Monday 17 October 2011

10 days in and starting to feel depressed..

Don't get me wrong I am loving it here and the people are lovely, but I have been finding myself feeling quite depressed today.

I think the realisation of actually being here and the necessity of being able to (or unable to, in my case) speak the language is starting to dawn on me. I am not able to communicate basic things in Japanese properly which, as you can imagine, is causing me serious problems when trying to do something basic like going shopping.
So far almost all of my shopping, besides some groceries, have been done when I am with one of my Japanese friends.

Combine this with missing my family and friends back home, and so far being unable to even get an interview for a job.. it's really starting to get me down.

This last weekend was amazing though. My friend Take showed me a lot of Shinjuku and was kind enough to let me stay at his house for the night, as I had missed the last train.
On Friday another friend, Takeyuki, showed me a lot of Tokyo too and where to buy reasonably priced formal clothing.
I really do appreciate all of the help and hospitality I've recieved from these people.

Today, however, I am definately experiencing a kind of anti-climax.. I hope it passes, because I'm starting to feel like I want to go home..

On a positive note, work wise, I have recieved considerable interest from a few people who would like to be taught English privately. So it's not all bad.

I'm sorry, this will be a short post for now..


EDIT: Shortly after writing this I recieved invitations to interviews with both GABA and Berlitz. Now I'm just scared!
The one with GABA is at 11am tomorrow morning and I have to go to Yoyogi Koen st. Which is quite a while away from me by train. I just hope I find it in time!
The one with Berlitz is on Wednesday at 11am also.

GABA called it a 'seminar' I'm not sure what that means.. and Berlitz is a group interview, which is very rare in the UK..

I'm mostly nervous because I am not qualified to teach, I have no experience in that field and I will probably be the only applicant without a degree. So I'm already starting off on the 'wrong' foot, so to speak..

Will see how it goes anyway... No harm in trying, right?

4 comments:

  1. Keep your chin up. Homesickness does tend to kick in around the ten day point. I experienced the same thing when I joined the army. It will pass and you will kick yourself if you give in to the urge to run for home.

    Good luck with your interviews. You possess a natural modesty, which will stand you in good stead within the Japanese culture. xx

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  2. Thanks mum! xxx

    Two of the three interviewers were not Japanese though, and Berlitz has mostly foreign staff it seems.
    I noticed most of the applicants were American, or they weren't native English speakers.. Pretty much everyone else had a degree, and they were all pretty loud which seems to be what these companies want. The stereotypical loud and obnoxious foreigner, which I'm not..

    I was also the ONLY women there and the only Brit!

    Will see how it goes, but I'm not optimistic as I really don't think I am what they're looking for.

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  3. Hey! I just found your blog from Kari's blog when you commented. I'll follow you and try to keep you company n____n// Nice to meet you!

    I've been to Tokyo 2 years ago only for a visit and will be going back next year. Sometimes I think I would like to move to Tokyo, but I'm happy here (Canada) at the moment so until sometime changes I will stay here. I'm totally visiting Japan again soon though! I loved Tokyo!

    I think you're very brave to go out there and wait until you've arrived to find a job. I think that's dedication! Good for you :)

    Regarding your previous entry... I know what you mean by getting lost in Shinjuku, during my stay I tried to avoid that station as much as I could. I ended up having to pass through there 3 times, and 1 time I was alone going to meet friends. I got lost, couldn't find the right exit and ended up calling one of my friends from a pay phone so she could come find me. It was really scary! I've hated Shijuku station ever since. I'm never going there alone, ever again. Lol

    (I have a blogspot account but for some reason it won't let me comment with it :S http://gossip--candy.blogspot.com )

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