I don't have my visa. My flight isn't booked. I'm not completely packed.
Stress? What stress? Actually, it's not all that bad. I am mostly packed, I just have to clean up and pack away what I'm not bringing. The visa and the flight may be causing a small amount of anxiety, though.
I went to Vancouver on Wednesday of last week to apply for my visa. I picked up what I needed from the coop office on Wednesday, but didn't have time to get to the Japanese Consulate. That's okay, though, because I was planning to stay the night anyway. In the morning, I got to the Japanese Consulate only to discover that it was very closed. Apparently the 2nd and 3rd are national holidays in Japan. So my trip to Vancouver was extended by a day. I was more than a little frustrated and stressed out, so I found a downtown coffee shop and made a list of the infinite things I had to do, and picked out which I could do in Vancouver. I spent a lovely four hours at Metrotown, shopping and picking things up. It was actually quite successful, and I accomplished a lot. The next morning, I applied for my visa with no problems. It should be ready to pick up on Tuesday.
My flight is an entirely different matter. The 14th is also a holiday in Japan. (I'm quite excited about the amount of holidays they seem to have....travel!!). My coop coordinator wants to check with my supervisor which day (13th, 14th, 15th) is best for him to pick me up and for me to get to the dormitory. Unfortunately, Japan is a day ahead, so this has to wait until Sunday night (Monday's work day in Japan). As soon as I hear from my supervisor, I am going to book my flight. I also still need to get health insurance, which I plan to do tomorrow.
All in all, things are coming together, but there's still a lot to be worked out. I am sad about leaving Canada & everyone I know here, but I'm not nervous about Japan (is that wierd?) - just excited. Thanks to anyone & everyone who keeps reading my ramblings... I'll post again when I have a flight and a visa!
Showing posts with label Pre-trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pre-trip. Show all posts
Monday, January 7
Thursday, December 27
T minus 19 days...
I leave in 19 days...and I'm not ready!
I received an email today from my supervisor asking if I have received my CoE. He got it on December 17th and sent it to the coop office in Vancouver on December 18th - it should have arrived on December 20th or 21st. I did call my coop coordinator on the 21st, but haven't heard back from her yet. I think she was gone for holidays...the coop office is closed December 24th -January 1st, so I'm going to call on the 2nd! I emailed my supervisor back and asked if he could tell me the dates on the CoE, because then I can book my flight.
That was the third email I've gotten from my supervisor. Judging by his emails, his English is very good - which will be extremely helpful! He told me a bit about two projects I may be working on, but told me that ultimately, what I don't know about the projects, the theory behind them, or the programs I will be using doesn't matter. He said the important things are: a) To have a mind to learn new things, b) To have a strong will to complete something as a professional.
The projects both involve Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer....3 guesses as to what my most difficult course last year was.... (Thermo!!).
My sister got me a 'Japanese Phrases for Dummies' book for Christmas, and I've started reading through it and trying to connect what I'm learning to every day stuff so I can remember it. I feel like I'm learning it very slowly, but I think I know more than I think I do. Hopefully it will start to come easier when I'm there!
I've got a list of 'to dos' and 'to buys' and 'to sees' before I go, and I'm working through it. There isn't as much to do as I thought, but there is less time than I thought! It was difficult to leave the Elk Valley, and as nice as it is to be back in Kelowna for a bit, I miss everyone and everything there, already!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year... I'll post again when there's something new (hopefully my CoE and a booked flight!) :)
I received an email today from my supervisor asking if I have received my CoE. He got it on December 17th and sent it to the coop office in Vancouver on December 18th - it should have arrived on December 20th or 21st. I did call my coop coordinator on the 21st, but haven't heard back from her yet. I think she was gone for holidays...the coop office is closed December 24th -January 1st, so I'm going to call on the 2nd! I emailed my supervisor back and asked if he could tell me the dates on the CoE, because then I can book my flight.
That was the third email I've gotten from my supervisor. Judging by his emails, his English is very good - which will be extremely helpful! He told me a bit about two projects I may be working on, but told me that ultimately, what I don't know about the projects, the theory behind them, or the programs I will be using doesn't matter. He said the important things are: a) To have a mind to learn new things, b) To have a strong will to complete something as a professional.
The projects both involve Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer....3 guesses as to what my most difficult course last year was.... (Thermo!!).
My sister got me a 'Japanese Phrases for Dummies' book for Christmas, and I've started reading through it and trying to connect what I'm learning to every day stuff so I can remember it. I feel like I'm learning it very slowly, but I think I know more than I think I do. Hopefully it will start to come easier when I'm there!
I've got a list of 'to dos' and 'to buys' and 'to sees' before I go, and I'm working through it. There isn't as much to do as I thought, but there is less time than I thought! It was difficult to leave the Elk Valley, and as nice as it is to be back in Kelowna for a bit, I miss everyone and everything there, already!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year... I'll post again when there's something new (hopefully my CoE and a booked flight!) :)
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