CROSSED COUNTRY

After a week of cross-country driving, I am safely back in Urbana, Illinois (where I got my PhD). I left Arizona Sunday June 7 and pulled into Urbana Thursday the 11th. Japanese classes and ESL teaching start tomorrow, June 15.

The "reasonable" thing to do would have been to stay the summer in Tempe in my apartment, continuing to teach at ASU part-time and taking Japanese at the local community college, but in the end I just couldn't.

After a year of no personal life, working robotically at ASU, the last thing I needed was to continue the dryness for another two months. Back in Urbana I have old friends, a welcoming church, and the best margaritas east or west of the Mississippi!

Everything fell into place to come back here: an old colleague at Parkland College, the community college where I taught off and on from 1996-2001 said she'd be happy to slot me in for an ESL class to earn some money while here, and the University of Illinois offered intensive beginning Japanese, whereas ASU didn't for some odd reason. I'll be plenty busy but should have a life - and friends - outside of work for a change. Which will be good social prep for leaving again for Japan the end of August (no set date yet).

Re: Japan

Still no contract, but it's 99.9% there. The Language Center Senate for Kwansei Gakuin U. met May 28 and voted on my candidacy; I passed unanimously. June 15, the admin is supposed to finally ok my hire (probably just a financial consideration for them - is there budget for it?). They've already emailed to ask about my housing preferences (they apparently have foreign professor apartments a short walk from campus) and details for getting my work visa started.

But ever cautious, I haven't stopped my other application process with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals across the fence from Dhahran, where I grew up. Following my telephone interview June 6, they are recommending me for a job offer from their admin. It's a bit dicey since I don't want to waste their time on me being set on Japan, but it would be careless to decline a solid job offer before I know for sure I've been ok'ed in Japan. I would kick myself if I emailed KFU to say 'thanks but no thanks' and then found out there was a last-minute glitch and there would be no contract with Japan. Hopefully, I can hold KFU off for a few more days till I hear for sure from Kwansei Gakuin. Hate to do it, but I can't afford to lose TWO solid jobs after resigning from ASU in May. "All you need is one," I keep telling myself ...