This is the sentences that one of my friend has written. She wrote about her Japan life.I reckon she enjoyed her life in it.I know it is not everyone would do it but Id like people from all over the world to enjoy and make lots of unforgettable memories. Even if some of folks are not happy to live in Japan but Im sure you guys can have a great time like her.Many people are working as an english teacher in Japan and I think english teacher is really beautiful job even though Im not an english teacher but I can say thanks to english,I could meet many sweet people from the world and Im sure Ill from now on too. Id like the people to be proud of your english teacher job. ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓ It’s been two weeks since I left Japan, and I’ve been thinking about how to best sum up my three years in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’. I don’t think I can really write anything that’ll give my time there any justice, but I’ll try. I loved (and sometimes hated) Japan. Towards the end of my time there, I felt it was definitely time to move on, but leaving was truly bittersweet. People often ask me where has been my favourite place to live, and it’s always been too hard to answer. Each country has had its own challenges, but I also have many fond memories. I am hesitant to say that Japan has been the best, because I don’t want to diminish the experiences I’ve had since I started travelling – but I think it is fair to say that Japan has left a much bigger mark on me than all of the others. I initially planned to stay for just a year, and then carry on - on my mission to live one year on each continent. But every time my contract came up for renewal, I wasn’t ready to leave. I loved my job, I loved my students, I loved my friends, I loved my apartment , I loved the food, I loved my life there. At the beginning I was a little disappointed to be placed so far south, and Nagasaki is about as close to the bottom of the country as you can get. But I managed to travel a lot, visiting 28 of the 47 prefectures. I also got to travel to South Korea twice, to Vietnam and Cambodia this past Christmas and one quick trip home to NZ in the middle of my time there. After travelling all over Japan, I now know just how lucky I was to be placed in a town like Omura. I think most people had an impression that living in Japan meant I was living in a massive city, surrounded my sky scrapers, sushi, geisha and comic book enthusiasts - but in reality I was surrounded by rice fields, green forested hills, small fishing villages and family restaurant chains. I had a car, so in the weekends I would get out and explore, visiting my favourite waterfalls and cafes, tucked away and hidden up in the hills. I worked as an Assistant Language teacher (ALT) Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 4 pm, teaching at a rural Elementary school once a week and the rest at a Junior High school. Every time I went shopping or out to dinner, I would bump into one of my students and their families. The guy at the convenience store, petrol station or the post office would remember me, and we’d have our little chats about the weather and I felt like I almost actually belonged. I never really had that level of feeling like part of a community in the other countries, so it felt almost like being back at home in Gisborne. Probably my biggest heartache about leaving, was saying goodbye to my students. Some ALTs don’t feel a lot of job satisfaction in their roles, but I believe you get out what you put in. I don’t think I was the most professional teacher at times, I often spoke to the students too casually and I probably scared them with my crazy maniacal laughing and antics. But even though we didn’t always understand exactly what each other were saying – I know the students knew I cared about them. Teaching felt natural to me, and I am seriously thinking about going back to University to become a high school teacher, perhaps in Social Studies or English. Because I already have a degree I would just need to do a one year Postgraduate Diploma in Secondary Education. It’s something to think about. I was lucky that I got to meet so many people in Japan, from all walks of life. I made friends right across the country and I feel truly blessed how kind and generous the Japanese people were to me. There is a picture that circulates around the ALT community, that the reason we end up staying so long is because of the people, and that is certainly true in my case. I dearly treasure the friendships I have made there, and I know I will return some time to see everyone again. But it wasn’t always easy… I struggled with loneliness and at times, I was overwhelmed by the foreignness of it all. Japan is not as crazy as the random game show clips on YouTube, or as technologically advanced as images in the media would make you believe. Japan is a country with thousands of years of rich and complex culture and history. Which means that things are often done as they have always been done, since what feels like the beginning of time. The logic and reasoning for such processes, has long been lost in translation. There are usually no answers to why things are done a certain way, and it can be frustrating as hell. The longer you are in Japan, naturally the more you understand, but usually you are left with more questions than answers. However, instead of focusing on all the things that frustrated me in Japan, here are some of things I will miss: • Security and feeling safe all the time – I never really bothered locking my apartment or car…. • Seasonal flavours – mmm melon! • Onsen – hot springs, yay for getting naked in public (don’t knock it, till you tried it!) • Convenience stores • Yakiniku – Japanese barbequed meat • Vending machines everywhere • Intense thunder and lightning storms • Postal system – they deliver packages on Sundays, redeliver whenever you want and you can pay cash on delivery for items ordered online • Sunny winters - I didn’t really mind the rainy season, but hated humid summers • Lush green rice fields (perfect in late August and Early September) • Kaiten sushi – conveyor belt sushi • Unlimited data plans on my phone and computer • Daiso – dollar store, but so much more! • Hanami – cherry blossom season Saying goodbye to Japan was by far one of the most challenging and emotionally draining things I’ve ever done. I never cried, I still haven’t cried, but internally I was a wreck. Constantly doubting that I’d made the right decision, desperate to stay but also ready to leave. People’s reactions to me going broke my heart; the letters, cards, meals, hugs, tears and presents, so many presents! I felt guilty and unprepared. I wanted to cry too, to show I really did care, but I couldn’t. I laughed and joked ‘またね！’ – see you around! It’s the only way I could cope. I started my goodbyes early, and made time to see as many people as I could. I got to catch up with lots of friends, old teachers and some ex-students, all grown up and still making mischief. In my last few days, I moved out of my apartment to get it cleaned for the new ALT and I stayed with my ex-supervisor, my Japanese mother – Obita sensei. She spoiled me rotten, and we sat around in our pyjamas gossiping, it was perfect. A typhoon came in on my last night, but everyone still headed out to the summer festival, just a little wetter than we would’ve liked. I got to see a lot of my students one last time, and as an awesome treat I was surprised by some ex-students, now in their high school rugby club who did the haka for me, in the middle of the arcade, it totally blew me away. For now, I have moved back to Aoteroa, the Maori name for New Zealand which translates in to ‘the land of the long white cloud’. It seems a fitting name for how I feel at the moment. New Zealand is my home, and I love it, but right now I feel lost. I am loving catching up with my old friends and family - I finally got to meet my nephew and he’s gorgeous! My friends have been unbelievable generous with their hugs, chats and cups of tea. I love being able to pop in for a chat and friends showing up randomly at my place. But I am homesick for Japan, it feels like three years of my life has just been brushed over, as if I’d never left. I don’t want to bore them with too many stories of “Well in Japan….”but it’s inevitable that I sometimes do. To make it even more difficult, even though I was never very good with Japanese, when people talk to me, I often think in Japanese first, I get fuddled when I see an old friend and I want to say “久しぶり” (Long time, no see!), I play with my nephew and friends’ kids and I call out “気を付けて” (Be careful!). After ten days back in NZ, I finally caved in and went to the local sushi restaurant, just so I could get some miso soup and talk about the weather in Japanese haha. I’m sure it will pass soon, I just need time. It is easy to romanticize Japan now that I’m not there, so I have to keep reminding myself that it was the right time to leave. And don’t get me wrong, I am enjoying being home too! I have been very lucky and have an awesome place to stay in; my very own little cottage next to the river. There is even a tennis court, swimming pool and a hot tub! A friend has already found me a car and I am sorted with a new laptop and cell phone. I’m currently searching for a job, and excited about spending summer in New Zealand. I don’t know what I will do next year, but for now I need to get to know my own country again! I know this email was particularly long, but I haven’t updated you all in a while, so if you got this far – well done! There is a lot I haven’t covered, (I could write a whole book I’m sure!) so if you’re ever interested in hearing more, let me know! I’ll be okay, change is a constant in life and I am excited for this new adventure! Farts and giggles, Niki P.s. Here is a slide show of my time in Japan. Enjoy! youtu.be/qinzxwc-ivU Japan 2011-2014 A slideshow of my time in Japan youtube
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 06:44:08 +0000
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