the last couple weeks have been some of the most difficult for me since coming here. i was tired of japanese custom and tradition, job satisfaction was at an all time low, i miss my loved ones in canada and the loneliness that is the japanese countryside was getting to me. i seriously considered leaving and even applied for jobs back in canada. the last couple weeks have seen a profound improvement though.
normally drab and ugly japan has been decorated with cherry blossoms in a way i have never seen before. although i had a slightly cynical obsession with them early on, i feel i now appreciate their beauty much more and am excited for this weekend when they will finally bloom in aizu (cherry blossom season is planned here with frightening accuracy!!).
school was really starting to get on my nerves. after two weeks off for spring break i was back to the routine, and what a routine it is. schools here are absolutely obsessed with ceremony. a ceremony in japan is not like a ceremony anywhere else simply because of the rigid formalities the students, teachers, parents and spectators must endure. bow, sing, introduction, speech, introduction, bow, sing, bow, sit, stand, bow, repeat... ive had enough!!! as a foreigner not properly introduced to this and having no idea what's going on most of the time i found these to be incredibly draining. it seems like ceremony season has ended for a little while now so that huge aspect of my dissatisfaction is over!
today was also the first time i have been the central topic of discussion at school lunch since my arrival. most of the time while we're eating lunch i sit there in silence while everyone else converses in japanese and i have no idea whats going on. but today, with the help of my vice-principal (who is quite worldly, even living in thailand) and tomoko sensei (who learnt english at a private school as an adult and is quite good at it) all that changed. we had hamburgers and everyone became quite interested in what i and other canadians eat! it's always really funny when you tell them that you eat cereal or toast for breakfast since a typical japanese breakfast is filled with rice, miso soup and other hot dishes! it was really nice to be included and for the other teachers who dont speak english to communicate with me with all the english they know and even laugh at my jokes!
japan is a place of extreme highs and lows and you just roll with the punches and move along. i'm glad to have such good friends here and such supportive people back home. thanks everyone :)
No comments:
Post a Comment