It's Friday night, which must mean... I'm sitting at home at my computer alone- Kaz is exhausted and thus already asleep. Married life really can make a person boring I guess.
Today was my last day of the trimester at Kanki Junior High. Although I'll be back in January, I was asked to give a brief speech to the fellow teachers and students- why? Strange I think. Still stranger though: I asked if it was OK to leave a few things in my desk for the 2 months I'll be away- things like tea bags and hard candies- and I was told that that was prob not a good idea as who knows what could happen to them...?! What? Is there some crazy tea bag snatcher amongst the teachers??! Well, seeing how they crowd around a fresh pot of green tea, I guess it may be possible ;-)
After getting home, I did give in to what has recently become a bad habit of mine (again!)- i.e. a nap. I think naps can be great- really refreshing and healthy- when they are taken at decent times (around 1-3p), but taking a nap at say, 7p is prob not the best thing. What's a girl to do? I don't get home until 6 and am utterly exhausted from my commute. I try to read, but eventually I doze off. How does one break this evil (and yet so nice) cycle?! I thought having a snack would help, as it gives me energy, but no luck. So now not only do I take late naps, but I do so right after eating- not the best habit for someone wanting to lose weight...
So being the fantastic wife that I am, tonight's dinner consisted of... pre-cooked food from the grocery store deli!! haha I was too tired after my nap and couldn't think of anything to cook anyway, so when Kaz got home we went shopping for dinner. I ended up with spaghetti and a Caesar salad and Kaz had udon noodles and sushi- i.e. we were both happy, the westerner eating western food and the Japanese eating Japanese food! And for only $10! To be honest, I'd have to say food is prob the biggest issue Kaz and I have. Not that we fight over it, but that it's so hard to choose something we both want. Yes I like Japanese food, but everything in Japan is Japanese in some way, including Western food (can you say, corn, potato, and MAYONNAISE pizza?!!) I do get tired of it and sometimes just want something that resembles home food. Kaz on the other hand loves Japanese food (obviously) and always wants to eat noodles or rice- he's not a big fan of Western food for the most part (although he does manage to eat what I cook- what a sweetie!) So we either end up like tonight, eating totally different things, or I cook a mixture of things we like. We do go out to eat, but that generally means one of us will be eating something they don't really want (that person btw is usually Kaz...)
After work tomorrow (I work at an English Saturday school for elementary school kids from 10-2) I'm wondering what to do with myself. Kaz once again has work all weekend (he'll get home around 9p tomorrow). Going shopping is tempting, but we really need to save, and besides I hate going shopping alone. I'll prob be at home, reading and checking out the internet. Wish me luck in one day finding a life... lol
Welcome all you fujin and shujin out there!
Yokoso y'all and thanks for stopping by! I'm new to this blog thing and welcome all comments, questions, and general advice on making this a fun place to visit~~ domo domo !!!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
So I've finally decided to start a blog...
Wow! My first ever blog entry- I'm actually a bit nervous. I'm not sure if anyone will ever actually read this, but if you are, thank you!
I guess I decided to write this for tons of reasons, a big one being because I would like to reconnect with people back home. I want to share with you my daily (ummm... let's go for weekly ;-)) adventures. Not to say my life is so full of adventures, just that I don't think many people can really understand what life is like over here in Japan. After 5 years, I'm over the culture shock and the touristy feelings- Japan is now home (hopefully not forever though), and many things that have become 'normal' for me are probably bewildering to some of you. So when you have time, come visit my blog and learn what my life over here is really like!
Today was a productive day, mentally speaking. After my two classes (busy day! ha) I hung around the computers all day. My current school is so annoying: they have 3 computers hooked up to the Internet for 50 teachers! That's right, FIFTY! (In Japan all the teachers work together in one huge room, 'The Staff Room'- they don't have their own classrooms and thus no privacy or quiet time, EVER!) Of course some teachers bring their own laptops, but many don't, and I'm not about to jostle my raggedy old machine on my 30-min bike rides to school! But today I was able to snatch a computer, ALL DAY! I could see the teachers hanging around me, waiting for the chance for me to go to the printer, or better yet, the bathroom, but I never gave in!
After finding a few ideas on teaching "Where is...?" to my first years, I decided to search grad school programs. I've been thinking about grad school for a long time, but financial issues have kept me from applying. Also for the longest time I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to study- so many things seemed interesting! But recently I came across a program in 'sustainable international development' (SID) and it's perfect! I'm so, so, so happy to have finally found something I love and that really calls to me (if you understand what I'm getting at) It's a program focusing on development economics and policies to help world's disadvantaged now while not threatening their future. I'm sure many of you know that I went on a volunteer trip to India a few years back and since that time I decided that helping people is what I want to do with my life. With this program, I'll finally know how to do just that!
So I've found the program of study, now to find a school. I would like one that has a good and supportive program, but I also have to be able to afford it somehow. Those two requirements, and that fact that SID is still a relatively new discipline, mean that finding a school isn't as easy as I'd hoped. So far Brandeis U, American U, and my Alma Mater George Washington U seem perfect and I may just apply to all three. Of course the money issue comes up, because all these programs are crazy expensive, so I'm going to keep looking. I'm also considering getting my degree abroad, in Australia, here in Japan, or I'm even thinking of India, but only if they have good programs.
To be honest it's really difficult doing all this over here. Basics like taking the GRE become difficult (I have to wait until February to take it), not to mention trying to get letters of recommendation, in English! No one really understands the whole process. But even worse, after being here for over 5 years, I realize that even I may need some work to sell myself. I've become so used to being humble and talking down myself that trying to write a strong letter of intent is a real challenge!! Plus speaking only Japanese and very simple English every single day, has really killed my vocabulary (I'm currently reading the classics in an effort to improve that though...) I've got a lot of work to do before I can get this butt back in school!
I guess I decided to write this for tons of reasons, a big one being because I would like to reconnect with people back home. I want to share with you my daily (ummm... let's go for weekly ;-)) adventures. Not to say my life is so full of adventures, just that I don't think many people can really understand what life is like over here in Japan. After 5 years, I'm over the culture shock and the touristy feelings- Japan is now home (hopefully not forever though), and many things that have become 'normal' for me are probably bewildering to some of you. So when you have time, come visit my blog and learn what my life over here is really like!
Today was a productive day, mentally speaking. After my two classes (busy day! ha) I hung around the computers all day. My current school is so annoying: they have 3 computers hooked up to the Internet for 50 teachers! That's right, FIFTY! (In Japan all the teachers work together in one huge room, 'The Staff Room'- they don't have their own classrooms and thus no privacy or quiet time, EVER!) Of course some teachers bring their own laptops, but many don't, and I'm not about to jostle my raggedy old machine on my 30-min bike rides to school! But today I was able to snatch a computer, ALL DAY! I could see the teachers hanging around me, waiting for the chance for me to go to the printer, or better yet, the bathroom, but I never gave in!
After finding a few ideas on teaching "Where is...?" to my first years, I decided to search grad school programs. I've been thinking about grad school for a long time, but financial issues have kept me from applying. Also for the longest time I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to study- so many things seemed interesting! But recently I came across a program in 'sustainable international development' (SID) and it's perfect! I'm so, so, so happy to have finally found something I love and that really calls to me (if you understand what I'm getting at) It's a program focusing on development economics and policies to help world's disadvantaged now while not threatening their future. I'm sure many of you know that I went on a volunteer trip to India a few years back and since that time I decided that helping people is what I want to do with my life. With this program, I'll finally know how to do just that!
So I've found the program of study, now to find a school. I would like one that has a good and supportive program, but I also have to be able to afford it somehow. Those two requirements, and that fact that SID is still a relatively new discipline, mean that finding a school isn't as easy as I'd hoped. So far Brandeis U, American U, and my Alma Mater George Washington U seem perfect and I may just apply to all three. Of course the money issue comes up, because all these programs are crazy expensive, so I'm going to keep looking. I'm also considering getting my degree abroad, in Australia, here in Japan, or I'm even thinking of India, but only if they have good programs.
To be honest it's really difficult doing all this over here. Basics like taking the GRE become difficult (I have to wait until February to take it), not to mention trying to get letters of recommendation, in English! No one really understands the whole process. But even worse, after being here for over 5 years, I realize that even I may need some work to sell myself. I've become so used to being humble and talking down myself that trying to write a strong letter of intent is a real challenge!! Plus speaking only Japanese and very simple English every single day, has really killed my vocabulary (I'm currently reading the classics in an effort to improve that though...) I've got a lot of work to do before I can get this butt back in school!
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