It was decided that I’d go to India for at least a week when I found out that I’d gotten through the JET programme and since I was working till 7th June, I decided that I’d go on the 8th and come back by the 14th.
I’ve got my aunts, uncles and grandparents from my mother’s side all living in India, so I felt that it would only be right for me to visit them and get their blessings before I scooted off to Japan. It would also be a great opportunity for me to buy whatever I needed at a cheaper price than what I’d find in Singapore.
So, I notified everyone about my 1 week absence, the potential lack of internet, ended my rehearsal on 7th and rushed to pack my bags overnight. And soon, I was on my way to Chennai by Jet Airways.
Chennai was a whirlwind of surrealism.
A work in progress, “almost” city which contained pockets of rural life that continued to exist.
The cows and goats that used to roam freely on the roads were now hardly sighted.
The cars were all bigger and shinier than they were 2 years ago.
And yet, when I went to visit my grandparents, the past seemed frozen in place.
I like to think that saw 2 Chennais during this trip, but my brother would just call me a pretentious hipster.
Taken on 10th June 2014. It was his 87th Birthday.
I spent the whole time being well-fed and pampered by my aunts (mum’s 2 sisters), uncles and grandparents (mum’s parents).
No seriously, I’ve never felt like crying after drinking rasam (google it if you don’t know what it is) before.
Grandma is THAT awesome.
And who could forget the shopping?
Levi’s jeans for just SGD$50!!!!
*_* So naturally the Singaporean in me bought 2 cuz, you totally wouldn’t get that deal even at GSS.
I also ended up getting a pile of Indian Kurta tops to bring to Japan
Cuz, cultural exchange and all…
AND, I got all the Indian spices/ingredients/ready to eat stuff that I’d need for Japan.
Cuz, Indian food in Japan costs an arm and a leg.
E-MAILS
While I was busy having fun, I also started to receive e-mails/mails from just about everyone regarding the details of JET.
I’ll draw up a list of e-mails/mails to make this easier:
- Mail parcel from the BOE reached Singapore, and was collected by my mum.
This was just a hardcopy of all the info I received in the first e-mail from the BOE, so this wasn’t so nerve-wrecking. (the details about this are on my previous post if ya’ll be interested)
- E-mail from my predecessor
This was with all the crucial details filled with the who, what, when, where, whys and how much. I still haven’t digested the info yet, but it was super clear and was extremely positive. I was also asked what I’d prefer my students to call me.
- E-mail from Toyama PA
This e-mail had the same contents that was sent to me by my predecessor but also welcomed me to the Toyama JET community.
- AND this lovely welcome e-mail from my supervisor at my base senior high school.
Dear Ms. Yagnya A,
Hello! My name is XXX, working at XXX SHS in Toyama, Japan as a teacher of English language.
I will be your adviser here at XXX SHS.
I’m looking forward to working with you soon!
Perhaps we can talk in Japanese!
XXX is a local town filled with beautiful natural environment
I hope you will like it.
Will you contact XXX, the current ALT?
You can exchange a lot of information with each other.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us!
Sincerely,
XXX
Mind you, I appreciated all of this, but it didn’t prevent me from feeling a tad bit overwhelmed, excited and jittery all at the same time and I was so very lucky to have internet access for most part of my trip when I stayed with my aunt and uncle. So, I managed to send off quick replies/acknowledgements to all of them in-between all the shopping and eating.
And all too soon, the surreal dream came to an end and I boarded my flight from the newly renovated Anna airport and was back in Singapore…back to reality… and now I’ll be spending the next few days organising all the questions in my head, making lists, and drawing up a proper budget.
What a week. @_@
Iggy In Japan 
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