A Picture's Worth

I just booked flights [English: across the ditch / Japanese: to Christchurch] this weekend so Pukamon and I can help our old roommate's school's Student Volunteer Army with some earthquake recovery. Doing something to help out somewhere feels better than standing around the deli worrying about y'all, and while I can't afford a flight to Japan, I can afford to get to NZ. Besides, we can actually be useful there. In Japan we'd just get in the way.

Some of my high school and Disney friends have been evacuating south or even overseas. I really wish my host family would leave, but kaasan's a nurse and tousan and neesan won't leave her.

Talking to some of my Japanese friends who are still in Florida is like Brisbane all over again: They know their family's okay but they're still really worried about them, and their parents are telling them to stay in America. One girl's family's getting out and using this as an opportunity to visit her at Disney, though, which must be nice for the little brother who doesn't really know what's going on.

(OOC: Translation note: Ash uses the Japanese honorifics for his host family even in English. It's a way for him to differentiate his host family from his natural family.)

I mentioned at the start of the month that I'd applied for something pretty big. That something was seasonal status here at Disney, which would mean I could come back and work here during peak periods/when I'm available and I'd need to work a certain number of hours per year to still be a cast member, and the Company would help out with the visa again. There'd also be a bit of a pay bump from being a CP [an intern].

I got it!!

It's incredibly rare for ICPs [international interns] to change status without, like, a green card, so I'm really surprised. I wonder if telling my managers I was transferring to a school in Ohio all those months ago helped... I get to keep my job, my Disney Difference, and I can come back into the States on my breaks to escape winter visit all you American Chosen!

And my parents told me that for Christmas they'd joined forces with my host parents to pay for my flights to and Japan after my Program. Get ready, Tokyo. We're coming back!!

And one of my best friends in this country is here visiting for the next few days.

Best. Week. Ever.

(Says the guy with no weekend this week, opening Christmas Day with what's expected to be park capacity crowds. But I don't even care about that right now!)

(OOC: Strikes just for show; bits in [brackets] are what Ash uses instead of "CP" and "ICP" in his Japanese translation. English speakers, for once, get the shorter straw, ie. fun with acronyms. Ash uses jisha for "the Company", which is a neutral "our own company".)