#i still live in a building site so i'm kicking myself out as soon as the workmen arrive in the morning

[kantpattanawat]

🫠

[pbandjesse]

I'm trying to practice typing on my tablet again. So far is still a struggle.  But I want to be better.

Today wasn't a bad day at all. I'm just feeling exhausted and a little embarrassed that I didn't film any art today. I did make art. I just didn't film it,  I'm trying not to be to hard on myself. It will be okay. I just hate feeling disappointed in myself. 

I slept alright. But getting up was hard. I decided that I was going to talk to my managers about pushing my hours back to where they were at my last site. Because the mornings are giving me a ton of anxiety and I can't get anything substantial done in my studios in the morning, and then I'm to tired at night. And its just become a shitty cycle that I want to break sooner rather then later. 

But I still tried to accomplish something this morning, I gotnuo and ojust out on leggings and a sweater and had breakfast with James in the living room. I felt like crap. But it was still early. And I wanted to will myself into feeling better. 

I drew a ring.  Perspective was very tough, but what else is new. I enjoyed this one a lot though and I felt very accomplished. But then it was almost 10 and my anxiety started to kick in. I tried to keep it off. But soon enough I was packing up art stuff and putting on my work clothes. I tried really hard to leave a little later, not arrive wildly early, so I laid on the couch for a few minutes, but I still got there at 1045. 

 But that was alright. I took my stuff upstairs. Washed my hands. Clocked in on time. It had been drizzling a little when I got to the site so I was a little damp. But that was okay. 

For the most part today was a very nice day. I had lots of art set out and ready for the kids to explore with. Inbrought the prints of the stone man to draw on. Some beads to make bracelets with. Some water colors. It was fun. 

My big plan of the day was to get everyone's class schedules.  Which was a whole thing but I got almost everyone's except one.  So I reached out to a parent to hopefully find that. It is super frustrating having to learn 8 different schools systems for online learning but we're doing our best to make this work. 

I spent a lot of the day just making art and chilling and trying not to be stressed. One of the kids kept hitting his sibling which was very hard to deal with. But once Travis got there and we had a stronger voice in the class it made a difference. 

We did have some gym time. And I mostly sat on the bench with the only girl still there today. Wew had some fun chats about YA novels we like and about dragons and drawing and it was nice. 

Travis then got hit in the bits with a basketball so we called it a day and went upstairs.

The plan had been to watch a movie but then thr entire buildings internet went out. So the last hour and a half really drug on. But the kids played board games for some of it. Just hung out. I did a little crochet,  ended up taking it apart but it was good practice. And then it was decided we would go down to the gym to run out some energy while we waited for the last 4 siblings to get picked up.

I was very glad to be done for the day. I had not brought enough snacks and inwas starving. James was home making us cookies and I was just really excited to see my partner and also eat cookies.

I had my quick walk home and felt a little lightheaded. But I got inside safe.  I was so happy to see my partner who I love so much. They made me a grilled cheese and it was just really nice to be home.

But I was so tired. And I felt like I couldn't do anything.  I had gotten a gift from a parent at thr site, a gift card for $25, (they got one for all of the teachers ?? So kind??) so I was just spending time looking for a plush. Guilt free.  I got a duckies wearing a sweater and glasses. And then I played animal crossing for a little. And James started building the train puzzle I got for him for valentine's day. 

I watched them do that for a bit. And then I took a shower. And now we are in bed. Reading about a book series I vaguely remembered reading as a kid, and I'm excited that we were able to find it again, hopefully I can read it again. 

Now though I would just like to sleep.  I hope tomorrow is a brighter day and we can all feel better,  even if it's March. 

[insanitysscribblings]

I've always been interested in working in Japan through the JET program but I'm interested in hearing your experience with working in Japan and the reasons you work there.

STORY TIME!

I’ve always been interested in Japanese culture. The first time I watched Sailor Moon, I was completely enthralled. When I found out it was a type of animation from this little island across the world, I was hooked. It’s always been one of my childhood dreams to come here, whether to live here or for a visit, it didn’t matter. One way or another, I wanted to set foot upon Japanese soil, even if it was just to cross something off my bucket list.

So I found out, very early on in my college career (through a Skype call with a friend of my Japanese professor during class freshman year), that teaching English in Japan was a thing that I could do without being fluent in Japanese/a certified teacher. And since I always knew I wanted to be an author, but wasn’t enthused about the thought of slaving away at some job I wasn’t passionate about until I finished a book, once I figured out this was A Thing?

“HELL YEAH SIGN ME THE FUCK UP”

I had to wait until my senior year to apply, naturally. XP My first choice was the JET program, because it was the most well-known, and I read nothing but good things about it. I sent in my application, and checked my e-mail OBSESSIVELY, waiting for a response.

I didn’t even clear the first cut. OTL

Took time to be sad about it. My friends were very sympathetic (they even bought me chocolate to help cheer me up that night, ha ha~) Once I was done being sad, I picked myself back up and threw myself back into the search. If the JET program didn’t want to hire me, then it was their loss. But now I was Determined: I was GETTING to Japan one way or another, and this one rejection wasn’t about to stop me.

And then, after signing up for several sites which granted jobs to gaikokujin and OBSESSIVE searching, I found my company: Interac. I read up on it, did my research. They didn’t pay as well as JET supposedly does, but still, it was a teaching job in Japan. Repeated the process: sent in my application and waited, on pins and needles now, because I was going to be graduating soon and if I didn’t have a plan, I felt like I’d be screwed.

I heard back VERY quickly from Interac. We did the phone interview, I presented myself as professionally as I could, and then we were done.

Very soon after THAT, I received an e-mail for a SECOND INTERVIEW!!!!

The only difficulty was that the interview was being held in D.C., which is near where my folks live….but it was a week before my graduation from my college in North Carolina. ^^; THAT was an interesting weekend: I had to fly back to Maryland early on Friday, prepare for the interview AND do a mock lesson that night, drive to D.C. Saturday and do said interview/mock lesson, and then fly back to North Carolina on Sunday to graduate a week later. Whew!

But yeah, that happened, I graduated and got my degree in English Writing, then went back home to CHILL for a bit as I waited for a response.

We had gone to Texas to watch my brother’s ceremony for completing his basic training (we’re a military family, hahaha~) when I got the e-mail. Now, we were there for my brother, so I didn’t wanna kick up a fuss, but my dad saw me grinning like an idiot and asked what was up. I passed him my phone and let him read the e-mail, bouncing in my seat. Naturally, my mom and grandma had to know what was up too, so, as quietly as I could (I get loud when I’m excited), I said, “I got the job…!”

Queue mini-celebration before the ceremony started, but needless to say, I was deliriously excited~

Once we returned to Maryland, I threw myself into the next step: paperwork, paperwork, PAPERWORK. Luckily for me, Interac works to take care of most of the big stuff: securing an apartment, picking the schools you work in, stuff like that. But before I could get there, I had to apply for a working visa first. That required photos being taken and several trips to D.C., but I got it did. There was a bunch of other stuff involved too, if I recall correctly, but the visa was the one big thing I remember.

Next, I had to find a job in order to pay for my plane ticket/have start-up money as soon as I headed over there, because I wouldn’t be paid until about two months in (this could be different for JET; I never found out, so I’m just sticking to telling you my experiences, ha ha~). I remember they gave me two options: to start training in August so I would be prepared for September, or to come in March to be prepared for April, when the school year officially started. It was June when these options were presented to me, and since I didn’t have anywhere NEAR the funds I needed, I chose the latter and took a cashier job to build up my funds/pay student loans.

My company worked with me throughout the months, updating me on things like what I would need to bring and where exactly in Japan I would be placed. They made sure to check that I would be comfortable in my placement and if I had any questions while working through the processing of the paperwork I had to send them, so I never felt like I was at a standstill with them, which was nice~

And then, at long, LONG last…it was time for me to go. I booked my plane ticket a month in advance, my grandmother (who was heartbroken that I was leaving) was gracious enough to throw me a going-away party, and my family saw me off at the airport. I was anxious that the sudden SNOW IN APRIL would delay my flight, but things went off without a hitch. (Flight delay due to snow happened to me just this past winter, though; that super sucked. Oh, important advice: MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHO’S OPERATING THE FLIGHT. It might say one airline, but it could really be operated by another airline altogether. Which reminds me: DON’T FLY UNITED. WORST AIRLINE TO FLY OVERSEAS ON.)

And then…I was here.

Been here for a while; going into my third year with my elementary school, and the four kindergartens I teach at. Some days are harder than others, but the kids are really cute, and I’ve found that if I try my best, they’re usually willing to reciprocate. And it makes my heart swell when they get excited to eat lunch with me, even if they ask some inappropriate questions (the amount of times I’ve been asked if I’m married/have a boyfriend…)

What I want to say, though, before I get further lost in my rambling, is that everyone’s experience is different. Some people love it here; some people leave half-way through their contract because they can’t stand it. It all depends on how well you can adapt. The language barrier sucks sometimes, and you feel “other” sometimes when the Japanese folk stare…but overall, I find it a pleasant place to live. My coworkers are nice, my town is small and convenient, and I found that it very quickly became home for me. I don’t know what everyone thinks when they picture Japan, but to me, it’s just where I live. The people just happen to speak Japanese here. :P

If you’re seriously considering living here, the truth is that, in some ways, you will be inconvenienced, compared to what you’re probably used to. The people at the convenience store ask you a question you can’t understand, the NHK man comes knocking at your door demanding payment for a service you don’t use, TALKING CARS AT 11 PM. But there’s a lot of good about it, too, so much that it would make this answer waaaaaaay longer than it already is.

But I think the most important question, Nonny, is this: how bad do you want it?