Ok, i've already blogged quite a bit today, but i think this warrants a post for itself. And i only found out after i'd blogged.

I mentioned some time ago that i'd applied for a job and didn't want to give much detail about it unless i passed the first round. Well, as promised (if anyone really cares), i have passed the first round and have gotten an interview!

It seems a bit pointless to go into all this cos somehow, a whole bunch of people know about it already, but i shall explain what's going on for the benefit of those who don't.

In November last year, i applied for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. Basically, the job is to go to Japan and teach English at wherever they post you to and the contract is for 1 year, which can be extended to a maximum of 5 years, depending on whether you want to stay and whether the school wants you.

So i went through the long and arduous process of doing up my application and writing my 2 page essay selling myself, doing a lot of reflection and going through some internal turmoil in the process, followed by 2 months of waiting for a reply. The past week has been especially unsettling since i knew they were going to send a reply soon, and what with all the gan cheong people in the online forum stressing out there and making me more nervous than i should be.

Well, i checked my email just now and got notice that i have been shortlisted! My interview is on 4 February. It's so freaking soon! I was kind of expecting at least 3 weeks notice (since the interview for previous years was around 14 February)! I'm still feeling the shock and am quite nervous and scared too. I've got so much to prepare, but i'm also not sure how to prepare properly for this!

But i shall leave the stressing out till later. For now, i just really want to thank God. I know that it is not my qualifications or skills or whatever that got me this. I know that it was entirely by God's grace that i got this interview, and that i even found out about this in the first place. I am so, so thankful to Him! I am looking forward to looking back in the future and seeing how everything had fit perfectly into His plan :)

So, i've got 2 weeks to my interview. Following that, i'll probably be waiting for about another 2 months to know if i've got the job or not. If i do get it, i will be leaving around end July/early August to go to Japan. Just thinking about it is scary, but i'll take it one step at a time :)