Finally!

What better way to start a first post than with the title “Finally?” I was accepted into the JET program in late March 2018. Schools and boards of educations and contractors had a full THREE months, until June 21st, to notify their future employees where exactly they’d be working. And here I am, on the night of the 23rd. I finally got my placement: Harima-Higashi Senior High School!

Here’s where I pretend to be an authority on Harima, even though everything I’m telling you is just from Wikipedia. To wit, it HAS a Wikipedia article; that’s a good start. It’s a small town, population of about 30,000. It’s on the south coast of the Hyogo Prefecture, which is also home to Kobe and Himeji Castle. Its sister cities are Heping, China (wow!) and Lima, Ohio (breathtaking!). It is known for its “cutlery and fabric,” the latter of which I admit I’m very much into– wearing it, at least. They don’t get snow because of mountains to the north protecting it, so they get “mild winters.” But when one’s idea of a mild winter is 70 degrees (21 C), I eagerly look forward to my expectations being totally shattered. And I also eagerly look forward to a white Christmas. See Australia for how I handle temperature:

I have some contracts and paperwork to sign, and I feel like my first post is already too long, so good night!

P.S. In case you’re wondering, -20 C is a picture of Otzi, a caveman mummy found in the Alps. Look him up, it’s pretty interesting!