Whenever anyone asks me how I'm doing here, I tell them that work is definitely the most enjoyable part of my life here. It's true, and I couldn't be more thankful for that. I am so blessed to have been assigned to a school with only 52 students, and an elementary school with only 65. I know all of my students' names, and I love each and every one of them. I have good relationships with my co-workers, and the support and respect of both my principals. Work is challenging enough to keep me motivated, but not so challenging that I burn out. I may have slightly higher-than-average expenses for an ALT (mostly owing to the fact that I use a car), but with such a positive work situation, how can I complain? It's nice to wake up in the morning and not feel stress, fear or dread over my day. I have a lot of ideas that I'd like to try with students, but I'm planning on starting a lot of them in April, when the school year changes.
I won't lie: winter sucks. But, winter sucks wherever I am, and plenty of places are much colder than Shibukawa. I daresay I'm actually used to the cold now, compared to the shock of a couple months prior. We had our first "big" snow about two weeks ago, and we're due for another one in a few days. But unlike the grisly white mountainous locales just an hour north of my town, our snow doesn't fall often enough to consistently accumulate, and we usually experience days or weeks of snow-free weather in between snows. The hallways of my school are cold, but the teacher's room and classrooms are warm, and I'm usually pleasantly surprised to find that I am warm enough in my own home that I don't need to run the heater (as long as I'm wearing all my cozy layers of sweats.)
The biggest change between summer-me and winter-me is that I just don't do as much now. I am perfectly happy to come home from school at 5:00, start to make dinner and use the computer, and continue to do so until I fall asleep, every weeknight. Hibernation mode kicks in and I don't want to take walks, go out to eat, or even do anything on weekends sometimes. Even walking to Japanese class in the cold, a 20-25 minute walk, takes all the effort I can muster.
On that note, my Japanese is making strides. I could be studying more, but I'm still proud of the weekly progress I'm making.
My biggest stressor as of late is making decisions regarding how to spend my money--specifically, to travel or not to travel. I know in my heart that I should travel as much as possible, and that once I'm not living in Asia, I'll never get this opportunity again, but I second guess myself--"Is it worth it?" "Shouldn't I put money in savings for an emergency?" The me of a couple years prior would have definitely been 100% pro-travel. But when I'm actually in this situation, all the stress it causes pops up--booking flights and hostels, securing visas, finding travel buddies, being wary of being duped, etc. etc. The clock is ticking, and spring break flight prices are only getting higher. I'm also still conflicted on whether to visit home this summer or wait until the winter holidays next year. I only have so much money to go around, and I'd like to save up in case I have car problems, or need dental work, or for any other of the myriad things that could happen. So hopefully this time in my life will be a growing experience for me where I learn what I value, how to prioritize, and how to spend money in the most "worth it" way I can.
Picture time! (Click on the pictures to see them bigger)
In January, my friend Emily had her birthday celebration at Tokyo Disneyland. I jumped on the chance to visit Japan's version of my favorite place in the world! Having had an annual pass in California for 3 years, and being a Disney-lover since childhood, Disney (despite its flaws) holds a very very special place for me.
Friends at the entrance: Sam, Emily, Lisa, Dorothy, and me. Three Canadians, an Oregonian, and a Californian!
I was surprised that the Main Street shopping area is covered underneath an arcade-style glass lattice. This is because in comparison with California Disneyland, it rains (and snows!) a lot more here!
The line-up to It's A Small World: also covered! The chorus of It's A Small World in Japanese repeats "世界が一つ" ("there is one world.") Close enough.
Absolutely dying on the teacups. I've always hated this ride. I don't know why I thought this time would be any different.
Ending the night with a crazy photoshoot in ToonTown.
No comments:
Post a Comment