For months, I've been racking my brain to figure out what to do with the nice, expensive new desktop computer I bought just a couple months before I was offered this position in Japan. Everyone I talked to recommended against trying to take it with me, but what else could I do? There was no way I could afford to also buy a new laptop and leave the desktop behind collecting dust. Even if I tried to sell it, I'd almost certainly lose money in the process, and I couldn't afford that either.
On Friday night, I finally put the pieces together. My sister, Jessica, has been planning to upgrade her computer for a while, but it had been so long since her last upgrade that she was having trouble figuring out what to buy. Suddenly, it all made sense: sell my desktop and monitor to Jessica, and use the money to buy a laptop. She gets a high-quality computer without having to do all the research and setup, and I can can sink the money into a computer that will be much better suited for my life in Japan.
I really wish I had thought of this sooner, but I am immensely lucky that A) Jessica procrastinated so long on buying a computer and B) she was amenable to the idea and willing to pay me almost full price for a used computer and monitor. Sometimes things just work out for the best :)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
AEON Position Details
For the curious, here's some more information and details about my upcoming posting in Japan:
School:
AEON Iwaki
Iwaki city, Fukushima Prefecture
'A' school (adults only; 'B' schools teach both adults and kids)
Depart: Monday, April 4, 2011
Arrive: Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Arrive at: Narita airport in Tokyo
Contract dates: April 6, 2011 to April 18, 2012 (with the possibility of renewal six months in)
Training: April 6, 2011 to April 15, 2011 at AEON East Japan at Saitama
Iwaki is a temperate, medium-sized city with a population of roughly 344,000, and is 190 km Northeast of Tokyo. The school is fairly small, with one head teacher, two part-time Japanese teachers and two foreign teachers (myself included.) It has around 225 students, mostly business people and high school students. I would be teaching six classes a day, 30 classes a week, with an overall workweek of 38 hours. A large portion of my classes would be private lessons and company lessons, where I would go to a company's office/headquarters to teach instead of their employees coming to me.
If anyone has any more questions for me, feel free to ask! I may not have an answer for you yet, but I'll do what I can :-)
School:
AEON Iwaki
Iwaki city, Fukushima Prefecture
'A' school (adults only; 'B' schools teach both adults and kids)
Depart: Monday, April 4, 2011
Arrive: Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Arrive at: Narita airport in Tokyo
Contract dates: April 6, 2011 to April 18, 2012 (with the possibility of renewal six months in)
Training: April 6, 2011 to April 15, 2011 at AEON East Japan at Saitama
Iwaki is a temperate, medium-sized city with a population of roughly 344,000, and is 190 km Northeast of Tokyo. The school is fairly small, with one head teacher, two part-time Japanese teachers and two foreign teachers (myself included.) It has around 225 students, mostly business people and high school students. I would be teaching six classes a day, 30 classes a week, with an overall workweek of 38 hours. A large portion of my classes would be private lessons and company lessons, where I would go to a company's office/headquarters to teach instead of their employees coming to me.
If anyone has any more questions for me, feel free to ask! I may not have an answer for you yet, but I'll do what I can :-)
Monday, January 24, 2011
School Address and Current Contact Info
Below is the address for the branch school I'll be working at in Japan. Apparently, I can receive all my mail and packages at this address, so I'm free to share it with my family and friends.
AEON Iwaki Latov
Latov 3F
Taira Aza Tamachi 120
Iwaki Fukushima 970-8026
Japan
I'll have to get a new phone that will work on Japan's cell network when I get there, so my correct phone number of 415-385-3870 will no longer work come April. I can always be reached at either of my two email addresses, risingnova20xx@yahoo.com (personal) or mperrett@mattperrett.com (business.) I also have a Skype profile (writermattperrett,) so there should be no shortage of ways to get ahold of me before and after I leave :)
AEON Iwaki Latov
Latov 3F
Taira Aza Tamachi 120
Iwaki Fukushima 970-8026
Japan
I'll have to get a new phone that will work on Japan's cell network when I get there, so my correct phone number of 415-385-3870 will no longer work come April. I can always be reached at either of my two email addresses, risingnova20xx@yahoo.com (personal) or mperrett@mattperrett.com (business.) I also have a Skype profile (writermattperrett,) so there should be no shortage of ways to get ahold of me before and after I leave :)
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Blog Created!
Welcome to my blog! For the unaware, I'll be teaching conversational English in Japan for a company named AEON. I leave April 4th, and will be overseas for (at least) a year. My school is in Iwaki, Fukushima, about 190 km northeast of Tokyo.
Before I go, I hope to use this site to talk about some of the crazy preparation I'll have to do to actually get over there. Once I'm there, I can actually start writing about what I see and do in Japan :)
For privacy reasons, AEON doesn't want me to post names or pictures of the students or faculty. Regardless, I know I'll have a ton to talk about either way! If anyone has any questions about anything, please let me know and I'll answer as best I can!
Before I go, I hope to use this site to talk about some of the crazy preparation I'll have to do to actually get over there. Once I'm there, I can actually start writing about what I see and do in Japan :)
For privacy reasons, AEON doesn't want me to post names or pictures of the students or faculty. Regardless, I know I'll have a ton to talk about either way! If anyone has any questions about anything, please let me know and I'll answer as best I can!
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