When You Wander

I’ve been patiently awaiting my housing placement in Osaka and last night I finally got some news! Good or bad? You can decide.

To back up a little bit, ECC allows you to send them your housing placement preferences. For me, I requested to be in Osaka and in a private apartment. Well, I am 1 for 2.

I have officially been placed in Osaka near the Daikokucho Station! This seems to be a very “happening” area with plenty of shopping, restaurants, attractions, and nightlife! It is also within a 25-minute walk of Dotonbori, which is probably the most famous nightlife area in Osaka. Additionally, I am only a 45-minute train ride from Kyoto and Kobe. 🙂

Now for the apartment itself. Looks like I will be having 4 to 5 roommates! My initial reactions? “Whoa. Holy Cow. Only one shower? I haven’t had roommates in years, oh man, oh man.”

And then, “Alright, I got this. Instant friends! People to explore with! The place looks nice and it’s cheaper, too! Cool!”

I can’t say I was expecting to be placed in a shared house, however, the timing of my arrival in Japan had me subconsciously preparing for anything. You see, the school year runs from April to March. As I am arriving in February, I anticipated there might not be MANY private, vacant apartments. What I didn’t realize was that there were actually ZERO private, vacant apartments. So shared housing it is! At least for a few months. When April comes, some teachers will choose not to renew their contracts, so I may be able to move into a private apartment at that time. Worst case, I can move June 30th, which is when my contract allows me to move without any penalties.

But back to my shared place! I’m really looking forward to meeting my new housemates. They all work for ECC and two of the girls are starting their training the week before me, on February 2nd, so it will be nice to chat with them to get an idea of what to expect for the start of my training. 🙂 Even though the placement did not go quite as I expected, I’m actually glad it worked out the way that it did!

Below are some photos of my future home.