Hey guys and chicks!!

[Jon!]

First of all, sorry for not being around much lately... Sort of got distracted by this whole having a life thing!! All's well on this side though. I have now a new job, only in my first week of training for it but I just know I'm going to love it! I now work for a bank!! Bloody hell as if a bank would employ me! But here I am! Dealing with credit card applications and cos it's a bank there's tons of benefits involved!! It's awesome!! And because of said new job I have moved! And I now live with my gorgeous bf, the one and only kitteh. It's perfect, where I now live is beautiful, so much countryside, my neighbours are four legged equine things. My journey to and from work is an hr bus ride but honestly don't mind because of the views I get. Life's just perfect right now!

How's everyone here? How's you all 'mericans dealing wih the weather and storms? It's just raining here, almost constantly, flooding everywhere :/

[starreborn]

hey jon!

congrats on the new job, the move, and the having a life thing! sounds like you are really happy, and i'm happy for you. i'm just plugging along, and still at my job. i've been shifting around the building a bit and trying new things, and now i landed a desk job. with it being summer, it is nice to be sitting down much of the day instead of laboring in the heat.

good to hear from you!

[Soulkiss333]

Hey Jon

Good to hear from you, glad to know everything is going great for ya. Well, I left the states at the very very end of April to Japan for my school internship. The first month my bf came with me and we had 2 and 1/2 weeks before I started work/school and we explored,we went everywhere, we stay with a friend of his for that month, (who was a exchange student in Canada before). When I started the internship I was given a room with a host family but I didnt start living there until the beginning of June when my bf went back to Canada. I'm still here until the first week of August then I'm going back to Seattle. I still have some school to finish up but I wont start school up again until the end of September. I dont know if they will offer me the job here in Japan, I get along with everyone but honestly I love Japan (they are so polite and some of the nicest ppl) but I dont think I want to live here. The weather has been great, it been in the 80s and it rains a lot (warm rain) but I am from Portland and Seattle so I am used to a lot of rain. But it is so expensive here, so expensive and I love to work and stuff but everything is so serious and they work really long hours and a lot of times 6 and even 7 days a week, I need "me" time.(like the east coast vs west coast in America...the east is much more business and serious while the west coast is more laid back and fun, Japan I thought would be fun but it is more like the east coast, work, work, work). It is really conservative here too, I mean Tokyo and like Kobe, Osaka are pretty far out and crazy but the rest of Japan very formal, like men and women are barely seen in public together and they dont hold hands etc. (teenagers do). tho, japan is going thru changes they still very different culture than I am used to...like ppl live with their parents until they are marry, that is so strange to me, but it is culture here. there are "she jobs" and "he jobs" here too, which is very hard for me to get use too, like sometimes because you are a woman they just except you to get them coffee and stuff, I do it but it is culture shock for me (like I said it is changing not everyone is like that). There is also places and signs that say only Japanese allow...kinda like back in the old days (read in history books) in the US with Blacks and Whites, it is ok here but it is strange for me to see stuff like that, most of it is like gentlemen's club so I dont really care but it is strange, seem so dated.

Oh, the cars and roads are all backwards here kinda like where you live (UK). Luckily I can take the train to work but other times I have to drive and I do pretty good until I have to make a left turn...I swear I hit the windshield wipers everytime, the turn signal switch and the windshield wipers are switch on the cars here, so I go to turn left and I automatically hit the wipers instead of the blinkers and it scares the hell out of me every time and I looked like a fool too. I missed little things too, I like Japaneses' food but there is no variety of food here like in America..no Mexican, Greek, Lebanese etc., oh AND NO PICKLES IN JAPAN AT ALL. The first thing I do when I get back is eat a whole jar of dill pickles. They dont have salsa either, but I can make that pretty easy.

But I am having an awesome time and love having this opportunity to be here. I teach them a lot of American things too, they love it.(I live here before on base as a kid but that was very different.)

Anyway, that is what I have been up too. Hope to see you around or keep us inform every now and then.

[Guardian7347]

First of all, sorry for not being around much lately... Sort of got distracted by this whole having a life thing!! All's well on this side though. I have now a new job, only in my first week of training for it but I just know I'm going to love it! I now work for a bank!! Bloody hell as if a bank would employ me! But here I am! Dealing with credit card applications and cos it's a bank there's tons of benefits involved!! It's awesome!! And because of said new job I have moved! And I now live with my gorgeous bf, the one and only kitteh. It's perfect, where I now live is beautiful, so much countryside, my neighbours are four legged equine things. My journey to and from work is an hr bus ride but honestly don't mind because of the views I get. Life's just perfect right now!

How's everyone here? How's you all 'mericans dealing wih the weather and storms? It's just raining here, almost constantly, flooding everywhere :/

Good to hear from you Jon, sounds like things are all going your way for a change. Enjoy! No apologies needed for your absence, just glad you're doing so well.

[Guardian7347]

That was a TON of information in a very short amount of time! Very interesting though. I never realized you couldn't get a pickle in Japan! Of course, since I don't like pickles, that makes Japan damn near ideal for me. Sounds like you're having a wonderful time. Savor the experience, get lots of pictures, this is something you'll remember fondly when you get older.

[JessicaBunny]

hi, jon, welcome back. congrats on the great job and happy life.

[Nostalgic]

Glad all is going well for you,
New job sounds great to. But most importantly you moved in together yay congrats.

[LifeChanges]

Hi jon, so glad to here your life is working out great! I don't really know you well, but your happiness is infectious