I'm going to build a settlement...

I apologize for my absence from this blog. My excuse: in my busyness with work, church, and moving, I haven't had the chance to sit down and write for a while. So while I have a few hours this evening, here's a quick rundown supplemented with pictures:

1. Work

Work has been keeping me fairly busy as I try to learn a new job. Around the 20th of this month, I'll enter into a shiftwork schedule, which means odd hours, weird weekends, and hopefully some travelling during the time I have off! My commute is an hour door-to-door. I walk for 10 min to the train station and spend 30 min on the train before I make the 15 min walk to work. I've never been a huge fan of long commutes, but a brisk walk and a half hour train ride have proven to be a great way to start my day. I walk out the morning grogginess and even get a guaranteed half hour in the Word before and after every work day!

The city life is proving to not be so ill-suited to me!

2. Church

I've been attending a great little church called Jesus Lifehouse and have been meeting plenty of like-minded, similarly-impassioned, and musically gifted people! There are two services on Sunday at 12 and 3, and a service on Tuesday at 7pm. (I try to go to all three because different people attend each one!) The sermons are given in English with a Japanese translator, and the worship songs have been translated so half of each song is in Japanese, which is really cool to be a part of and does a great job of welcoming nationals and foreigners alike. About half of the church is composed of Japanese nationals, while the rest is from...well...everywhere else. I'm meeting people from New Zealand,  Australia, China, Taiwan, France, Brazil, and many from America. Everyone is, of course, very friendly and inviting; I've been having a great adventure so far getting to know these fun and Jesus-loving people that God has put in my life. I'm humbled and grateful for meeting new friends so quickly on the other side of the world. God knows I'd be very lonely without them and I know there's no way I wouldn't be having conversations with my desk lamp if it wasn't for their company.

3. The Move

...is finished as of yesterday!

Last night, I cut and tied up the rest of my moving boxes, which signified the end of my moving adventure. It feels so good to finally have a place to call home, a bed to sleep in, and a kitchen in which to cook some bachelor-dinners. I just took a couple panoramic photos to share with you. I apologize if they're not stitched together very well, but I'm sure you can get the idea.

My tatami room hasn't changed since the last time I posted, but here it is again anyways. I'll be using it as my dining room / guest room:

My other dining room and office:

My kitchen, complete with hot water keeper, rice cooker, a fridge made for a family, and a four-compartmented recycling/trash can to help me navigate the complex recycling instructions: (I've been here about 3 weeks now and I still refer to the instructions whenever I need to throw something away.)

I'm very excited about my movie/music/reading room, as it's a room I've always dreamed of having!

Finally, my bedroom. I bought a bed that's a little bit too big for the room (but still fits!) and a bookshelf as a cheaper alternative to a dresser.

That's all I have for now! I'll post more on my experience in Japan as the adventure continues!

(Kudos to whoever understands this blog title's reference and I'm sorry if you don't - it's the best I could come up with right now.)