FINALLY!

I finally heard from my predecessor! He lives in a 3 room apartment (bedroom, kitchen, and sitting room) near the school, train station, and city hall. The location is good and he said the apartment is in good condition.

Now for the bad news. He's moving to Kyoto when his contract ends and he's taking just about EVERYTHING with him. Seriously, everything. He said he would leave me the gas stove, ac unit, and a couple futons. This means I will be without a fridge, microwave, washer, and many other things I consider necessary. He even suggested I buy my meals from the convenience store until I procure these furnishings.

I have emailed the Nara BoE asking for help, but I'm not holding my breath. The good news is that my pred is trying to negotiate with the apt's owner so I won't have to pay key money. If I can avoid key money, then I can put my funds towards buying stuff for the apartment, so I really hope that works out.

Some of the Nara JETs have been incredibly helpful in offering advice given my situation. One JET is even offering a ton of free stuff because she is moving to another place soon. It's good that I know all of this now, because I would have FREAKED OUT upon arrival in my town.

I told my pred to alert the school that I know no Japanese so no one is confused when I arrive. He is even going to tell the other English teachers about my accommodations so they are prepared to help out.

Well, this update has mostly consisted of my living situation, the next post should be about my working situation.