Eek! It's February!!

Soooo, last Thursday was 6 months since I finished my Assistant Language Teacher position in Takaoka, Toyama, Japan...

I still have no job! I have an unconfirmed job that currently has no start date (though I can take a rough guess) and no confirmed wage (though I can take a rough guess at that too) and know that this job is only for first semester of university this year. All that is fine. I don't mind being on vacation indefinitely but I do mind not being a productive citizen. So, I am enrolled at university this year with the aim of getting a qualification that will actually get me a job.

One problem with the university thing though is that the head of the program has gone on his vacation for that summer or is doing research overseas for the summer or something. So, my actual course of study for the year is still largely unconfirmed too. I know what half of what I am doing is: classes! The other half might be more classes but it might also be research, I have no idea.

Another maaaaajor problem that I am having at the moment is that there is static on my parents' phone line. BOTH lines running into our house have static on them. The line was switched the other day but still the same problem. It has taken 3 months for the company to even come out and have a look at it much less fix it, which they thought they had done but clearly have not. This problem causes us to be online then offline then online then offline in a way that my mother says she never even experienced living in a much less developed country.

Going from super fast fibre optic internet to the much slower internet in NZ that has data caps has been hard enough but to annoy other people because the line maintenance hasn't been done for years seemingly is not good.

Sorry if you see me popping up online then offline then online then offline then online then offline all day. It's not my fault. Sorry sorry.

Oops this has been a bit ranty. My apologies.

Anyway, I am freaking out that it's February already. How about you?

5 months back... do I regret it?

Happy New Year! Hello 2011!

A dear friend of mine asked me just now whether or not I am happy being home in New Zealand rather than still teaching in Japan on the JET Programme.

The straight answer is sometimes.

There are times when I miss my students. There are times when I miss employment. There are times when I miss my all time favorite restaurant in the world. But I know that I have made the best move I could have possibly made at the time.

Sure the economy is still at the bottom of the longest long drop toilet since the 1930s. Sure my mother and I do what mother and daughter do when adult daughter moves home sometimes. Sure I've gained a small amount of fat thanks to over indulgence in food that I missed while in Japan. Sure it's hard to get some of the Japanese foods that I sorely miss. BUT the future is in my hands and there have been a lot of awesome things about home that I am going to share now.

1. I am enrolled (I think) in my Masters of Environmental Management which will take me until the end of next year to finish. I took one class in the second semester of 2010. I learned a lot about myself and my country through that class and got some high praise from some people well worth knowing.

2. I might be unemployed but I am unemployed in the most beautiful country in the world that nothing can compare to. I am also unemployed in the lucky country where the government helps you out while you are unemployed.

3. I've put some tentative plans together for the future.

4. My sister is getting married in August and being a distance learning student I am guaranteed to be able to go.

5. English TV and English books.

6. Libraries full of English books!

7. Feta Cheese

8. Salad greens.

9. Mum's oven!

10. Space! My garden!

11. Family [please note this is in no particular order!]

12. My furry friends.

13. My human friends.

14. Clean beaches safe to swim at within walking distance.

15. Coffee!

Friends of my parents who are employers have looked at my CV and have told me that having lived overseas is good. I've had 4 job interviews in 4 months. I don't think that's bad in the current economy. I don't mind those rejections. I would mind if I did not have this awesome plan B that I am following through on.

For me this move has been tough but it has not been a bad move at all. The sooner I get my masters and work experience in my chosen field the better and coming home when I did helped to kick start that.

I'm a bit bored at the moment which is certainly not a good thing. I reminds me of why I don't want to just sit around being unemployed and I am excited about starting back to university proper in February. In the meantime the hunt for a part time job has begun.

So to sum up, I don't regret it, no.

Home 4 months and ...

It's been a long time since I have written here. I do apologise, I've been a bit busy.

I've been home for a little over four months now. After finishing up in Takaoka I went to Nagasaki for three days of what turned out to be a lot of soul searching. During that time my sister got engaged to her boyfriend and announced that in 2011 I am going to be doing some traveling that I had not budgeted for.

Nagasaki proved to be an overwhelmingly awesome time for me. Three days of touristing, traveling and learning about the history of Japan's international involvement left me wanting more. I am now watching my way through Ryomaden thanks to dramacrazy.net. Ryomaden is about Sakamoto Ryoma and his involvement in kickstarting the Meiji Restoration a lot of which was sparked in Nagasaki.

Nagasaki made me realise my own mortality too and how important it is to be prepared to lay your life down for whatever cause you are involved with, be that your hobbies, your city, your country or your own spirituality. The place was full of stories of passionate people who died doing what they loved, fighting for their freedom or simply loving where they are from. It was really powerful for me to be there and become more and more connected to Japan through knowledge of its history and I have been doing a lot more of that since I have been home too.

After Nagasaki I stayed with my host family just outside of Osaka in Nara Prefecture. That was a really special time too and I learned a lot. They gave me so much from taking me to Ise to helping me cancel my cellphone which was a disaster and something I am still working on. Softbank and any other telco must be treated with distrust in my opinion. But my host family helped me to see some more of the history of Kansai and to really enjoy Osaka for my last few days in Japan. It was a really special time and I don't think I will ever forget it. In fact I don't see myself forgetting Japan any time soon to be honest. The JET Programme was totally worth it!

I came home and quickly got into my studies. During my last month in Japan I started a post graduate diploma in Environmental Management with the first class I took being Maori Values and Resource Management. That class was one of the best I have ever taken and made me feel so much more connected to the place I am from.

I have caught up with friends from intermediate school, high school and university. Not mention reconnecting with my mother's side of the family which has been really cool since I am by far the youngest cousin. I am definitely looking forward to more time with friends and family as I settle into whatever it is I am meant to do.

I have also been job hunting with 4 interviews in 4 months and not one of them accepting me which is actually fine because I think the universe is pointing me down a path which is ultimately going to give me a career that I can be completely passionate about and give me all to. The last thing I want out of life is to be doing something that I don't actually care about.

More about what I plan to do in 2011 closer to 2011. It's not set in stone yet.

Have a lovely day!

Raewyn

My trip to surprise my mother.

Over the weekend I went to Tokyo. In the process I popped off to New Zealand for a party.

It all started in July last year when I was in the UK visiting my sister. She told me that she had been speaking to Dad and that she was going to go home for Mum’s 60^th birthday and not tell Mum. Here’s me thinking ‘now how the heck is this going to work? We’re not known for our ability to not tell each other things like this.’ She also suggested that I come too. So, I paid off my credit card in over time and in January I booked it. Home for 2 days with a day either side of the flying in Tokyo.

On Thursday evening last week I made my way to Tokyo. Spent the night in a lovely hostel in Asakusa then spent Friday in Ikebukuro with my friend who used to stay with my family in New Zealand when she was an international student at another school. We visited Sunshine City and Toyota’s show room.

In Sunshine City we went to Namja Town which is owned by Namco and houses Ice Cream City, Gyoza Stadium and a fantastic curry restaurant that has Miracle Fruit (I’m going back just for some of that because I couldn’t afford it this time!). Ice Cream City is home to many many different, and we’re talking really different, flavours of ice cream. I decided to try Charcoal Ice Cream. It was actually quite nice. Tasted more of less like normal ice cream just with a bit of a gritty after taste. We also encountered a place called Restaurant Napalm. I told my friend that I thought it was rather offensive and she reminded me that the Japanese don’t tend to understand why these things are offensive. I wanted to ask her what she would think of someone calling a Japanese restaurant in the West ‘Genbaku’ (atomic bomb) but I thought it might be pushing it and this was the first time I had seen her in 10 years ish. Things like that can be somewhat awkward when it comes to cultural understanding.

The Toyota showroom was enlightening. It looks like most of their new models are going to be hybrid. I hope they’ve fixed the ‘acceleration issue’.

At the top of Sunshine City was an observation deck. It was fantastic. We could see the whole of Tokyo and maybe caught a glimpse of Mt Fuji in shadow. It wasn’t quite clear enough so we don’t quite know.

At 8pm on Friday evening my flight took off from Narita. 15 hours later, at 3pm New Zealand time I arrived Auckland. I was met by, dun dun dunnnnnn, an alarm going off in the customs area resulting in the backing up of 5 flights worth of passengers. I eventually got through customs and immigration after finding out that my luggage was sent to a different carousel to the one on the board and found my sister and former neighbours who were waiting patiently in the arrivals area for me.

We made our way home where the neighbours told Mum that they had brought the pot plants (or potted plants for those of you who think a pot plant is a certain type of not so legal plant) and could she come and help get them out of the car. My sister and I had slunk right down in the back seat. When she opened the back door we popped up and she got the shock of her life. She was rendered completely speechless and may well have been shaking. The whole thing was beyond belief for her. Especially having received some amazing cupcakes from us saying that were were sorry we couldn't be there in the morning.

We had a dinner of fish and chips and curry from the shops up the road and the lady who runs the fish and chip shop called me crazy. After dinner we watched the two NZ teams playing in the Super 14 get beaten by a South African team and an Australian team, both were good games, though. We were all exhausted by the whole big surprise so we went to bed reasonably early.

Sunday was Mum’s actual birthday so we took our time getting up and had pancakes for brunch. Dad and my sister went off to the new local mall, that my sister had yet to ever set foot in, while Mum and I sorted out the 17.8kg of random unnecessary stuff for storage until I get back. In the afternoon a host of people that Dad had invited on the quiet came over to wish Mum happy birthday. Including my uncle and his wife who had thrown her off the scent by calling to wish her happy birthday in the morning before driving up to celebrate with us. They had in fact been in the same crush as me at the airport the day before but they were in the front and I was in the back, most annoying and interesting.

It was really good to talk to a bunch of different people who have lived overseas and what not about the feelings that I have been having towards Japan at the moment. I think it’s been interesting here and my family friends were able to recognize that in what I was saying to them. However, elements of being here are starting to wear thin and that’s how I know it’s time to go home. That and the fact that I didn’t want to leave to come back to Japan on Monday morning.

Arriving in Japan on Monday night was good though. Free Japanese style curry at the hotel I stayed in at the airport! Also internet, to help me plan my day on Tuesday before cruising back to Takaoka.

I popped into Akihabara briefly before realizing that it’s not really where my interest lies with Tokyo. Then I popped into Shinjuku before realizing that the store I wanted to go to was in Shibuya. Then I found out that I didn’t need to go all the way to Shibuya if only I waited until the next time I can get to Kanazawa. YAY! Lush has finally opened in the Hokuriku!

I am now back. I am exhausted. The whole thing feels like a dream, but it was most certainly worth it!

Mum received the letter that I wrote to her and sent for arrival after I left on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning (one of the two) and she is apparently very pleased by it. As a result of this whole trip I am marginally refreshed and ready to face the next 4 weeks of work before KOREA! Roll on Korea!!!

What’s important???

What is important in life?

No really, what is important in life?

I live in Japan. My family and a large proportion of my friends, family and others I care about live in New Zealand. In Japan, I often feel isolated. In the two weeks I just spent in NZ I, as previously mentioned, had the chance to catch up with a lot of people that I care deeply about. For the next 8 months I am really going to miss those people!

The times I spent with them got me thinking, on the plane this morning, about what I consider important in my life.

For me, every day interactions are important. The smile on my Dad’s face, for example, when he’s laughing at me for being grumpy with Mum. The calming hug Mum gave me at the airport when I was incredibly grumpy this morning. The happiness in the voice of my friend when she tells me she’s heading off to see someone she really needs to see in another country all of a sudden. The teasing that can only come from a friend who knows you really well. The chat with the smiley shop assistant at Duty Free when you’re buying your (less) expensive (than usual) perfume. The shocked look on your friend’s son’s face when you tell him to wait in his mummy’s language that stops him from running off in a crowded mall.

What’s important to me sits in how people interact, connect and communicate. It’s in the good things we can all share. The impact we can have on each other’s lives. It doesn’t sit in the sheer amount of junk I’ve managed to accumulate. Nor does it sit in the, oh so desirable, plum wine (umeshuu). It’s about interaction. About the every day run of the mill human interaction. About the kindness of others etc etc etc. It may even be about people watching. Am sitting in a cafe in an airport right now watching 20 or 30 different people all interacting with their traveling companion and it is just fascinating, even the bored people look engaged some how. It's great.

Of course it also sits in my cat, who has been my best friend for 14 years, shoving his nose in my face in the middle of the night and demanding that I get out of bed and give his self feeder a good shake even though he can get the food out himself with the right flick of a paw. Having George’s wet nose purring in my face while he paws my cheek is pure joy! I’m going to miss that fur ball!

Have you figured out my New Year’s Resolution yet???

For those that are struggling, I’ll give you a hint, it includes the words “interaction” and “meaningful”.

Love and hugs all round.

Raewyn

New Zealand is more beautiful than I remember.

Hi all,

Happy New Year!!!

I'm in New Zealand at the moment and have been for the past 15 days. It's been fantastic!!!

Over the course of the last two weeks I've been reminded of how beautiful New Zealand is. Even Auckland, where I grew up and get horribly stressed out living for long periods of time, is spectacular. When the rain isn't hosing down down from the sky in Auckland it is amazing.

A friend of mine came and stayed at my parents' house during Christmas week and helped me open my eyes to how cool it can be. Auckland has sooo many beaches and so many free things to do that I had just completely forgotten about. Perhaps because the last time I spent any decent amount of time in Auckland I was still a self absorbed, must be entertained at all times, outdoors hating teenager, I had completely shunned Auckland and the stereotypical "Aucklander". However, I can now see Auckland as the spectacular part of the world that it is. I still don't want to live in Auckland but do think it's a really awesome place to visit. We went to a different beach every day and ate really tasty fish and chips almost every day for lunch, too. It was great!

The Coromandel, too, is really beautiful. I went down there with my dad to have lunch at my uncle's house and visit my grandparents' grave. It was a really lovely trip down here and I was once again reminded of how beautiful New Zealand can be.

In the week leading up to New Year I went to Wellington and stayed with my friend for a few days while I caught up with a whole bunch of people and reminded myself of why I love Wellington. It's just so chilled out there. The weather was great when I was there too (lucky!!!). Wellington has a really awesome culture and is remarkably easy to get around. It's definitely a part of the world that I want to live in!

The past few days I've managed to catch up with a few friends in Auckland and bought some things that I've been meaning to buy for quite some time. Am now all prepared to go back to Japan first thing in the morning.

I've really enjoyed my trip. Everyone I've spent time with has impacted me in a positive way and I feel like it's been important to spend time with each and every person that I've seen. I want to thank everyone for that. I feel as though this trip has sorted out a lot for me and I plan to make the rest of my time in Japan as awesome as this trip has been too.

And here's the photos!!!

Now, to get back to Japan, pay off the credit card, pay my parents back and start saving for what will probably be my return to NZ in late August 2010.

Have fun everyone!

Raewyn