Hello again...the countdown is currently sitting at 26 days. Freaky. I don't really know how to describe what I'm feeling right now. I'll be moving from Toronto to Whitby this weekend, then about a week later is Kevin's wedding, and a week after that I move to Japan. With each day the thought of moving becomes more and more real. It's an odd feeling. I know what the future holds but it seems unreal until it actually happens. It's not bad feeling, it's just something that is very different from anything that I've experienced before. Everything takes on a deeper significance and a sense of finality. I walk around thinking, "This could be the last time that I do this or see this person for another year...maybe more." Spending time with family and friends becomes that much more important and enjoyable. The routine things that I do everyday become pleasurable because they are fleeting, I'm about to walk into a new life with no routine and no familiarity. It's exciting, but it brings to mind the Forrest Gump saying, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." Hahaha...so true for me right now, I really have no clue what I'm getting myself into. I just hope that I meet alot of good people and that I make a good impression on the people that I will be working for. For those of you who are interested, I am including my new address in Japan. Feel free to send me snail mail or to come and visit! I would love to host anyone who is interested in taking a trip to Japan, so let me know! My address is:

vivre b-102
254 funatsu cho
toba shi
mie-ken
517-0045

For now, I'm out...but check again soon and I think of something really interesting to write...

So, I'm moving to Japan. 31 days to go. It's starting to become completely and utterly surreal. I'm really excited right now, especially because I recently recevied an email from my predecessor which gave me a number of details about my new life. For those of you who are interested I will be living in Toba, which is a city in Mie prefecture (province). The city's population is 26,000, so it is a smaller city, which is what I had wanted when I applied. Toba is known for their seafood and surfing and as the first place to cultivate pearls. If you want to learn more about the city visit: http://www.city.toba.mie.jp/page/eigo/hyousi/hyousi.htm

I will be teaching English at Toba Highschool. Apparently, I live a 20 minute walk away from the school and a 10-15 minute walk from the Pacific Coast. Sweet. I think that is all for now, I hope that you will all check back often and enjoy sharing my experiences with me!

Here are two pictures from my new home...I think I'm going to like this!