do i need to know japanese?

I spent some time Friday night at Borders looking at language books for Japanese, and I think that learning the language would be an incredible feat for me, something I'd love to accomplish, and something I'm deathly afraid to take on. It looks like it'll be a huge amount of work, and I don't even really know where to begin...except, how could I forget...Google! I think there may even be a Japanese language center in Providence, perhaps even right down the road from my place...must give it a look-see.

the cameras I may take to Japan...

I'm headed to the other side of the world, a place I've never seen, and I want to return with some really amazing images. I already own a Nikon F100, which I took to Peru and returned with some amazing photos, both color and black and white. But while in Japan I'll have internet access, and I'd love to be able to post photos while I'm there. On top of that, photo processing is incredibly expensive, and until now there hasn't been a digital camera with controls similar enough to my beloved F100, not even the D100. Until November of 2005 that is. Oh yes, in 11/05, the world changed. It changed to the tune of 10.2 megapixels. To the tune of 5fps for up to 37 jpeg images. Oh yes. And the name of the beast is the Nikon D200. Everyone has a dream, and at present, this is mine. One reason why I'm using blogger rather than setting up my own site...saving every penny to try and make this happen.

very first post

It's always a big thing, the very first post that goes up on a new blog. Today is Friday March 24th. On Tuesday, the 21st, I received a letter in the mail, return address to the Japanese government, informing me that I'd been selected to participate in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program. I'll be leaving for Japan on October 1st, spending time in Tokyo and a host city, meeting with teachers, government officials, locals, visiting schools, and learning about Japanese culture. I also hope to return with a photo gallery of my travels (I will in fact, only the camera to be used is in question).

I am thrilled to say the least. I (almost) cannot believe that I've been selected for this. I know my application materials were strong, I know that I have the ability to write convincingly of my strengths for things like this, but still...I'm pumped.