Being a Ronin part IV

Time: Definitely Sunday morning
Music: Pink Floyd... The gunners dream


What the hell does all this have to do with a Ronin?  It has more to do with my hopping from job to job, and it seems to describe my past hops pretty well.  Finally here is the final repost, and it was when I was in the process of waiting for a position at NOVA.

Presque isle in Marquette, Michigan.  My favorite place in the world

The time has almost come for me to move out of my apartment. I am not sure if I am going to miss this place, or if I just hate moving. Its probably a little bit of both. I have sold lots of things that I can’t take with me; Mostly hobby things. Its so hard to get all of this money together to leave, but it seems like it would be worth it. NOVA has a deal for a one way ticket to Japan for about $870. I wish I knew where they where going to have me assigned, but all I know, is that it will be somewhere in the Kanto region. Originally, when asked what cities I wanted to live in, I put down: Kyoto, Chiba, Yokohama, and Tokyo. I am hoping for Chiba, since I hear its more countryside than city, and that is what I like. My first choice was Kyoto, but the recruiter said that he had openings in every school except in Hokkaido, Okinawa, and Kyoto. My money is that I will be placed in Chiba. I hate guessing though.
What do you think I am doing in this 3 month interim between jobs? After that hell on Earth I went through,  I am officially on a 3 month vacation. Its hard for me to describe, but working at the SC home for boys was like being alone in the dark for 2 years. The sky always seemed to be gray, I slept too much, and I did not want to ever do anything. Believe it or not, but most of the time on my days off where spent worrying about going back to work. After quitting, and being gone from work for about a week, it felt like the blood in my veins started circulating again. I felt alive again.
I responded in about a few days after being accepted by NOVA, and officially took the position. I mailed them the proper documentation, and within a few weeks, they sent me a package on what region they will have me work in, what to bring, so on and so forth. They also told me that they have shipped my documentation to Japan, and I should get everything in order about 2 to 3 weeks before I actually leave. I should be practicing my Katakana and Hiragana, but I have been incredibly lazy.
One of the things I have planned is to go up to the upper peninsula of Michigan. My father grew up there, and I went to college there for 2 years. I used to go there every summer when I was a kid, for the fourth of July. I am glad that I am going to get this chance to go, because word is, that my grandfather has just gotten lung cancer and my grandmother is going blind. My grandparents are perhaps the most stubborn people I know though. I heard my grandmother couldnt see well enough to cut her own food, but she drove to church on Sunday. Stubborn....
Life in the Upper Peninsula (UP) is almost ritualized, especially during the month of July. The UP is part of disappearing America, the town Ishpeming in particular, where my Grandparents live. Every friday the VFW has a fish fry, which is very popular, and is actually a big draw. The morning of the 4th of July there is that small town parade that my grandfather adores, and then that night there are fireworks. The only problem is that it doesnt get dark in the UP until 11pm that time of year.

All things considered... I am glad that I got my last chance to say goodbye.

Post script 2011...  My grandfather did pass away shortly after I had left for Japan.