Chiba

Now I am in Chiba (near Tokyo). After several hours on a shinkansen (bullet train), the ofuro (personal hot tub) felt REALLY good. I am staying at a friend's house now. Tomorrow I will go with her to take her son, Rui, to school. Then we will go shopping. It's very relaxing at her house.
Though I love Osaka and the people I left there, I have a stong assurance within me that I left at the right time. I know I should be here now and not there. It's weird--I love Osaka so much, but now I am becoming more and more confident that I should be in the countryside, probably in the Kanto area.
On Friday I'll meet a bunch of the people I will be serving with for the next month or so. That's also when I move in with my long-term host family. Finally, I will have my checked bags!!! I don't have to wash clothes every 2-3 days any more!! I will have my junk!! Hoo-hah.
Japan's prime minister (Junichiro Koizumi) visited Pres. G. W. Bush in the USA the other day. My mom watched it there in English, and I here in Japanese, and we both got this much of the story: the prime minister likes Elvis. Neither of us knows why he visited our country. Nice...actually, pretty darn sad...but anyway.............
I have talked on the phone twice with my mom since I've been here and once with Daiju (last night). I'm not really homesick yet though. Just trying to get over jet-lag and missing my bf. The phone call helped with the latter, staying active with the former.
Now I am considering applying for the JET program. We'll see what God says and does...