Author: Oggy (Page 18 of 29)

Time flies when you’re having fun.  I’ve been here for ten months now. I still love it. My job is very rewarding.  I never realzed how much I would love teaching before I came to Japan. The culture is vibrant. Even though Koriyama is a little town, I get to see many beautiful festivals and events.

I srptill can’t get used to the earthquakes, though.  We get some small ones everyday, and occasionally the big-ish one.  We haven’t had anything like the one on March 11 though.

So I just finished moving into the new apartments, and finally away from the old one.  One of the reasons I left is because the owner hadn’t done any repairs to the building since the big earthquake, and the building looked like it was about to fall down. Just my luck, they start to repair the place the day after I finish moving.

I’ve also recently taken up Java programming, or rather, studying Java.  I figure it will be an easy way to supplement my income, and help pay my student loans.  It will be a while before I can start putting the skills in action. First, Java, then I have to learn the Android system. Maybe a couple months before I know enough to publish a simple app.

Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know I’m still doing well, and I still miss everyone.  Im looking for wad to my visit later in the year.

So, it’s been a while since I posted.

So much has happened.

As you probably already know, there was a big earthquake on March 11 followed by some pretty crazy reactor problems about 40 miles away. I spent some time in other places (Niigata and Tokyo), then came back to Koriyama.

I got everything cleaned up at the apartment, but the damage was still pretty crazy. I’ve also been following the news very closely to make sure that Koriyama is actually safe for living. So far, everything looks good.

So, the last month, in short:

Been working like crazy. One of my coworkers went to Canada for a month, so we had to cover for her, and then another quit. We also had two part timers that went back to the states.

Started researching programming in Java. The reason I want to do this is because if I can figure out how to do it, I may be able to make a few extra bucks designing apps for Android.

Went to the colored ponds here (they’re mostly green and blue, but they’re really beautiful). It was an awesome trip, and for a nice day of hiking, the cost to travel was really cheap.

Went skydiving. My friend had his 30th birthday party, and decided to do a week of festivities. Since I have to work, I was only able to go skydiving with him, but this summer, I’m hoping to do many more crazy things.

Moved to a new apartment. The old one was a wreck. I’m sure it was structurally sound… but I still didn’t want to trust it. Plus, now I’m going to be able to save a lot more money =)

So, when I type it out in short, it doesn’t look like a lot, but it really has been keeping me busy…

FYI – Since I just moved, I don’t have a reliable internet connection. I had to jailbreak my iPhone so that I can tether it to my compy. It’s really slow though. I should be getting fiber in a couple weeks, so I’ll be able to make any phone calls or whatever then.

[Pictures Added]

Well, I’m back in Koriyama now. Now I get to spend the next couple days cleaning and trying to get everything back to normal.

I’ll post more later.

Hey everyone. I know it’s been a few days. I’m sure everyone’s waiting patiently for me to say that I’m coming back to Tulsa, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be happening.

I’ve been following every little bit of news that I can get, and from what I can tell, there’s no immediate threat here in Tokyo, or even in Koriyama. Radiation levels are higher than normal, but they are still well within healthy limits. I am planning on staying in Tokyo until Sunday, and if my managers are still planning to open the office on Monday, go back to Koriyama. If the managers decide to postpone opening the office, I may stay in Tokyo for a few more days. As it stands though, many of our clients are going back to work, so that means, that we will too (assuming the area still remains safe).

From what I have been reading and watching on TV, there are a number of things to be careful of, but as long as I’m cautious, there won’t be any problems. For instance, don’t eat spinach or drink milk that came from Fukushima. I’ve decided that since I can’t read much kanji, I’ll just refrain from consuming any spinach and milk.
Don’t go swimming in the ocean near the reactor. Yeah, this one is a joke, but the reactor area is the only place that the radiation levels have reached dangerous levels.
Drink bottled drinks. There have been trace amounts of radioactive material found in the tap water. While it’s not enough to be harmful, I figured I’d just drink from bottles to be safe.

So those are just a few of the things. I’m also staying indoors most of the time. This has gotten me a little stir-crazy, but I figure it’s best to be safe.

Hope everyone is enjoying the Oklahoma weather. And don’t worry about me too much. I’m doing great!!!

The title is a little misleading. I don’t know if I am coming back to the states yet, but here’s the gist of what’s going on.

Tonight, I’m taking a train to Tokyo. I will be there until Monday. At that point, I will decide whether to stay in Japan, or to come back to the states, depending on how everything plays out.

If things stay the same or get worse, I will probably be coming back to the states. If it gets better, then I may go south to Osaka. The few days in Tokyo will give me time to get all my things in order, and make sure that I can get back into Japan.

I’ll try to keep this site updated as everything happens.

Wish me luck!!!