Life lessons.
Hello again! I seem to be uploading a new post weekly at the moment, which is something I'm quite proud of actually. Today is officially the first of December! It's now officially acceptable, in my books, to bust out the Christmas tunes and put up the tree, although according to Japan it's been acceptable since the 1st of November. A touch too early for my liking, but we're now heading into a truly wonderful time of year. Need to start my Christmas shopping (probably going to be mostly Japanese souvenirs to take home to the family).
The end of the year is fast approaching and I wanted to touch on a few things I've learned and mistakes I've made this year, life lessons if you will. It's inevitable that you will make mistakes when you live abroad and learn a few lessons along the way, so here we go.
Check that you're getting on the right train! Luckily this hasn't happened to me too many times, but there have been times where I've gotten on a rapid or limited express train and it's bypassed my stop and I've had to get off and change to the local. Be very careful with this. Also make sure the train is going in the right direction. Try not to miss that last train home either...
Don't burn yourself out. Your physical and mental health and happiness should always be your number one priority, and if that means passing on a night out every now and again, then so be it. Make sure you're sleeping enough (I'm terrible at this one), eating enough fruit and vegetables, exercising somewhat regularly, and keeping on top of things household stuff like laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping. Keeping these things in check will help you feel like a more functioning human. This year I have sacrificed sleep and exercise on a few occasions and it definitely made me feel a lot less together. Those of you who knew me when I was at university will know that I was a gym freak, and loved getting up early to go to fitness classes. Coming to Japan has changed all of that, and I'm definitely not as strong or as fit as I was. A mistake I made was not joining a gym here when I arrived, but at the same time, I may not have started going to zumba here if I was already paying for a gym membership. I do miss gym fitness classes, especially pump, but I love my zumba classes and the people I've met through them.
Make time for those who really matter. When you're 9'412 kms away from home and there's a 3 or 4 hour time difference, you really have to make an effort to keep in touch with friends from home. You soon learn who's willing to keep in touch and who's not and you learn who your life long friends are. People come and go in your life, but there will be those who stick with you from thousands of kilometres away, and those are the ones you want to hold on to.
Big city life is not always all it's cracked up to be. Coming from a town of about 8'000 people to a city of over 10'000'000 was kind of insane. While I love having all the shops, restaurants and things to do I could ever want right on my doorstep, there are downsides. Crowded trains, crowded streets, longer commutes and a constant fast pace of life take their toll. People sometimes say to me, "You live in Tokyo, that's so cool!" Yeah, it is-most of the time-and I've fallen in love with this city, but sometimes it's just not. I crave going to my favourite walking tracks back home and feeling part of a community where everyone knows everyone and there's just a friendly atmosphere. It's very hard here to feel like you belong to a community when everyone is rushing around at a million miles an hour.
Sometimes it's the spontaneous outings that are the best. There have been a few times where I've been invited out unexpectedly at the last minute and those times turned into really fun, chill evenings. Last Wednesday night after work I ended up at Saizeriya, a chain Italian restaurant here, and had a really fun evening sharing too much cheap wine, lots of cheap pizza and pasta and a lot of laughs. So if you're feeling up to it, always say yes to those invites. You never know who you'll meet and the memories you'll take away from these nights unless you put yourself out there and go for it.
Do your research on places you're travelling and really try to find out about the history of where you're going. This will enrich the experience even more. I wish I'd done this before travelling to Kyoto. I would've understood a bit more about the historical sights I was visiting and the significance of them.
Setting goals is so important! When it comes to things like language learning, having something to work towards is so important for motivation. I started the year with a lot of motivation to study Japanese, and slowly but surely, this motivation has waned, and I think this is mainly because I haven't had a specific goal like the JLPT to work towards. The JLPT is the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and the levels go from N5-N1, with N5 being the lowest level. I feel like if I signed up to take this test, possibly at N5 or N4 level, I would have had a real reason to study hard, and my motivation would increase, so maybe next year I'll aim for N4? It would force me to improve my kanji that's for sure! However, my Japanese has come a long way from when I first arrived, so that's something I guess.
Do something creative to commemorate your time living or travelling abroad! For me, that has been this blog and regularly updating Facebook and Instagram with photos of my adventures. Doing this is like a time capsule and you can look back and reread past blog entries or look at old photos/videos to remember how you were feeling and what you were thinking and doing at the time. It's something I can look back on 10 years from now, hopefully with fondness, and remember the people I met and the things I did.
New Zealand politics at the moment is very progressive. I mean, I already kind of knew this before I came to Japan, but working with Americans and hearing from them the latest update on what Trump's planning next made me realise how lucky I am to come from such a progressive, liberal country. Also, hearing students say that Japan is run by old men just goes to show how behind the times Japanese politics and views on gender equality is. So thanks Jacinda. You da bomb.
Nowhere is perfect! You may think that your home country sucks and life would be better somewhere else, but the truth is there will be things that frustrate you no matter where you choose to live. For me, in New Zealand it was just being so isolated from the rest of the world that was kind of frustrating, and I was living in a small town where there were limited opportunities for jobs, socialising and meeting new people, and it just wasn't right for me at the age I am. In Japan, it's the behind the times attitudes towards things like gender equality, the lack of environmental awareness and oftentimes having to jump through a million hoops to do a seemingly simple task. However, the food here makes up for all of these things, because food is life. Travelling around Japan and seeing some beautiful scenery and historic sights that are unlike anywhere else also makes up for these flaws. In short, what I'm trying to say is the grass isn't always greener. You just have to deal with the frustrations and move on.
It's the people you meet and places you go that are the best things in life, not the things you own. It really is the people in your life who make it fun and shape who you are, not the things that you own, and the places you visit and choose to live truly do have a lasting impact on you. This is why I think travel is one of the best things you can do for personal growth. You meet people and see so many things you would never see if you stayed in your own corner of the world. There's a saying I love and it's "Life is a book and those who do not travel only read one page" and I think it's so true.
Nothing in life is permanent. Moving to another country seems like a big, scary thing to do, and I remember people saying to me before I left "you're so brave" or "are you scared?", but the reality is that it's probably not going to be a permanent thing. It could be, if you love it where you are enough, but it doesn't have to be. You have the power to change your life and do something crazy like moving halfway across the world if you want to, especially if you're young and have no ties. If things aren't going so well right, keep in mind that it's not forever, and it will pass. Bad times don't last forever, and life is too short not to do something crazy.
Moving somewhere new, where you know absolutely noone, you don't really know the language, and when you've never really done city life before was a big decision, but it was honestly one of the best things I've ever done. It was a chance to turn over a completely new leaf and really start a fresh. You learn to value friendships and lean on people other than your parents for moral support, and how to public transport. Learning how people in other countries think and behave and why is also eye opening. So many lessons that I've learned this year. How good! I feel like I've matured a lot this year in many ways, really come into my own and can return to NZ for a break in three weeks time and look at it with fresh eyes. It's only when you leave for an extended period of time that you can see where you come from with a new perspective. Looking forward to a dirty mince and cheese pie, all of the roast meals (mum and dad if you're reading hint hint), and seeing friendly, familiar faces. Laid back Kiwi vibes come at me!
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! And I'll be back soon with another post- will try to keep up the weekly thing, but may run out of steam, will see how it goes.
From Japan, with love,
Hannah. xx
The end of the year is fast approaching and I wanted to touch on a few things I've learned and mistakes I've made this year, life lessons if you will. It's inevitable that you will make mistakes when you live abroad and learn a few lessons along the way, so here we go.
Check that you're getting on the right train! Luckily this hasn't happened to me too many times, but there have been times where I've gotten on a rapid or limited express train and it's bypassed my stop and I've had to get off and change to the local. Be very careful with this. Also make sure the train is going in the right direction. Try not to miss that last train home either...
Don't burn yourself out. Your physical and mental health and happiness should always be your number one priority, and if that means passing on a night out every now and again, then so be it. Make sure you're sleeping enough (I'm terrible at this one), eating enough fruit and vegetables, exercising somewhat regularly, and keeping on top of things household stuff like laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping. Keeping these things in check will help you feel like a more functioning human. This year I have sacrificed sleep and exercise on a few occasions and it definitely made me feel a lot less together. Those of you who knew me when I was at university will know that I was a gym freak, and loved getting up early to go to fitness classes. Coming to Japan has changed all of that, and I'm definitely not as strong or as fit as I was. A mistake I made was not joining a gym here when I arrived, but at the same time, I may not have started going to zumba here if I was already paying for a gym membership. I do miss gym fitness classes, especially pump, but I love my zumba classes and the people I've met through them.
Make time for those who really matter. When you're 9'412 kms away from home and there's a 3 or 4 hour time difference, you really have to make an effort to keep in touch with friends from home. You soon learn who's willing to keep in touch and who's not and you learn who your life long friends are. People come and go in your life, but there will be those who stick with you from thousands of kilometres away, and those are the ones you want to hold on to.
Big city life is not always all it's cracked up to be. Coming from a town of about 8'000 people to a city of over 10'000'000 was kind of insane. While I love having all the shops, restaurants and things to do I could ever want right on my doorstep, there are downsides. Crowded trains, crowded streets, longer commutes and a constant fast pace of life take their toll. People sometimes say to me, "You live in Tokyo, that's so cool!" Yeah, it is-most of the time-and I've fallen in love with this city, but sometimes it's just not. I crave going to my favourite walking tracks back home and feeling part of a community where everyone knows everyone and there's just a friendly atmosphere. It's very hard here to feel like you belong to a community when everyone is rushing around at a million miles an hour.
Sometimes it's the spontaneous outings that are the best. There have been a few times where I've been invited out unexpectedly at the last minute and those times turned into really fun, chill evenings. Last Wednesday night after work I ended up at Saizeriya, a chain Italian restaurant here, and had a really fun evening sharing too much cheap wine, lots of cheap pizza and pasta and a lot of laughs. So if you're feeling up to it, always say yes to those invites. You never know who you'll meet and the memories you'll take away from these nights unless you put yourself out there and go for it.
Do your research on places you're travelling and really try to find out about the history of where you're going. This will enrich the experience even more. I wish I'd done this before travelling to Kyoto. I would've understood a bit more about the historical sights I was visiting and the significance of them.
Setting goals is so important! When it comes to things like language learning, having something to work towards is so important for motivation. I started the year with a lot of motivation to study Japanese, and slowly but surely, this motivation has waned, and I think this is mainly because I haven't had a specific goal like the JLPT to work towards. The JLPT is the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and the levels go from N5-N1, with N5 being the lowest level. I feel like if I signed up to take this test, possibly at N5 or N4 level, I would have had a real reason to study hard, and my motivation would increase, so maybe next year I'll aim for N4? It would force me to improve my kanji that's for sure! However, my Japanese has come a long way from when I first arrived, so that's something I guess.
Do something creative to commemorate your time living or travelling abroad! For me, that has been this blog and regularly updating Facebook and Instagram with photos of my adventures. Doing this is like a time capsule and you can look back and reread past blog entries or look at old photos/videos to remember how you were feeling and what you were thinking and doing at the time. It's something I can look back on 10 years from now, hopefully with fondness, and remember the people I met and the things I did.
New Zealand politics at the moment is very progressive. I mean, I already kind of knew this before I came to Japan, but working with Americans and hearing from them the latest update on what Trump's planning next made me realise how lucky I am to come from such a progressive, liberal country. Also, hearing students say that Japan is run by old men just goes to show how behind the times Japanese politics and views on gender equality is. So thanks Jacinda. You da bomb.
Nowhere is perfect! You may think that your home country sucks and life would be better somewhere else, but the truth is there will be things that frustrate you no matter where you choose to live. For me, in New Zealand it was just being so isolated from the rest of the world that was kind of frustrating, and I was living in a small town where there were limited opportunities for jobs, socialising and meeting new people, and it just wasn't right for me at the age I am. In Japan, it's the behind the times attitudes towards things like gender equality, the lack of environmental awareness and oftentimes having to jump through a million hoops to do a seemingly simple task. However, the food here makes up for all of these things, because food is life. Travelling around Japan and seeing some beautiful scenery and historic sights that are unlike anywhere else also makes up for these flaws. In short, what I'm trying to say is the grass isn't always greener. You just have to deal with the frustrations and move on.
It's the people you meet and places you go that are the best things in life, not the things you own. It really is the people in your life who make it fun and shape who you are, not the things that you own, and the places you visit and choose to live truly do have a lasting impact on you. This is why I think travel is one of the best things you can do for personal growth. You meet people and see so many things you would never see if you stayed in your own corner of the world. There's a saying I love and it's "Life is a book and those who do not travel only read one page" and I think it's so true.
Nothing in life is permanent. Moving to another country seems like a big, scary thing to do, and I remember people saying to me before I left "you're so brave" or "are you scared?", but the reality is that it's probably not going to be a permanent thing. It could be, if you love it where you are enough, but it doesn't have to be. You have the power to change your life and do something crazy like moving halfway across the world if you want to, especially if you're young and have no ties. If things aren't going so well right, keep in mind that it's not forever, and it will pass. Bad times don't last forever, and life is too short not to do something crazy.
Moving somewhere new, where you know absolutely noone, you don't really know the language, and when you've never really done city life before was a big decision, but it was honestly one of the best things I've ever done. It was a chance to turn over a completely new leaf and really start a fresh. You learn to value friendships and lean on people other than your parents for moral support, and how to public transport. Learning how people in other countries think and behave and why is also eye opening. So many lessons that I've learned this year. How good! I feel like I've matured a lot this year in many ways, really come into my own and can return to NZ for a break in three weeks time and look at it with fresh eyes. It's only when you leave for an extended period of time that you can see where you come from with a new perspective. Looking forward to a dirty mince and cheese pie, all of the roast meals (mum and dad if you're reading hint hint), and seeing friendly, familiar faces. Laid back Kiwi vibes come at me!
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! And I'll be back soon with another post- will try to keep up the weekly thing, but may run out of steam, will see how it goes.
From Japan, with love,
Hannah. xx
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