Things I Learn

Wow, I am learning, a lot. Well, I came to Japan to learn about myself, and now that's what I'm doing.

One thing I learned: despite my conception of myself as an even-keeled person, I can be incredibly stubborn.

Another thing I learned tonight: the advice phone lines in place for JETs are actually amazing. Initially, I didn't feel any sort of connection to them and put them out of my head. "If I need help, I'll ask my family, not one of these random white guys who probably can't even relate to me." But, upon the suggestion of a friend and mentor, and in light of my living situation, I tried calling two of the lines tonight and found myself immediately lifted to a new level of lightness. No, my situation is not uncommon; living accomodations are actually one of the most widely called in problems. The guy who answered the first line said he even had a friend who had to move five times in two years. Just bad luck. Well. Wow.

I feel more like I can go through with this now, and hold onto my guns. As the girl who answered the second line said, you need that space to return back to, in which to feel comfortable and safe, no matter how the day was. Especially when you're trying to survive in (rural) Japan. And yeah, maybe that is enough of a reason to move out of your house. In addition to the build-up of black mold in your kitchen walls and water-marked ceiling, leaks in your roof, ocassional sewage backup in the toilet, and finding your hung-up laundry, papers left on desks, and blankets all quite a bit wetter than when you left them.

I wonder how I didn't do anything about this earlier. The mind is a crazy and very interesting thing. Very. Very interesting. Well, here's to a new start! This next seven months are going to be amazing.