In preparation...

All right, here goes. My first official blogging experience has begun. I'm setting this up as part of my FMF (Fulbright Memorial Fund) follow-on plan. The FMF Teacher Program is an award which allows "distinguished" educators and administrators in the US to travel to Japan for 3 weeks in an effort to "promote greater intercultural understanding" between the two nations. I was chosen to participate in the November 2004 program and I'm getting really excited about it!

Yesterday I received my newest Japan book from Amazon.com. It is quite amazing. Little Adventures in Tokyo: 39 Thrills for the Urban Explorer, by Rick Kennedy. It's got all sorts of out-of-the-way adventures for those with some free time to spare there. So excited am I. I accidentally left one of my current Japan reads at my sister's house over the weekend (36 Views of Mt. Fuji, Cathy Davidson), so the arrival of Mr. Kennedy's book was quite timely.

The Japanese self-instruction is (very) slowly coming along; I'm still pretty much only up to, "Dentoo wa doko desu ka? Dentoo wa soko desu." [where is the light? there is the light.] I'm not sure how useful it will be that I can answer my own questions, nor how often I'll be seeking the light in Nihon, but whatever. I can also count to 20. Watch out.