Update!

Well, it was meant to be an update but as it's already a few days old... well, close enough!

3/4 My guest and recent illness. Update on life in Japan.

This is meant as an update for all of you who read my blog/worry about me since I am sometimes quite incapable of communicating with the outside world. But through no fault of my own, at least lately because I have had a houseguest for an extended period of time and having people around really changes my schedule. I don’t mind though, A is nice company.

Regardless! Life has been moving along quickly here. It is already spring and I can hear the birds chirping while the trees begin to bloom and colors are visible once again both on people’s faces and in their wardrobes. It’s a nice change. I would say the weather has improved but this week after about 10 days of wonderful weather (including sunshine which reminded me I have to start using sunscreen again) it has turned cold again and one last wash of winter snow and chill is hitting. No worries though because I see a drastic improvement in the coming weeks. We are even having the first touches of plum blossoms, which are the precursors to cherry blossoms (sakura) in case you didn’t know (I didn’t!).

Pre-graduation excitement. Bye guys!!

The winter hit me hard but not in the ways I expected it would. I was always cold, yes, but I guess I thought it would be like being cold back home, wherein I would be really, unbearably cold for a time then come home or go to work and warm up, stay warm all day, then be cold when I go outside or the like. In this sense I felt like I was in a third world country. They told me Japan was cold and it is - but it isn’t that the temperature is very low (it got to about -13C at the coldest in the mornings) it’s that you are just simply never warm. Getting out of bed became the hardest part of the day for all the wrong reasons and getting a full night’s sleep became a dream in and of itself. There were certainly times when I didn’t see me feet outside of the bathtub for days at a time. I just couldn’t bear to have them outside of socks for even a moment for fear of not feeling them ever again. It sounds extreme but I dare you to come over here and sit in my apartment - you may not feel quite so self-assured. You can always ask A who made it over here just in time for the coldest part of the year and didn’t even get the relief of a semi-warm teacher’s room to return to for a little reprieve.

It says "Thank you for everything"

Outside of the cold weather though, there wasn’t much else. I was cold all the time so I was sad and unmotivated. I had a lot of time but I couldn’t do anything with it because I rarely had the will to leave the comfort of the heated table let alone do something like run or study. But don’t let me harp too much on it because my winter belly and vitamin D deficiency can quickly be remedied as the sun begins to shine outside.

Somber and sad graduation :-(

School is good. Graduation was today and there are only two weeks left in the semester for the rest of the students so I will soon find myself with more time than usual on my hands. Hopefully, I will take advantage of the extra time and get a good way into studying! I love my students but I find myself wishing I had ways of getting closer to them. They write M, my predecessor, letters sometimes via Ms. T and I find myself gazing at them in a mixture of envy and sadness. I just hope when I am gone I will continue to be remembered - at least by a few students. That being said, some of the 3^rd years really went out there to make sure I knew they were leaving. My favorite few said their farewells and one even professed his love so maybe I will get some letters yet! Lol. I find it more likely that I will be forgotten in the excitement of adjustment and growth but life is like that sometimes - and who better to teach me this than the Japanese, who are masters at letting things go. Appreciate it while it’s in your life and let it go when it’s time to move on. I might be getting the hang of it yet.

Mom and grandma are planning a visit in October-ish and I am very excited. I decided now I am likely not going to go abroad for golden week because I simply don’t want to spend the money and I am feeling a little burned out. Between all of the travelling I am planning still with A and the variety of events that are occurring in Kitsuki and Yamaga over the vacation (including the chance to wear a kimono in an Edo style parade!) I kind of feel like I might have a better experience sticking around. Besides, I am no stickler for my vacation time so I might use some of it up in the summer and make a trip when travel won’t be so expensive.

Otherwise, though, I have studying to do and snow to sweep off my car (there was a freak snow storm this morning) so I am off! Love!