challenges

121008 wed 9am

i biked in the rain last night at 11pm. before giving up the endeavor completely, i tried doing so holding an umbrella with my left hand. it must have looked comical to an onlooker (had there been one), but it was scary for me! especially with the very steep incline and downslope of the bridge!

i feel as if i’ve been facing trying challenges since i’ve arrived in japan. my will and spirit are being tested in many ways. thankfully, i already expected most of them, so i’m quite resilient to them.

first of all, the biggest challenge of them all is moving to a country where i know NO ONE. not a town, not a state, not a part of the country, but the COUNTRY. i knew no one when i came here. thankfully a lot of the country’s customs are similar to my own. the culture is somewhat different, but that hasn’t posed a problem either.

second, i’m living in a town where it seems as if i’m the only one using another language! it can get frustrating when i’m just buying some food, and i don’t understand what the server or cashier is trying to ask me. or when i’m at the bank exchanging travelers cheques and i don’t understand what the teller is telling me. etc etc etc. but thankfully, everyone’s very patient with me, and i’m resolute to learn SOME japanese!!

third, i started a new job. and as if starting a new job weren’t a challenge enough, i started a new CAREER!! every new job has its new things to learn, but with a new career, EVERYTHING about it is new and everything you have to learn!

fourth, i am living on my own for the very first time. no parents. no roommate. i have an apartment all to myself! i’m doing fine with the upkeep of the place and finding food for myself, thank goodness (i haven’t cooked yet, though). but that’s not really what worried me anyway. i expected to be somewhat lonely, and i am sometimes... but the biggest surprise is how SCARED i’ve been!

cuz fifth... i never expected the challenge of living NEXT to a graveyard!!! my goodness.. it may seem silly, but that has posed the biggest obstacle for me thus far!!! for the week that i’ve made the walk back home at night, as hard as i’ve tried to calm myself, my heart always has a life of its own, and i can’t control its fast beating. thankfully, the time that i take to pass it now has been greatly cut down with my bike!

yet it’s the sixth! haha. i’m pretty adept on a bike, but i haven’t been a lifelong rider, as most of the townspeople are. and i sometimes look ridiculous when i falter at a corner or can’t manage to ride up an incline. or fail miserably at trying to hold an umbrella in the rain. haha. but i guess... as with most things... it just takes practice! :)

and seventh... it’s been kind of a challenge keeping in touch with my family and friends. oh my goodness!!! I STILL HAVEN’T SPOKEN TO MY MOM OR MY SISTER SINCE I ARRIVED!! (i’ve emailed and chatted though!) even if i were to miraculously buy a phone card from a japanese convenient store cashier, i wouldn’t know where to use it! there are NO phone booths here (i have not seen ONE!) cuz everyone uses cell phones. i really can’t or shouldn’t use the school phones because it’s unprofessional and i really don’t wanna take my liberties just a week or so into a new job. and i can’t even use skype or google talk because i have no internet in my apartment and the wi-fi i occasionally steal on my balcony is weak and patchy. but for the wonderful times i’ve been able to get the internet on the balcony, i’ve definitely taken advantage and messaged my peoples sufficiently! (i’m also able to use the fast internet at school for an hour or so after the day is done, yay!)
i think my first step after setting up a bank account is to get internet!!! :D

so yes... some challenges. but i’m a strong girl. i can deal. :)