Kanpai!

Today was the closing date for the JET re-application papers to be filled in and filed away. Seeing as it's been one of the main topics of discussion in the JET family, I took it to be a big, important, almost national day in the Japanese schooling system. Seems not. I took the papers to my JTE so that he could play translator between me and kocho-sensei. I don't know the Japanese words for "recontracting" and "documents" and "official". Unfortunately, my JTE didn't know the English either. I watched his finger as it moved from word to word and he mouthed out the simple English words. And then retraced his finger to the beginning of the sentence.

After much confusion, the vice-principal phoned the Board of Education to hear what exactly this "recontracting" story is all about. They explained, and.. well, I filled out my half of the form, made two copies of it (one for me, one for the school), and I'm hoping that I'll make it onto the paperwork system that is Japan as "inaka JET selling her soul for another 18 months".

One of the main reasons that I'm taking the plunge for another year in this retirement village, is that I decided from the begining that I was going to do two years. So much for following your heart, hey. Well, that and money. If and when I return to SA, I'll have to work for a bag of peanuts per day again, I won't have a state-subsidised car or trustworthy public transport, and I'll be white and jobless. I need to build a little egg out of yen-notes and spit before I can return to the motherland.

The truth is that I'm bored. But you're in Japan, how can life be boring? This is Japan? Oh, the mountain was blocking my view. Wait, wait. I'm starting to sound like a Japanese person. Next I'll be phoning up the local municipalities, asking them to please cut down all the trees cause it's messing leaves onto my stoep.

Tis a strange place, this homogenous triple-wrapped please stamp here island. And I'm still not sure how I feel about living here. It's a love-hate relationship. But all the most important things in my life has been like that.

18 more months to go.. let's see how many trips I can work into that one.
(Currently thinking Korea or Taiwan end March longweekend. We'll see what happens.)