Delayed Departure, announcement from MEXT

[flidar]

Hey, guys. I just got a damn news from the embassy here in HK.
Although I will go to Kyoto which hasn't been affected yet, the embassy told me that my departure has been delayed according to MEXT's decision. So what I can do is to wait. And they didn't really inform me a specific date as well.
Oh, my GOD!

 

[flidar]

I just wrote to my prof and sec that I really hope the university can negotiate with MEXT to let students going to study in unaffected areas in Japan to go to study in Japan on schedule! And I told them that I hope they could tell the university about it.
Hope you guys who wish to go on schedule can do the same thing and together we could make a difference.

 

[PeterSimon]

Great. Big applause for everyone in the forum who kept calling in panic the Japanese embassies in their countries asking for cancellation. Now you got it. I hope you're happy. Fools.

 

[binSU]

well, it's the first official anouncement from MEXT since the march 11
and it could be much much worse... i guess they have their reasons to postpone our journey.
let's just stay calm & wait.

 

[jophillia]

I also received notice from MEXT that my trip to japan (Tokyo) has been delayed. No official date is set yet and MEXT says that it would inform the embassy in due course. According to the liaise at the embassy, MEXT is working with the universities to establish a latest possible departure date which would not affect our course schedule.

Lets keep praying (and giving if you can) to Japan. I feel for the country and hope that they will come back from this disaster even stronger than before.

 

[flidar]

Hope this delay would be within weeks, better not to months later or even this Oct which would be like....

 

[destiny2]

>.<
I really hope that those who are going to the area which were not affected won't get delayed..

 

[prettybunny]

i dun understand the situation. Is the delayed departure decided by MEXT or university or the embassy in our country? why in some countries the departure is delayed (eg singapore, hongkong) and in some other countries it isnt delayed at all?
I saw in the facebook group of MEXT2011 that some scholars will go to tokyo as scheduled.

 

[binSU]

would you please give us the link of that group?

 

[prettybunny]

MEXT Scholarship Class for 2011

 

[flidar]

Well, the info that I have received from the embassy is that all MEXT students scheduled to go in April will be delayed. I guess the difference is due to that different embassies will get the same info at different time. So eventually, I guess everybody will have a delayed schedule either in a few days, weeks or could be months.
All I can say is damn it!

 

[Danchan]

Oh dear

I had a message on my phone from the embassy today, so I'm guessing that was what they wanted to talk to me about. Still, its a couple of weeks until my scheduled departure. If things start to really improve over the next week we might not loose much time at all.

@peter Simon
I don't think there is any reason to lay this decision at the feet of people who decided they didn't want to go, if there even are such people. Frustration isn't an excuse for misdirected rudeness.

 

[csemege]

My advisor from Todai wrote to me two hours ago, saying that they've already been informed my ticket has been bought and I'm supposed to arrive in Narita on the 4th of April (last time I heard from the Embassy was when they gave me preliminary info on the ticket reservation before the earthquake), but he understands that I must be worried about the whole situation and asked how it influences my feelings about the scholarship.
I wrote saying I'm glad he's fine (It's me who should have written to him in the first place...), that I'm monitoring the news and it's seems life in Tokyo is coming back to normal and the situation in Fukushima should stabilize until April, so I intend to arrive as planned.
He didn't say anything about a delay, no news about it from the Embassy either.

 

[flidar]

I wrote to my sec in Kyoto U about it and she replied to say that until now, she hasn't heard anything from the Foreign Student Division of the university about the delay of our scheduled departure.
But I guess my embassy wouldn't tell lie to me and MEXT must have made this decision of delay. Anyway, I'm still hoping that we could go on time or I'll miss a lot of interesting activities held by the university for new comers.
In another way, I think delay of 1 to 2 weeks would be quite acceptable for me but not months or even half a year.

 

[bigcomfy]

Hi guys, my consulate just called me and said that everything is going ahead as scedule (as far as for Kyoto University anyways). The information they have suggests there still isn't much cause for concern to our health at this point, especially that far away but even in other areas closer to the site of disaster. I know it's difficult to interpret all the information and claims that are being thrown at us right now, but it really does seem that the media is sensationalizing the magnitude of this crisis much more than it really is. I'm not saying that the situation in that particular area isn't dire, but as for it affecting the majority of the country - it appears not so much at this point.

 

[flidar]

A friend in Malay just told me that she had received the same email about the delay, but the delay is only for those in affected areas while those going to study in unaffected areas will go on schedule. I'm rather confused at this moment cuz my embassy clearly stated in the email that all MEXT students will have delayed departure.

 

[Danchan]

Hmmm

Have you spoken with your Embassy again Flidar to find out why they told you all MEXT students are being delayed? Some kind of miss-communication? I found out the reason my Embassy contacted me, and that was just to confirm that I wanted to go at the scheduled time (I already had by email, but things are pretty hectic there so they probably just forgot). I'll be arriving on the 4th as planned.

 

[flidar]

By far, I've only received emails from the embassy clearly stating that all MEXT students will have their initial schedule delayed. But it seems that the embassy's info is not that reliable cuz you guys all said that you will go on schedule.
I've emailed my embassy last Saturday to ask for info but haven't heard about any news so far.
I'm rather confused now.

 

[xyznD]

Embassy confirm me I am going to Tohoku univ (Sendai) this 16th April. Radiation leak is controlled, and there is no health risk in the town at the moment. Wishing with all my heart situation in Fukushima improves in the following weeks. See you there guys.