A Slow Day

I spend today doing ... absolutely nothing!

I was going to call James or Sumie to see if they want to check out Harajuku with me, either that, or go to Akibahara again to pick up a charger for my ipod, or better yet, go to Jimbocho (aka bookworms heaven) to shop for some mind-candies.

But it rained from the moment I woke up, until... now. I feel guilty and even a little stressed out about doing nothing, because I know there is a time limit in landing a job and time is running out fast. But it's a national holiday today and most schools aren't even open, so instead, I took advantage of a stable network in Sakura House today (a small miracle, really) and surfed gaijinpod for hours.

The truth is, my roommate went to her uncle's house for her vacation. (It's spring break for school children right now,) which mean I can finally have some space to myself. I liked having this unexpected privacy so much, even the prospect of book-shopping in Jimbocho paled in comparison.

As I have been getting quite a few calls for interviews, I am feeling optimistic about my visa situation. Today, I lied on my bed fantasizing what life in Nikkou would be like. I have a job offer there, I spend a long time talking on the phone with them yesterday and I think they really like me. Nikkou is one of the few areas in Japan where people actually live on the mountains. It would be far far away from the ocean, which is disappointing, but being surrounded by waterfall and onsen and forest isn't all bad either. If it's good enough for Tokugawa Ieyasu, it can't be that bad. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I like it.

The only problem is commuting, as I don't have a driver'slicense, I can't use the car the company provides. What am I ever going to do in a god-forsaken rural place like Nikkou without a car? I can't even paddle my kayak! (except down the waterfall... maybe)

I am going up for an interview on Saturday. How soon will they make their decision? They asked me to bring my passport, does that mean I have to decide and sign the contract right away? Nikkou is very far from Tokyo, so it doesn't make sense for me to travel up there for a day interview, go home to think about it, and then travel up there again just to sign the paperworks. But given a choice, I think I'd rather work in Yokohama. Yokohama is right next to the ocean, so I am already fantasizing a happy life of afterschool surfing and kayaking. Besides, the Yokohama admin staff seems really friendly, they also have a high teachers-return rate (70%), which means they don't go through their gaijin staff like toilet-paper, as most eikaiwa schools are notorious for.

I should stop now, I am just thinking out loud, I am sure my readers are also bored to death :-)