Where I'm At
You know, I really do mean to update this blog more than once a week, but all my computer time has recently been taken up by Warcraft 3. A testament to the greatness of said game, as I beat it years ago and still get totally addicted to it again.
Otherwise, life goes on. I got a job, kinda. It's Tuesdays at a kindergarten out in the countryside. Great kids, easy work, good pay. The downer is that it's way the hell out there. We're taking just over an hour commute time, meaning that I'm up at the ungodly hour of 7:15. But the transportation money is comped and I get to take in more Japanese scenery.
The company that hired me mentioned the possibility of another position opening soon as well. If so, I think I'd be able to make enough to live, working only two days a week. Sweet!
Of course, this requires a slight (massive) cut in my living expenses. No worries, I'm moving. My capoeira instuctor needs someone to fill an empty room in his apartment, splitting the $700 rent. That'll cut my rent almost in half, as well as nearly eliminating a lot of my bills. It'll also save me tons of time going to and from the gym, as it's in the same building. Bonus, pretty much all my friends live there too. It'll be like college all over again, without the studying.
Speaking of college all over again, I did a few days temping at Kinki (say it!) University. They have this English conversation cafe in one of the student unions and needed someone to fill in for another teacher. It was probably the best job I've ever had. Since the school is about 99.9% Japanese, the students don't have much chance to interact with foreigners. This is a real problem for English and international students, as they don't get the opportunity to apply what they study. So the school goes and hires a few native speakers to come and run an English conversation group. The pay isn't much, maybe $15/hr, but the work is so easy. Just sit around and bullshit with a bunch of college kids. No students? Talk to the other teachers, read a magazine, eat, whatever. The kids are ace at hacky-sack too, they spend hours out playing in the bitter cold. It's just like being back at UF, killing time on campus between classes. Hopefully they'll offer me a regular position there, then it's frisbee all day!
Looking to the future, I'm working on a trip home. It seems the first week of May is some crazy world event now. Here in Japan, it's Golden Week. That's a string of public holidays that gives everyone the week off. Mad travel season, ticket prices are through the roof. But this is when I wanna go, because back home it's graduation time. I'm looking to partake of the festivities with my dear friends at UF and my other dear friends in Capoeira Brasil. Not to mention trying drag a bunch of my Japanese friends back to Florida with me; they could use the experience. In any event, it looks like tickets are in the $800 range. Ouch. I coulda sworn last time I went home it was only like $650. Oh well, such is the price of globe trotting.
You know, I really do mean to update this blog more than once a week, but all my computer time has recently been taken up by Warcraft 3. A testament to the greatness of said game, as I beat it years ago and still get totally addicted to it again.
Otherwise, life goes on. I got a job, kinda. It's Tuesdays at a kindergarten out in the countryside. Great kids, easy work, good pay. The downer is that it's way the hell out there. We're taking just over an hour commute time, meaning that I'm up at the ungodly hour of 7:15. But the transportation money is comped and I get to take in more Japanese scenery.
The company that hired me mentioned the possibility of another position opening soon as well. If so, I think I'd be able to make enough to live, working only two days a week. Sweet!
Of course, this requires a slight (massive) cut in my living expenses. No worries, I'm moving. My capoeira instuctor needs someone to fill an empty room in his apartment, splitting the $700 rent. That'll cut my rent almost in half, as well as nearly eliminating a lot of my bills. It'll also save me tons of time going to and from the gym, as it's in the same building. Bonus, pretty much all my friends live there too. It'll be like college all over again, without the studying.
Speaking of college all over again, I did a few days temping at Kinki (say it!) University. They have this English conversation cafe in one of the student unions and needed someone to fill in for another teacher. It was probably the best job I've ever had. Since the school is about 99.9% Japanese, the students don't have much chance to interact with foreigners. This is a real problem for English and international students, as they don't get the opportunity to apply what they study. So the school goes and hires a few native speakers to come and run an English conversation group. The pay isn't much, maybe $15/hr, but the work is so easy. Just sit around and bullshit with a bunch of college kids. No students? Talk to the other teachers, read a magazine, eat, whatever. The kids are ace at hacky-sack too, they spend hours out playing in the bitter cold. It's just like being back at UF, killing time on campus between classes. Hopefully they'll offer me a regular position there, then it's frisbee all day!
Looking to the future, I'm working on a trip home. It seems the first week of May is some crazy world event now. Here in Japan, it's Golden Week. That's a string of public holidays that gives everyone the week off. Mad travel season, ticket prices are through the roof. But this is when I wanna go, because back home it's graduation time. I'm looking to partake of the festivities with my dear friends at UF and my other dear friends in Capoeira Brasil. Not to mention trying drag a bunch of my Japanese friends back to Florida with me; they could use the experience. In any event, it looks like tickets are in the $800 range. Ouch. I coulda sworn last time I went home it was only like $650. Oh well, such is the price of globe trotting.
posted by Nick at 9:55 PM
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