Random April Shenanigans

Konnichiwa humans!

Someone recently asked me where I’ve been due to my brief lack of posting. My apologies. I’ve been so consumed with applying to schools and taking time to focus on me (meditating, working out, cooking…) that I’ve been MIA. But hey I’m back! This is going to be a REALLY random post of recent happenings but we’ve done some pretty great things more locally lately.

Time is going by slowly but very fast all at the same time. We haven’t been traveling too much since Cambodia just a couple things here and there. Like I said there’s been a lot of job applying and I just have to laugh when I get questions like: If you were a kitchen utensil what would you be and why?

bahaha… I have to laugh or else I’ll cry from all these applications I’ve worked on 

I’ve been enjoying every sunny day there is. Sadly April has brought much more rain than I’d like but when there is sun I’m a million times more happy 🙂

cause why not make a wish on a flower!?

the beautiful sakura ❤ I miss the flowers already! 

2 weekends ago we had a teacher Keg and Karaoke event at school. It was fun to get to chat to people I don’t normally see every day that work in other areas of the school. Afterwards, Katiria, Kelli, and I decided to sleepover at school cause why not. It felt like we were kids having a slumber party. So yes I did 2 things that felt so strange to do at school: drink (obviously without kids present) and then sleep in Kelli’s classroom!!! One for the books.

being kids and climbing up the jungle gym

nbd just a school sleepover

NEWSFLASH: I filled up my Pariwar (favorite Indian restaurant) punch card!!! Mission accomplished.

filled up my entire punch card!!!!

I’ve been a bit homesick and even though I don’t want to rush my time here and all of the exciting adventures that are still planned/yet to come, I really miss my family and friends. So it’s the little conversations like this that truly make me happy ❤

skying with my Mollz 🙂

Two weekends ago we went to Fujigaoka which is about 20 minutes away from us where there are a lot of restaurants. For some reason, we have neverrrrr been there. We went out with Annika and just wandered around until we found this Korean BBQ place that ended up being so delicious! It gave us a little taste to the food we will be eating in 2 weekends when we go to Seoul!!!

Korean BBQ!

you must try bimbimbap… new fav

Last weekend we also did another cooking class with that same lady Chioco. This time we requested some things we’ve been wanting to learn how to make. We learned how to make gyoza (Japanese dumplings), gimbap (Korean sushi), and clear soup.

back with Chioco cooking!

the Gyoza sensei

Chioco invited her friend, Naomi over who has a lot of Korean friends to teach us how to make gimbap. Naomi teaches English and has her own business so she was very excited to chat with us. She brought over her 2 kids and this one was our gyoza teacher he was so cute.

gimbap for dayzzz- she even packed us leftovers! She is such a sweetheart 

look at that gyoza 🙂

I loved being in a Japanese household it feels so nice and comforting. I’m looking forward to going back next month for a BBQ with her!

After that we were really classy and played some drinking games with fellow humans in our apartment complex. The best part: beer got spilled on the table and someone may or may not have slurped it up via a straw. Keepin’ it classy. We all never really hang out so it was really nice to be together!

pretending we are all in college again

but real talk… give us the sun!

BOY SCOUTS!! They exist in Japan too

Last Sunday we went to this fruit park nearby. We thought it was going to be a hike but it was more like a festival to look at the trees, buy fruit/food and just play/lay by the trees. It was totally okay by us and we each took a shooshie (nap) and just relaxed.

fruit park lovin’

A letter from one of my students: I’m going to cry like a baby when I need to say goodbye to these kiddos 😦

Girls throwing up the sakura at recess…they are too darn cute

TAMAGACHI’S EXIST

how cute?!

Last night we had game night as a Primary school event. The students rotated in groups to different activities. I was in the gym with the Pre-school-1st grade students. I played 2 games: Stuck in the mud, very similar to tag and fishy, fishy, cross my ocean aka a version of sharks and minos. It made me realize I know I could definitelyyyyy not teach kids younger than 2nd grade but they are so darn cute to play with I was having so much fun. I haven’t run around like that in a very long time. My ankle hates me today but I had so much fun.

At the end I taught Zumba and then the kids did Pinata. I felt like it was my big Zumba debut it was so fun. I only did 2 songs and of course (if you know me you won’t be surprised) I was dripping sweat. I actually think I scared some of the children because they have never seen someone sweat so much. But hey I was movin’ and groovin’ so it’s all good.

I LOVE POTLUCKS

This was the second potluck we had at the Grecu’s and I hope we keep having them because it is so darn good. You get to eat a little bit of everything!!!! I think my favorite was the coconut roti that Sylvia had made. Nommmmm 🙂 We made sangria, mediterranean cous cous salad, and thai chicken curry.

This is just a random breakfast from last weekend and it’s just so beautiful I had to share it 🙂 Dorin gave us some of his fresh baked bread to take home and eggs have become my weekend treat. So with some veggies, goat cheese, avo, and siracha I’m a very very happy camper.

This weekend we have dinner with a student and her parents tonight. Tomorrow we are doing a BBQ with 2 students and their families and then strawberry picking afterwards!! Lots of student loving this weekend 🙂

Next weekend we go to Hiroshima, then the following weekend we go to Seoul for Golden week where we get 2 extra days off. Our last big hooray will be Okinawa in the end of May! Andddd probably one more weekend in Tokyo. So much to look forward to!!!

Sorry this was like word vomit all out of order, I’ll try to be better about keeping up on blogging.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Sayonara for now 🙂

 

 

Feelin’ Sappy during the Sakura

Konbonwa,

So I felt the urge to write because I’m been so overwhelmed with feelings this week, I just need to write it out.

The week back after a vacation is always a rough transition. But truthfully it was much more positive considering this week started off with the weather in the 70’s and the beautiful Sakura (cherry blossoms) beginning to bloom. However, I’ve been pretty down this week because it has been so beautiful. I know that sounds so silly but it’s because I feel like it’s a constant reminder of what I’ll be missing next year.

My heart has grown so fond for NIS and living here in Japan it’s hard to tell why exactly though. Is it because I haven’t found another job yet? Is it because it took just about a year (like most people said it would) to adjust and now I am finally “adjusted” here? Or is it simply because “you don’t know what you got until it’s gone?” Maybe it’s one of these or maybe it’s all of these, I’m still not sure.

It’s crazy to think that this process has been going on since October. OCTOBER!!!!! That means I have been thinking about whether I’ll stay at NIS and where I’ll be for next year basically right after I got here. Since the international school job recruiting starts so early, we were being asked by staff so early on if we would be staying. I felt crazy for how drastic my opinion changed. In the beginning I was 100% in, I couldn’t imagine not staying. I love my kids, I have a supportive staff, and the school is at a place where there is so much room for growth- we are all learning together, it’s quite special.

But then after digging deep, I realizedI felt I lost a part of myself here. I think it’s gotten better but for a while I felt like I didn’t know who I was anymore. I know that sounds drastic but it felt like I was in middle school again trying to figure out who I was. Truthfully the community of friends here is very limited which is something I’m not used to at all. I think I’ve been a social butterfly since approximately coming out of the womb so adjusting to a place where the social community is slim to none was extremely hard. I can’t remember the last time I was only really close with a couple of people- probably elementary school. Ever since that, I’ve always had a couple really close friends but then I love being friends with multiple groups of people. Since going to both public and private school I had those mixes of friends, camp and then that pattern continued in college as well. So not having that here has been really hard. I am very grateful for the few people that have been so supportive this year- I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much if it weren’t for them ❤

On top of that, even though we live in the 3rd biggest city in Japan we aren’t exactly “in town”. To get downtown it takes 35 minutes once you get to the nearby train station which is about a 10 minute drive away. Around our area it’s more of the suburbs so there isn’t too much going on. That means we don’t go downtown all too often but also partly because I find a hard time meeting people even when we do. There is a barrier to break between meeting Japanese people sometimes. I can either feel like I’m a monkey in a zoo being stared at or they just want to practice a little bit of English and that’s that. It’s that lack of socializing where I have felt like my personality was crushed a bit. It made me feel like something was wrong and I had to trust my instincts and know that I needed to be a bit closer to home, closer to a city, and in an area where I knew at least a few people.

When I look around and see couples or families teaching here, I look at them in awe. I can picture myself working here in about 10 years much more settled in my life and this being the absolute perfect environment to live and work in. Not only that but with teachers moving all around the world next year, I envy them. Because of course I have my doubts about teaching abroad after this year, but I have become so passionate about this teaching program and the remarkable opportunity to travel and live around the world.

But, I need to remind myself to stop thinking what if. I said “no” for a reason. I trusted my gut and that’s what brought me here and in the end it was a great experience. I need to just trust this crazy roller coaster we call life. Yes, I know I sound ridiculous. You’re thinking- Lindsay, you’re crazy. You just moved to Japan you are so brave, you did something I could never do. It looks like so much fun!!!

Of course it has been fun and it’s crazy to look back to see that I have changed in many ways. In some ways it felt like it was for the worst, but I’d like to think that mostly for the better. 🙂 I will try to keep my chin up and hope for the best wherever I might land next year. It’s just been hard with not many schools replying back/not seeing applicable jobs posted yet. I’m trying really hard to go back to a school with PYP but those options are smaller so I need to keep an open mind but I also don’t want to throw this new passion out the window. I want to keep learning how to be a better inquiry based teacher because I have seen such strides in the kids and it makes learning so much more exciting and meaningful!

I’m going to stop blabbering but I hope this resonates for any friends out there having a rough time transitioning after college, or maybe unsure about what your next step is in your job or even your life.

Some inspiration… 🙂

Sayonara for now!