Two Years Ago Today...

Today is the two year anniversary of my first arrival in Japan. And it's been an incredible two years.

And, actually, it's been an incredible day today! It's been a bit of a turn-around. After things have been going badly for the past couple of months, particularly money-wise, I got two very good pieces of news!

Firstly, I was in the library at ICU doing some work before I met Rei and A-chan because they were going to help me with some Japanese work. I randomly checked my Leeds University email address and I saw that there was an email from ICU about the three-month JASSO scholarship I'd applied for!

I was really expecting it to be "Dear Mr Davies. We are regret to inform you...", but it was the complete opposite! I'm going to get the Y80,000 for the next three months!! And on top of that, there's an Y80,000 settling-in payment, even though I settled in nearly five months ago! That's over £2,000 in total!

I was so overjoyed that I could get that money! And my next loan installment comes in on 11th January so I'll be fine for money for a while!

And then, Rei, A-chan and I were just chatting after they'd helped me, when I got a phone call. And it was Gaba offering me an interview! They had some follow-up questions, like why did I leave Gaba in 2008, and what kind of visa am I on now, and when does it expire etc.

So I'll go for my interview on Tuesday, and hopefully it will be okay! If I'm successful, the contract signing session is on Friday, and then the three days of Certification (teacher training), which I've done before, are Saturday 16th to Monday. So if I get through, I'll have to miss one day of University, but I think it's worth it for a job!

I'm so happy now! It's been an amazing day, where things have done a complete 180 and I'm feeling much better in myself. I think I need a celebration of some kind, so this weekend will be the perfect time for that!