Monday, April 23, 2012

Spring: Starting Over

The sweat is starting to accumulate under my sweater. I can hear birds singing and a crow almost gets knocked off a tree by his evil brother. The cherry blossoms in Kansai have come and are already on their way out. The urge to take off my pants when I walk through the door is back. Ah yes, winter is gone at long last. Spring is finally here and it is only a matter of time before the heat of a thousand suns and the humidity of a hundred swimming pools dumps itself on the beautiful green fields and concrete jungles of Japan.

In Japan the fiscal and academic new year starts with spring. Unlike my home country where everything either starts in the dead winter of January or the beginning of Autumn in September, Japan hails the coming of the new spring with new opportunities, students and teachers.

I know I've mentioned it in previous posts so I won't go into details. But this past year has both been amazing and extremely frustrating. With the coming of April, my supervisor has changed, we have almost 200 bright eyed new students and it is much easier to wake up when I don't have to face 6 degrees of bitter coldness on the other side of my sheets. I'm even finding that I will miss my quiet town and many of the reawakened smiles after winter's slumber. The warm sun really lets me appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds my home. And without me mentally cursing the frigid air, I even enjoy my short five minute ride to work in the morning. A convenience that I shall also miss.

When I notice this peaceful and comfortable lifestyle. Surrounded by a quiet neighborhood and my students calling out my name on my way to work or a trip to the supermarket for dinner, I truly question my choice to leave. With the change of a supervisor and a bunch of great new kids as well as my confidence at my school, I really think I will miss this place.

However, three years can be considered a long time. And maybe I have just become enlightened to the finer points of life. It actually all began after visiting an old friend visiting Japan and a few drinks. I rode my bike back from my station to my home, and decided to take a stroll around my neighborhood at midnight. Suddenly, something just changed and since that moment, I've been much happier and content.

So now, after many years of work and only a few months before leaving I am content with where I am and the work I do, for the most part anyway. It's rather ironic. However, contentment is usually caused by comfortably. Comfortably is nice, but it usually is caused by stagnation. When stagnant, it is hard to grow into a more powerful and whole individual. So maybe although I finally feel like everything fits, maybe it is a blessing that things are about to change. Another challenge to test my metal. Hopefully with what I have learned I can make my next life even better, and find myself in an even better situation.

Speaking of situations. I have learned that I will not be unemployed come August! Yes, I have found another job...in Japan. It isn't my dream job, and it is actually only temporary. It is still teaching English as an ALT, but I will work at both a high school and junior high school. So I should gain some knowledge working with an age group I have very little experience with. The city I will move to has a few more things than where I live now, and it is a bit more accessible. Pay and benefits are a little less, but that is to be expected when coming from the JET Programme. However, it feels like a good and somewhat safe move in a form of natural progression. Plus, I may even be teaching some of my junior high students in high school since the new school is only about 20 minutes away by train from where I live now. It will give me a time extension to contemplate my next move. Let me feel more certain on if I want to really leave the profession of English teaching. I can also continue making student loan payments which are currently my ball and chain.

I look forward to the next chapter, and hope that it will be better than all the previous ones. Until then, I will thoroughly enjoy this one.

Cherry Blossoms at the Osaka Mint Bureau