WTF, right? I'm in this crazy new country and not posting anything!? So many of you have been eager to hear all about my new life in Japan and new job teaching English. Sorry dudes.Honestly - I kind of feel like I don't have anything exciting enough to say. So I haven't really said anything.Japan is a cool country, but I don't live in a place like you're probably picturing. I live in a city of 60,000 people, which is straight up middle-of-nowhere by Japanese standards. There's a train to a ...
Life
Apps to Help You Save Time
With a new job in a new country that has a lot of expectations on my 'free' time outside of work (ie. it's not really that free...) I'm all about anything that can save me a few minutes here or there. Those add up quickly! I've been working freelance for so long that I forgot about having to stick to regular office hours, and in a country like Japan that assumes every household has a wife available to go run all the daily errands between 9am and 3pm on weekdays (those are legitimately the bank ...
Stop Calling it a Jamaican Accent (Dear Islanders: I’m Sorry)
My diver is yelling at me."Rika! Rika! He has such a strong Jamaican accent, I can't understand what he's saying! Rika, what did he say to me?"I instantly cringe and throw profuse apologies with my eyes at my boat captain, who lets out a weary sigh, rolls his eyes, giggles, and continues helping my diver with his gear. This is his daily life on an island full of people who just don't understand.it was not any of these divers :)I heard things like this every day on ...
The JET Programme: From Arrival to Tokyo Orientation
Ok, this is the last one in this trilogy series - see The JET Programme: From Application to Acceptance and The JET Programme: From Pre-departure to Departure for parts one and two. Please keep in mind while reading that I'm a Canadian from the Vancouver consulate - until you leave your home country, things vary by consulate. Once you get to Tokyo though, everyone's in the same boat until departure day to your prefecture.This one is all about the most exciting part - getting here!We left ...
Month 49 Roundup
Well hi! This post is coming to you live from steamy, humid, scorching Japan. Seriously, this country should be illegal in the summer. And I'm trying to be real respectful of local customs, but it's getting a bit much to not be allowed to wear tank tops or anything above the bottom of my knees when AC seems to be 'optional' (ie. NONE) in so many places, including schools. I have retreated to the air-conditioned cave that is my house, and while I wish I didn't have to come out until October.... ...
Where Does Wanderlust Start?
When I was seven, I was enamored with a book series in my school library. There was a whole shelf of tiny yellow-bound books that detailed an adventure, and every book was a different destination. They were old - maybe from the 60s or 70s? - but I loved them. I was just a little kid living in Nova Scotia, and I had already moved three times from the west coast of Canada to the prairies and then out to the east coast. When you're a military brat, you get used to having a new home in a new city ...
Homesick for Somewhere That’s Not ‘Home’
I am a crier. People who know me, know this. I cry in children's movies (Finding Nemo is a nightmare for me), I cry when I see cute old couples on the train, I cry when adorable fluffy puppies clamber up my legs, I cry at all the images on the news of war-torn countries and shell-shocked kids. I am a crier. Do not play that goddamn Sarah McLaughlin SPCA commercial around me.I also recently found out that I cry when I'm homesick. I have never been homesick before, so this one is new to me. When ...
You Might as Well Dance
One thing I want aspiring or incoming JET participants to know is this: you need to show up in this country with your A-game, because more often than not, you are expected to head straight into an onslaught of activities upon arriving...jet lag, lack of sleep, churned-up digestive system, and culture shock be damned. I was lucky that I didn't feel much of these (maybe lack of sleep), though my comrades certainly did. The biggest struggle for me was that I am used to SO much time alone, and SO ...
Month 48 Roundup: FOUR YEARS!
If you would have told me four years ago as I got on a plane to Roatan that this roundup would be coming to you from Japan, I probably would have laughed in your face, got a little wistful, and gone back to filling out my dive log.I never thought I would be on Roatan for four years, and I certainly never thought I'd be in Japan now. But I'm so, so happy for both of those things. I'm here in Naruto and slowly trying to settle into my apartment, my job, and my new time zone. I'm a little sick ...
Konnichiwa Bitches: Hello from Japan
Just a post to say... I MADE IT. Hello from Shinjuku, Tokyo! I'm eating everything. I'll have more to tell you all soon.It's muggy and humid and roasting hot. It makes me miss Roatan. I don't want to put my suit on, but work is work. What a funny feeling it is to wake up in a new world to your new life. Bring it, Japan.Guys, make sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter ... there's lots of extras posted there that don't make it onto the blog. I also have Google+ if ...