Pre Departure 1.7-1.9

Well, whether I'm ready or not I'm shipping myself off to Japan, guys! There are a few things here and there that I haven't been able to get to before leaving, but just some minor cleaning issues and lack of eating crepes.

The plan as of the moment is to munch on some breakfast with the bro and ma in the morning, then off to Sea-Tac. I'm hoping the line won't be crazy long when we get there for ticketing/security... but at the same time it's just extra time waiting, really.

My last weekend in Seattle was spent having good food with friends, staying up late and doing stupid things involving Star Wars Monopoly. I'll miss all my friends and family, but most of all, I will miss my baby:

  

Of course there is another significant person I will be missing as well...

Hoping for the best, excited to finally start on this adventure. I think my theme song for this trip will be 疾走 (Sprint) by Last Alliance c:

Now, time to get some rest before doing all those final checks and whatnot in the morning. GOOD NIGHT SEATTLE!

Pre Departure 1.5

Okay, so I've decided that I dislike transferring currency/dealing with foreign currency and the like. Huge pain in the butt, but it's gotta be done. I just ordered currency in bills and a few traveler's cheques for when I open a bank account so then I can just deposit money and have it available.

Haven't done a whole lot of packing yet. Right now I'm testing out the zip lock bag method of packing to see how much space I really save by locking my clothes in an air tight space. We'll see how that goes.. There's also a matter of possibly having to ship stuff over instead.

As promised in the previous entry, a little look at what I'm leaving behind:

Oh Seattle, I'll miss you. But I'll miss my puppy most of all. =(


[x] Buy UW study abroad insurance
[x] Get currency
[x] Tell banks that I'm leaving
[ ] Clean EVERYTHING in my room and work area
[ ] Pack/decide what to ship and what to bring with me
[ ] Have fun with family and friends before leaving

Pre Departure 1.4

OH GAWD I HAVEN'T PREPARED FOR ANYTHIIIING.


Right after my boyfriend left Seattle I had to work for the first week of September and ever since I've quit I've just been hanging out with my cousins (that I never get to see) who were in town. But it should be uuh some what okay after today since by tonight they'll all be gone. But I need to make a few more appointments with the doctor about vaccines before going to Japan cause I JUST got an email from the Center of Disease Control that I should probably get something... argh.

In any case I have a lot to do in terms of cleaning up my house, packing and all the while hanging out with people before I leave.

In other news I have a travel buddy! His name is Beamer and you can follow him on tumblr and facebook. He gets the name Beamer from my car who's name is Sharky. =)

Next post will be some pictures of what I'm leaving!

Pre Departure Plans 1.3

I've been receiving a few updates on where I'll be living in Osaka. It's about a 15 minute walk to the Suita campus and is in Senri Aoyamadai. Basically the school set me up in an apartment instead of the dorm because I have the JASSO so I'll be able to afford rent (~38,000 yen/month).

It also seems I'll most likely have a room mate. Which is good and meh in some aspects, but it is a 2 bedroom apartment. At least I'll be most likely set up with a Japanese student instead of an international student. But still, privacy is nice to have. Oh well =)


Applied and picked up my visa the other day. It takes up so much room in my passport, but yay it's done.
Some stuff I need to do before departure (hope I don't forget):

[x] Buy UW study abroad insurance
[ ] Get currency
[ ] Tell banks that I'm leaving
[ ] Clean EVERYTHING in my room and work area
[ ] Pack/decide what to ship and what to bring with me
[ ] Have fun with family and friends before leaving

Pre Departure Plans 1.2

I've received the official statement that I will be receiving the JASSO scholarship for 2010-2011!!!!1!!!

Also got my Certificate of Eligibility, so now all I have to do (in terms of official documents) is go to the Consulate and apply for a college student visa. =)

I'm so relieved that I got the scholarship. For a while I was seriously worried that I'd have to pay for everything. x_x But all is well. And guess what... THIRTY SEVEN DAYS UNTIL I LEAVE. HOLY FUCK.

Departure Plans 1.1

So I'm waiting on my Certificate of Eligibility (CESR) from Japanese immigration. Received an email from school saying that they submitted my application early July, so I hope I hear back from them in the next couple of weeks.

In other news I've been researching banking/money transferring options, hostels and such.
I think I'll stay at this place called U-EN House . Looks nice and it's 2400 yen a night. Only need one night so it's decently priced compared to hotels. =)

Also just remembered that I need to fax my flight information to school by the end of August. Guess I should do it today or else I'll forget!

Departure Plans 1.0

So I bought my plane ticket a few weeks ago. Set departure is September 20, and I'll arrive in Osaka on the 21st in the evening. Still researching hostels/hotels around Handai since the dorms close in the early evening so I can't check in. =(

Also just received info about Handai's host family program. You're basically assigned a family and it's your responsibility as well as the host family's to decide when to meet/what to do. They also put in bold letters that the program isn't a home stay. Kind of wish they did have home stay programs. I think I heard somewhere that they have brief home stay periods but it's not through the school. Hmm, must look into this.