Tagged: life
Getting Out of a Rut
It’s almost the end of winter. I can feel that the weather is slowly getting warmer and I’m becoming more anxious to see the beautiful, cherry blossom filled spring that I’ve been waiting for since forever. For the past month, I’ve decided to stay indoors, partly because it’s cold and partly because I was in a super money saving mode. I feel that this hermit lifestyle set me into a monotonous routine. Wake up, go to work, work, come home, eat dinner, sit around, sleep, then do it all over again. A part of me says, Hey! You’re living in Japan. Just go outside and walk around. I haven’t really listened to my inner self since it has been too cold and windy. With all the excitement of moving abroad, I now realize that it is possible to have a monotonous life, even when living in a foreign country. If you’re not constantly traveling, you can settle into a comfortable lifestyle and fall easily into that daily routine. I want to get out of this feeling and find that excitement of being here in Japan.
I’ve thought about the things around town that I want to do, just to get out of my apartment and be able to experience life in my town. With the next coming month, I’ve decided to change that monotonous lifestyle and add a bit of color to my life by:
- Reading in a café, once in a while. It’s one of my goals to read more, so why not step outside and find a comfortable café to sit, read, and enjoy Japanese café life. I just finished Wild by Cheryl Strayed, now I’m reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I’m not sure what to expect from Never Let Me Go. We’ll see what happens!
- Hiking. Another one of my goals is to be more outdoorsy. My dad would always take us hiking when we were younger and we would complain a lot, but secretly, I loved it. I love being outside and being one with nature. There are a ton of mountains here, so I’m sure there are a ton of beautiful hikes to do.
- Working up the courage to ask more coworkers to a meal. I’ve had lunch with a few coworkers and I loved being able to talk to them on a more personal level to get to know them better. I would love to get together with them again as well as ask more people out to eat. It will also help me practice Japanese!
- Going on more walks/bike rides around town.
- Going to the onsen. Relaxation time!
These are the activities I hope to implement more within the coming month, in order to get myself out there a little more. I’m also happy that these activities don’t cost a lot, so my wallet will be very happy. I hope this will bring me back to feeling the excitement of living in a foreign country. I truly love being here and I don’t want to take my experience for granted.
Have you had the experience of falling into a monotonous lifestyle as an expat? Do you have any advice to find the excitement of being in another country again?
Linking up with Weekly Wishes
So Close, Yet So Far
It’s official, Mark will be moving to Japan on March 24th! Cue fireworks and confetti! He was contacted by his contracting organization and was given the details about what city he’ll be living in and when his orientation will be. We were both unable to sit still, while waiting to hear where he was going to be placed. Sometimes I felt like I was more antsy than he was. We were super excited to finally know a set date and location, but at the same time, my heart was in my stomach. You see that screenshot above? That’s the driving route from my city (A) to Mark’s city (B). So close, yet so far. My day dreams of us being able to hang out every weekend, traveling all over Japan was shattered (okay, that’s a little dramatic). But in reality, deep down, I knew there was a very small chance that we would be placed in the same prefecture, let alone the same area.
By train, it will take about 3 1/2 hours if I take the bullet train, but if you know a thing or two about the bullet train, it’s really expensive. The cheaper, but still expensive alternative will take about 5 hours to get there. It’s definitely double, just not frequently, due to the travel time and the cost. I guess we will still be in a long distance relationship, but at least the distance has shortened. It’s better than him living in Hokkaido or Kyushu, and definitely better than him living in California. I’ve become more accepting that we will probably only be able to see each other once a month and I’m looking on the brighter side. He could have been placed way up in the north or way down in the south, which would require an airplane or the shinkansen to travel to. Mark’s placement in Shizuoka Prefecture is really lucky. I’m also looking forward to visiting him because not only does it look beautiful, he’s close to Mt. Fuji! Look! It’s practically in his backyard. We’ll keep looking forward to spending time with each other, focusing on our goals to motivate us to work hard for each other.
After that initial shock, I have come to terms with reality and I’m more than excited for him to start his new life here in Japan. I know he’s going to have such an amazing experience, teaching, traveling, and eating everything. We’re going to have so many great adventures ahead of us whether its through teaching or traveling. Right now, I want February to end and the end of March to come, so I can travel to Shizuoka to see him and wish him luck before he starts teaching!
Sixth Month Reflection
The 27th marked my 6th month of being an expat. Holy guacamole times infinite and beyond. 6 months already?! Can this year take a chill pill? For those of you who may not know, I moved to Japan at the end of July to teach English. I wrote a reflection after one month of living here, but after that, it was just a whirlwind of work and travel. Since 6 months is usually some kind of special time marker, I had to take the time to reflect on these past six months as life as an expat.
These past six months have been a roller coaster of emotions from experiencing frustration, culture shock, and loneliness to happiness and excitement. Even though I had some lows, the highs outweigh those lows by 5000%. This was my dream, once I graduated from college: to live abroad, teach English, and travel. I wanted to travel up and down Japan, around Asia, grow as a person, and become a better teacher. I’m doing it and I couldn’t be happier. There were times from when I accepted this position to after I moved here, when I had second doubts. Maybe I made the wrong decision? Maybe I should be going to grad school or getting a “real” job. Those thoughts didn’t last very long, because amazing opportunity after amazing opportunity came. Within the first two months, I got to wear my first yukata and carrying a shrine up a mountain. I had the opportunity to travel to Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. I was and am living my dream and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Nowadays, I appreciate every minute I’m here and dismiss those thoughts, because not many people have an opportunity like this. I can go to grad school or get one of those “real” jobs eventually. Right now, I just want to travel, eat ramen, and sing the ABC’s with my students.
I’ve wrote about it many times, so I won’t dwell on it for long, but my long distance relationship with Mark was a hurdle we had to overcome. Two weeks ago, he returned home after spending the new year with me. We had such a great time together and now we’re waiting to be re-reunited in March. Mark is going to be starting his job as an English teacher then! I’m so excited for him. However, his move here will bring a few more hurdles along the way that we will have to overcome.
I’ve also learned how to be an adult, well kind of. Sometimes I look at myself (not literally, okay maybe sometimes literally), and I still see a college student. One who has barely any responsibilities, who is enjoying life being involved with programs here and there. Then I realize, hey, I’m an adult now, making real money. This is my first time living alone and though it is… lonely, I’ve learned how to cope with that. I’ve also learned how to budget my own money, which has been my focus as of lately. I haven’t saved nearly as much money as I hoped to, but I found out that yes, it’s hard to save up with everything else you and to do and need to pay off. I’m proud of how far I’ve come in six months, but I know I have so much more learning and growing to do (like, how in the world do you buy a car?).
So what does the rest of the year have in store for me? Technically, my contract ends at the end of July, but the JET Program allows its teachers to stay up to five years. I’ve decided that I’m going to do another year and will be turning in my reappointment contract soon! I’m so excited to be staying here for another year. One year definitely was too short. I feel like I’ve barely done a quarter of the things I want to do while I’m here. Plus I love my coworkers and my schools and my students and teaching, in general. I’m looking forward to all my new adventures here in Japan and here’s to another year and six months!
Sweet Smores 