Oops.

Well, I somehow got it into my head that I was leaving August 20th, but now, looking over all my paperwork, it's actually the 30th. Which makes much more sense considering the dates they gave us for when classes and Nanzan orientation starts, and stuff.

I already emailed work, though, and told them I'd have to stop working August 9th (family reunion from the 10th-15th and I figured I'd need the three or four days in the middle there to pack).  So now I'm like should email them back and say 'oh wait I was wrong' and use my unpaid vacation days for the family reunion and work the week after it because because I probably need money... Or just wimp out and take less time working at a lousy workplace.
It's almost two whole weeks... I should email them and tell them I made a mistake. 
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Okay, so that's done and hopefully no one at work will be mad at me.  I just hope this job won't be miserable.  More money = good. 
Now I just need to change the date I wrote on one form and take it to FedEx to overnight mail it to IES's office in Chicago.
Then tomorrow I'm getting a physical and mailing that form in. 
Yesterday I started looking at all the kanji I need to know for my placement test, and it's not as many as I thought it would be.  Mostly review, which makes sense, since they use the same textbook as we do for the first two classes. 
I also called the consulate in Chicago and asked about how to go about applying for a visa and it's actually much simpler than I thought it would be, which is always nice.  Too bad I won't be able to do that until a few weeks before I actually leave, when I get my Certificate of Eligibility in the mail.
So. Business.  Getting taken care of, slowly but surely.

It's official!

I got an email from IES today saying I am officially accepted by Nanzan University!  They also extended the deadline for some of the forms (which should be on their way to my mailbox at home).  Phew.  Relief.

Now that I don't have to worry about that until I'm home, it's time to conquer finals!

First post!

Hey, guess what? I'm procrastinating so I started a study abroad blog! Sound familiar?  If your name is Julie or Jackie, it should, since you goofy fools inspired me to start this thing right now when I should be studying.

It's Sunday night of finals week.  In exactly one week I'll be sitting at home, probably freaking out about Japan.  So what I should be doing right now is working on two of my take home exams due on Wednesday and Thursday, or studying for my Russian or Japanese language exams.

But what am I doing instead?  Blogging! :D
I went over to my Japanese professor's house this afternoon for a class party.  We made sukiyaki.  Super out of season, since it's a winter dish and right now it's mid-May, but it was so chilly this morning that I don't think anyone cared.  It was delicious -- nothing like that time my mom found some recipe for "sukiyaki" somewhere and it was overly sweet or missing some ingredients or something.  I just remember it tasting icky.
Anyway, Shigeta-sensei's mom's recipe didn't have noodles or anything like you see in pics, but it was quite good! I'm getting used to the Japanese habit of eating things with raw egg, and my stomach doesn't seem to have rejected me yet!  But that doesn't surprise me.  I don't think I have a very sensitive stomach.

Anyway at this sukiyaki party I talked with a girl in my class who went on my program last semester and got all excited, which is why I ended up starting this blog today instead of, you know, doing anything really productive.

So, here's the basic info:
Where I'm going: Nagoya, Japan
What program: IES Abroad Nagoya
What school I'm studying at: Nanzan University
When I'm leaving: August 30

I still haven't received any of my packet of information from Nanzan yet, and it has medical forms that IES wants me to mail in by June 1. UGH.  GET ON IT, GUYS.  It better come this week because I have doctors' appointments all lined up next week for my physical and such.

I also still need to get my visa and buy my plane tickets!  But I shouldn't be worrying about that until I'm done with my finals, probably...

Oh, by the way, takoyakipan, from the URL of this blog, just comes from takoyaki bread.  Basically, takoyaki in a bun.  It's delicious.  I bought it at Mitsuwa that one time I was in Chicago and bought things at Mitsuwa (boy would I love to go back there.) It doesn't have anything in particular to do with Nagoya, it's just Japanese food and I needed a name.