Miyazaki and Korea

Due to my grandmother's sudden death, I will be going to Korea from 1/31 to 2/5 to attend the funeral. Normally, I would have to take paid holidays off in order to go to Korea, but since this is for a family funeral, I get 7 days of special leave.

I'm in an Internet cafe in Sendai as I type this entry because I'm going to take an overnight bus to Tokyo tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'll be heading to Miyazaki to rendezvous with my mom and uncle who will be coming from Seoul for just three days in order to talk to my girlfriend's parents about our future. Originally, I wasn't planning on going to Miyazaki, but since the timing fit well with my going to Korea, I decided it's best for me to be present when they have the talk.

I will be in Miyazaki only 1 day because I need to get back to Tokyo to get the re-entry permit before I leave Japan. If I don't, I won't be able to come back to Japan without a new visa. So, I will need a place to stay on Monday, and I'm looking over the address book on my cell phone, but there's almost no one that I can ask without hesitancy. It's sad because I have 360 entries.

It's been 2 years since I last visited Korea. Many of my cousins probably have changed a lot. My aunt from Canada and uncle from California will probably come to attend the funeral. It will be a big reunion, but it won't be joyous. This will be my first time attending a funeral. I hope I don't have to attend another any time soon.

Grandma, RIP

I would like to believe you've had a good life. 3/7/1919-1/27/2006. Rest in peace. I shall miss you.

Kanken Level 8 and 7

I forgot to post my Kanken Level 8 results, so here goes. I took it on 10/29 last year, and I got 146/150 points, missing 3 questions.

As for Level 7 that I took on 1/18, I don't have the official results back, but I checked the answers, and I think I missed 4 questions, giving me 194/200 points.

I will shoot for Level 5 next time. I got plenty of time, but I have a feeling I won't be studying until the the last minute.

Kanken and MYC

So, I took the Kanken, Kanji Proficiency Test, Level 7 on 1/18. I studied a lot before the winter vacation but did no study at all while I was in Miyazaki. So, I only had a couple of days to review after I came back from Miyazaki before I had to take it. The review paid off, and I was able to finish the 60-minute test in 30 minutes. The teacher in charge checked my answers, and she told me I missed a few problems but did OK. The next Kanken will be in June, and it will most likely be the last one I will take before going back to America. If I study hard, I should be able to take Level 5 and pass.

I was in Sendai from 1/18 night to 1/21 for the Mid-Year Conference. This once-a-year conference gathers all JETs as well as JTEs in Miyagi for 2 days of workshops. The workshops were somewhat useful, but I thought the lecture given by Ken Schmidt, a professor at Tohoku Fukushi University, about extensive reading and its benefits was the most beneficial part of the conference. It was nice to see fellow JETs from all over Miyagi, but I wish I had hung around with them and had fun more. I've changed my personality a lot since I got into college, but I guess I'm still a shy person after all.

Happy New (Dog) Year!

Wow, it's been 3 months since I last updated my blog. Now that I think about it, I shouldn't have started this blog at all. I was pretty bad at keeping a diary when I was an elementary school kid, and I guess I can't grow out of old habits.

Well, nothing much has happened since I last wrote. I wake up at at 7, take a shower, have a light breakfast if I had bought something from the convenience store the night before, go to school, make lessons or team-teach classes or surf the Internet, study kanji for the Kanji Proficiency Test (now studying Level 7), come back home some time after 4, watch TV, eat dinner, watch TV or play PS2, and sleep. Repeat the cycle 5 days a week. Sleep past noon on weekends.

I haven't traveled much on weekends and holidays because I'm trying to save money. I went to Miyazaki for 2 weeks to spend the end of the year and greet the new year with my girlfriend's family, and the roundtrip expenses cost me about $700. Long distance relationship in Japan sucks.

I got a little more than 2 weeks until I have to make the decision to renew my contract or not. After much consideration, I have decided not to renew the contract and go back to America in August. What will I do in America? Well, if things go all right, I might be able to secure a job before I go back. If not, I will start job hunting.

Well, I guess this is enough writing for one day. Hopefully, I won't neglect the blog too long.