1 WEEK!!!

Well, I know I haven't posted in a while. I'm sorry. As I'm sure you can imagine things have been pretty hectic. I started a couple posts but ended up getting interrupted and never finished them. Thanks for the comments and emails that people have sent me. I'm sorry about not getting back. I will when I get a chance, which may not come soon.

Unfortunately, part of what I'm running around doing is outside what you would expect with moving halfway around the world. One was a little bump that I'm not letting myself worry about though it won't be resolved completely until about September. I don't want to go into details on that. The other thing is a bit more recent. I've had a heart condition from birth. It's always required monitoring but has never required any restrictions. Well basically, I made the JET folks aware of it as part of the application is a medical background. They don't want to send someone over who will drop dead or not be able to receive the medical treatment they need. That's not the case for me, but apparently hearing "heart condition" and possible follow-up in Japan, freaked out some officials in Tokyo. I guess that's understandable. But really, the worst case scenario is that I would need surgery in a few years. Get that... a few YEARS. And most likely it would be a procedure that could be done laproscopically for which I could be an outpatient. In and out in the same day. So they wanted a note from my doctor that said I would be able to travel to Japan. I got one and it wasn't enough. They needed to know specifics and if they thought I would not be able to receive treatment if needed, that I would not be allowed to go to Japan.

So I'm freaking out now. I just faxed a bunch of stuff to the consulate and I'm crossing my fingers that it's adequate to allay any fears the JET Programme has about my going to Japan. I had the doctor specify that I could go for a year and get the follow up after I come back and that only if I stay for more than a year that I would need a check up in Japan that would be part of any normal cardiac check up. I even wrote my own personal letter detailing my heart history and my active lifestyle (soccer, running, the half-marathon I did) and how I've never had restrictions etc. I also included links to a hospital in Kagawa, my hopefully soon-to-be home prefecture, that has a cardiology department and cardiovascular surgery capabilities. This would go above and beyond my needs in Japan with regards to a simple check up. I also included a link to an article about the type of test that would need to be done during my check up, an echocardiogram. Which is a typical test for cardiology. I think the JET coordinator at the consulate had already left for the weekend, so I now have to wait until Monday to even hear from her, let alone her getting it faxed to Tokyo and hearing back from them. It might not be until Wednesday and I'm supposed to leave on Saturday!!!!!!!

I'm trying to stay positive and hopeful. But I have this feeling of dread that keeps coming back. And I'm supposed to be celebrating my departure with friends in the next days and it's like, am I really going anywhere? And after next Friday, if I don't get to go, I will no longer have an income and I will be officially unemployed, with no real backup plan. I mean I just checked out the teachgeorgia site and there are French positions available in Georgia, but I gave up my job at Cherokee. I don't really want to work at another high school. I wouldn't have given up my position at CHS if I hadn't felt strongly about being on this JET Programme. It's like... hey, you're going to Japan...... psych! Gotcha. Except it's not really funny.

So hope, pray, sing, cross your fingers, do interpretive dances... whatever it is you do so that I can get to Japan!