Rumour has it ...

We're going to Japan!!!!

So Dave came over for a visit, with Japan forefront in our mind. And while we were swept away with the excitement and adventure, I have to be honest, I had my reservations.

40 minutes, by local train. It really isn't that far. Its from Artane to Monkstown! Its from the Palisades to Camp in bad traffic! Really not that far.

And I know, compared to now, 8 hrs on a flight and 4 hrs driving! Obviously this is better!

But, I dunno. It's easy to call the 'compared to now' card, but give it 7 months in Japan, it's going to be hard to call on that.

40 mins on a train? Not so far. I know! But this isn't an easy job. Not really. We're talking 8 odd hours with people, teaching them english, til 10 at night. Then getting on a train for an hour to go meet with someone equally as exhausted as you.

I know I know I know!!!! All irrational. But not what I'd hoped.

So we talked around it nicely, logically, rationally, putting forward all the pro's and con's.

Until I got drunk, and upset and cried, and said I wasn't sure. So we decided to at least query it.

We gave my recruiter a call and basically asked, not that we were saying no, not that it was a deal breaker, but what happened if we said no.

So what he said was that he was matching 3 other couples, none of who had a match, so all of those would get one before we got a second. That some people travel 40, 50, 60 minutes to work, let alone to see a partner. That in the larger scheme of things 40 minutes is good, comfortable, a good deal.

So we said yes.

So guess what?

We're going to Japan.

Dossier

So here's all the stuff about Inuyama, that's where I might be going.

Inuyama's a small city in the Aichi Province, about 30 minutes by local train outside Nagoya, the forth largest city in Japan. It has a population of about 70,000 and is known nationally and internationally for it's castle. Check out the map if, like me, you're not sure where the hell it is!

I'd be leaving on the 7th of April, to arrive on the 8th. I'd be working in a smallish school, only one other foreign teacher to support the Japanese teaching staff. Enrollment is a very diverse mix of business men, students, children and housewives.

And the catch? Dave would be 40 mins away by local train.

His school is in Kanie, a suburb of Nagoya in a small school where he's the only foreign teacher.

So stuff to think about ...

Final Answer

So I missed a call in work today from my recruiter. He left a message saying ...

"Hey Joanne, Just to let you know that we have a great placement for you but I think we need to discuss it first, so if you could call me back it'd be great."

So me, being me, I went crazy! Does that mean I got it and Dave didn't, which means they need to 'talk' to me, or does it mean we both got it and they need to just 'talk' to me???

So first thing I did was call Dave.

"Hey how are you?"
"On my way into work"
"Ok, just wondering... Any news from AEON?"
"No"
"Ok Bye"
(Hang up abrubtly!)

So did he get it and just hasn't got the phone call???? or has he not!!!!!

After 4 hours of panicing, many of them on calls to various long-suffering friends, I came home, returned his call, to find that he was on lunch! HOW DARE HE!

So spent quite a while walking around with a phone in my pocket until finally he called back.

He gives me all the information about my placement (more to follow on that one), about 15 minutes worth, all the time, in my head I'm screaming 'ARG!!!! What about DAVE!!!!'

Finally he says
"So here's some information you'll be interested in ... Daves placement"
I very cooly said of course, taking down all the information, inside dancing my crazy happy dance.

Once the phone call was done, and all the family informed, I called Dave, 'Just to say Hi' Of course!

So he tells me his recruiter has called and asked him to call back when he can take notes. Playing dumb I agree that sounds promising and he tells me he'll call as soon as he's done! Hee hee! Got off the phone and giggled like a little girl!

When he does phone back his first words were 'You BRAT!'. Hee hee.

So now we just have to work out if this is the best placement for us!