Before we begin....

Hello all!  Before we begin our Japanese adventure, I wanted you all to know about this blog.  Therefore, I probably won't post too many times before I leave.  In addition, this is OUR shared blog, so both Ian and I will write it.  I leave for Japan on July 30th, and Ian won't come over until August 15th.  The program recommends giving yourself a few weeks to establish yourself and get things around town taken care of before spouses or children come, so that's why Ian isn't coming until later.  Just to give you an example of how far away Japan is, I fly from Nashville to Dallas and Dallas to Tokyo.  I leave Dallas around 1PM on the 30th, and I won't arrive in Tokyo until 4PM on the 31st.  Yes, I will waste an entire day flying!  Once I land in Tokyo, I will be there for three days of orientation in which they will prep me for my job, and I will attend various seminars on culture, language, what to expect, meet other JETs in my prefecture, etc, etc.  After the third day, I will fly to Kumamoto City and then take the train to my tiny mountain village of Yunomae.  Ian and I love going to the mountains, so we are very excited that we'll live in a mountain town.  My prefecture is bordered by Mount Aso, a volcano, so there are lots of hot springs around, and the beach is a mere two hours away...nice for a weekend getaway!  I already know that I will be the only JET in Yunomae AND the only foreigner.  lol.  I'm sure I will stick out like a sore thumb!  We have a one bedroom house to live in, and by Japanese standards, it is a fairly large house. Although Yunomae is small enough that we can walk or bike anywhere we want, we also have a car.  My predecessor told me that since Yunomae is so rural, it is nice to have a car.  As I said earlier, Yunomae is a TINY town of 4,800.  The size alone will probably be culture shock!  We are both very excited about this adventure!  Please continue to follow us!