications and entrance exams for the universities they want to attend. In Japan, university entrance is very different from the U.S. Here they have to take an entrance exam for each university they want to attend, and of course the higher-level universities are very tough to get into. And the English grammar that Japanese high school students are expected to know and understand is mind-boggling. Some of it I'm pretty sure most native speakers don't understand!

Anyway, Akiko and I had some interesting conversations. We talked about former colleagues, some of whom are now going to be working with her again at her current high school. One of these teachers, Wada-sensei, used to work at Ihara High School during the two years that I taught there. She's a Japanese teacher, and at the time was fairly young (a little older than I) and attractive. And she has the reputation for being extremely confident, and very strict with the students, which is what earned her respect from other teachers and from the students, since Japanese students really prefer a teacher who is more strict, and more strong and powerful. But Wada-sensei and I were not friends. In fact, she was the only teacher in the whole school who NEVER spoke to me (even in Japanese), never even said good morning, and would walk by me, swinging her hips with her nose in the air. She was a complete and total snobby bitch! I even heard some of the students say that during her lectures, she talked about how much she hated America and Americans, and thought Japan was the best country. I am not one to hate people, but let's just say I really disliked her. Sometimes, she would go out to lunch with Akiko and I, and another young English teacher named Rina, and the three of them would ramble on and on in Japanese and completely ignore me! Of course that never happened when I would go out with only the English teachers. Akiko told me that the male teachers all admired Wada-sensei and thought she was sexy and beautiful, and some even harbored fantasies that she would have affairs with them. Icky! But Wada-sensei supposedly has already caused a stir at Fuji High School where Akiko is teaching, and some teachers already anticipate "battles" with her because she is one to demand respect and one who wants to be the center of attention and the "top dog" so to speak!

Anyway, Akiko and I also talked about the stress she's feeling with her family and her future. She really wants to retire from her current job, because of the stress, but her son is just now starting college so she has to pay for that for the next four years. She is in an interesting situation with her husband: they live together in a small town nearby with his mother and her son (she has a daughter who goes to school in Yokohama and lives with Akiko's parents), but she and her husband hardly ever talk and never do things together. She sometimes thinks about divorcing him, because she is so independent and doesn't really love him, but she also realizes that she can stay with him and its much easier than going through the stress of a divorce. Akiko also talked to me about the relationship she had before she got married, and why she ended up marrying her husband. It was quite interesting. I also talked to Akiko at length about my reasons for leaving Japan, and even about some of my problems with my husband. She's very understanding and even had good advice for me.

Anyway, I do hope that this weekend I can get another chapter of my Japan guide up on here, since its long overdue. I just have been very pre-occupied with other things lately. But since I have just one more month here, I have a lot to write before I leave Japan and its all a distant memory!