Hello friends, hope you did have a good start into the weekend! I'm sorry I am not posting that often lately, cause I'm a) kinda busy with job search and everything and b) I'm so demotivated :-( Maybe it's because I finally get homesick or that job searching is so tiring or that I although I have great friends here in Tokyo I miss my friends back home or that everything of those just happens to hit me at the same time...
Anyways, it's been over a month since my arrival here in Tokyo and I thought it would be a good time to sum up the impressions of the first weeks. First of all, it does not feel at all as if over 38 days have passed. Sometimes I have the feeling that it was only yesterday that I boarded my plane in Düsseldorf, on the other hand being in Tokyo is not new for me, so it also feels like I've lived here my whole life, and things which were so exciting at the beginning become more and more normal. It really is weird to have feelings being in such a disunion.
All kinds of things happened to me the last weeks, positve as well as negative ones. Just to give you some examples: I've had a horrible meet-up with that guy from mixi, but the wonderful meet-ups with my blogger friends make up for that again, I was approached by a guy from Asahi TV who wanted me to take a quiz for taping it for some show, (but I said no, cause I think my Japanese would not have been sufficient I think), I moved out of my guesthouse after 3 weeks, I saw three Pauls, Salary Men tried their Nampa Skills (flirting, eww) on me, I discovered my secret cooking skills (well, they still have t be improved XD) etc.
Well, about job searching, I knew it would not be easy. It's never easy, doesn't matter where you live. But it turned out to be more difficult than I expected. I keep on applying for jobs, online, via post mail, through job centers and even just going to possible places and just ask if they are looking for staff, and I already had some job interviews. But in Japan, you wait for the company to call you, and if they don't it means most likely that they don't hire you. It really seems as if my university degree and my Japanese level of almost N2 is worth, well like nothing here. Which is so sad, since there are people who have made it to stay one year with the Working Holiday Visa with no universtiy degree and with even less or even no Japanese skills. I'm almost at a point where I ask myself what the heck am I doing here, I mean Tokyo is cool and fun and such, and I'm trying to enjoy everything I can but if you have think about money everytime you wanna have some fun it suddenly is no fun anymore. I planned to find a job within one or two months time, and therefore am under extreme pressure to find something soon, or it looks bad. I just wish I was a native speaker of English, the English teaching jobs are just like everywhere, but you have actually no chance if you're not a native speaker. I've also heard of cases where rich parents finance the WH stay or a universtiy exchange or something like that for their kids, and those just leave the work part of it out and just make holidays on Mum's and Dad's costs. Oh well, see how unfair it is? Okay, I've not come so far to just give up at this moment. I'm going to the job center again on Monday with Lou (since she is also looking for a job) let's hope we both will have some luck. If anyone has some advice, it is always welcome! XDD
Oh well, I actually wanted to write a decent post about my impressions about life in Tokyo, but I ended up only complaing and rambling, sorry!! Of course life here is cool, I love it to be here again, to meet new people, the delicious food, the increadible fashion... I'm indeed enjoying it right now, it's not that I sit in our apartment and have depressions all day (XD), but I hope I can enjoy it more when I finally have a scheduled everyday life and a reasonably financial situation.
Now that Christmas is coming nearer each day, I may become homsick :-) Does anyone has some fancy plans for Christmas?? Don't know what to do yet, seems everyone is busy on Christmas Eve...
Well, this must have been the most text lasting post I've written for a while. Sorry to have made you read all of this, (if you did at all), I have some fotos for you to make up for that :-)
Me and Charlotte the other day
I was walking in Tokyo midtown and saw the Tokyo Tower! It was really impressive, and normally I'm not afraid of heights, but the surrounding was quite hilly, too so I suddenly felt dizzy. Does this look like winter to you? The trees still have green leaves and the sun was shining and the sky was blue, lol. Ever since my arrival there were exaclty three days when it was actually raining, haha.
Okay, have a nice weekend, and sorry for complaining so much! I don't want you to think that I'm not enjoying my time here, I know it is a priviledge to live in Tokyo and I know that many of my followers have not even been here once, so I will give my best to write more postive and interesting posts from now on. Okay, see you and many greetings from sunny and warm Tokyo! (Yeah I like to tease those back home who are drowning in snow and ice lately, I'm such a meanie, lol)
25 Kommentare:
Du hast am 24. noch nichts vor? Dann lass uns treffen ^-^ Yuta is eh arbeiten und ich hab keine Lust mich den ganzen Tag zu langweilen ^3^
Und wenn du abends zu Hause bist irgendwann und dir langweilig ist, können wir skypen :) am 24. ist hier ja eh nie viel los ^^
Ich glaube, Heimweh und dass man auch mal ein paar schlechte Tage hat ist ganz normal. Lass dich davon nicht unterkriegen!!! (und du darfst auch mal jammern! Ist schlißelich dein Blog!) Ich drücke dir weitehrin ganz fest die Daumen für die Jobsuche, das klappt bestimmt schon! Kannst du denn auch nicht irgendwie privat Nachhilfe in Deutsch und Englisch geben? An den Unis gibts bestimmt Leute, die das gerne hätten...
Mein Flug ist übrigens gebucht für den 9. ^^ (ich kann schon am 14. ins Wohnheim, so wies aussieht) allerdings auf Warteliste, meine Mum schaut noch mal, vielleicht ändert sich also noch was mit dem Flug)
Eure Puris sind echt süß! Charlottes Jacke gefällt mir haha :)
Greeetz aus dem kalten nassen Doitsu <3
Have you thought about teaching German? You might be able to find something like that... and I know that Berlitz offers German classes. I have a friend who worked in a gym... I could ask her about that if you'd be interested? Job hunting sounds scary. I really don't want to keep teaching English past February 2012, but job hunting is so scary :(
Wow you've only been here a month? I was under the impression that you'd been here much longer! The first few months are hard, but you sound like you're doing really well so far! I had a really hard time when I first came here in 2007, so if you ever want to talk about things like that I am more than willing to listen :D I've helped a lot of friends out when they first came here, so I feel like I should have a job helping people when they come to Japan, lol.
No fancy Christmas plans here :( I have to work on Christmas XO! And I can't even meet my boyfriend on Christmas eve D:
Take care! And don't worry about writing negative stuff sometimes, it's natural!
Oh ich denke es nimmt dir keiner Übel, dass du in deinem Blog auch mal lost wirst, was nicht so toll ist und dir Sorgen bereitet. Ich hoffe wirklich für dich, dass du nen Job kriegst! Das wundert mich wirklich, dass du vor allem mit den guten Japanisch Kenntnissen keinen Job kriegst.. :o Und es macht mir auch ein wenig Angst, wenn mein Working Holiday in Japan ansteht XDDD
Wenn du es schon nicht mehr erwartest, klappt es ganz sicher! (^-^)
Es tut mir leid, dass das mit dem Job-suchen nicht so gut läuft. Schon krass, dass dein Universitätsabschluss und dein Japanisch-level da kaum was wert ist :( Ich denke auch immer drüber nach, ob ich mit meinem Abschluss jemals etwas machen kann, ob es überhaupt die zwei Jahre wert ist jetzt noch weiter zu machen und ob ich überhaupt das richtige studiere. Ich hoffe aber du findest bald noch etwas!
Und ich schicke dein Paket mit ein paar heimischen weihnachtlichen Dingen so schnell ab wie möglich >.<
I don't know if this is popular (or exist) in Japan, maybe you can try giving private English tuition instead of teaching in school? That way you can still have an income while continuing with the job hunt.
I don't celebrate Christmas but sometimes I do exchange or give presents to friends. So, I've no plans for this Christmas either!
Stay strong during this period! :)
Gib nicht so schnell auf!!! du packst das schon! x3 am montag kommt dann die chance! bestimmt!!! x3
Yes, the pressure to get a job to start earning money must cause you a lot of stress. I really hope some opportunity opens up soon for you. I'm glad you are trying to enjoy your time here anyway despite the stress. I hope you can keep positive that something will work out. I'm sure it will. :-)
aaaahhhhhhhhhh nicht verzagen! :0:
tut mir leid, dass dir im moment alles so schwer fällt ;.;
ich werd dir was zu weihnachten schicken, zum aufmuntern :3
du findest sicher einen job, du bist doch total gut! (^o^)
es wird sicher wieder besser werden, da glaub ich dran! :3
bleib stark<3
*knuddel*
Oh mein Gott, ich habs grad gelesen, du kommst wieder her!!! :-)) Aber nur für drei Wochen, ne? Schade eigentlich, dass sich deine Pläne jetzt geändert haben bezüglich des Visums, aber Gesundheit geht doch vor, hm? Ich würde mich so freuen dich an Weihnachten zu sehen, wie gesagt im Moment habe ich noch nix vor :-) Wann kommst du denn an?
Echt, das wäre so toll mit dir an Weihnachten zu sprechen!!! Ich hab im Moment noch nix vor, aber Steffi kommt ja wieder, und ich werde wohl was mit ihr machen :-)
Ja, ich gebe nicht auf!!! Auf keinen Fall! Ich denke ich werde auf jeden Fall was finden, es haben auch schon ganz ganz andere Deppen WH geschafft, hahaha! Ich hab mich schon auf so einer Private Students Seite angemeldet, mal sehen ob jemand Interesse an Unterricht hat :-)
Jaaaaa, ich find's toll dass dein Flug jetzt gebiucht ist, dann ist es also gewiss!! Ich komm dich abholen wenn ich kann (müsste aber gehen)! Ich freue mich soooo!! XDDD
I'd love to teach some German, and I've already registered at a private students homepage, let's see, if someone is interested in me as a teacher XDD And it would be so great if you could ask your friend, I'm thankful for every advice I can get :-)
Yeah, it's only been a little bit over a month, time is passing too fast!!! The first months must be the most hard for everyone, cause you don't have a regular everyday life yet and everything is soo random. But I'm sure that better times will come for sure! Thank you for listening to my worries, you're a great friend!! :-) You're the fairy godmother of poor WH makers, hahaha!
You have to work on Christmas?? How evil! I hope I can meet up with some friends to do something fun on Christmas!
Ohhh, danke dass du dir das anhörst was ich zu sagen habe XDD Und danke für deine Unterstützung! Ich denke es sind wirklich nur die ersten Monate, die so schlimm sind, und dass ich schon bald was finden werde :-) Ich gebe nicht so schnell auf! :-) Ach, nur keine Angst vorm WH, es ist eine gute Sache auch mal schlechte Dinge zu erleben! Nicht dass du jetzt wegen mir verunsichert bist, es ist total unterschiedlich wie es bei jedem abläuft :-)
Hoffen wir's!!
Ach, ich denke das wird schon, man ist halt nur so frustriert weil man es ständig probiert und keinen Erfolg hat. Aber ich finde schon bald was, ich bin jetzt nicht so weit gekommen um jetzt aufzugeben! XDD Danke für deine Unterstützung! Ich bin mir sicher dass aus dir mal was ganz großes wird, du wirst bestimmt mal richtig Karriere machen an der Uni!! :-) Du studierst auf keinen Fall das Falsche!
Ohhhh und ich freue mich schon so auf auf dein Päckchen!! Daaaaaaanke!! Ist meine Überraschung schon angekommen?
I won't give up!! For sure!! XD Thanks for your support and your kind words you give me so often! You have become a truely good friend :-) I would love to give private lessons, but it is kinda difficult to get students, I've already registered at a Find Students site, let's see if I have some luck this time! :-)
Danke, ich geb nicht so schnell auf, auf keinen Fall!! :-)) Und heute war gut, oder??? XDDDD Ich hatte SOLCHE Angst und so ein schlechtes Gefühl vor dem Gespräch, aber dass es am Ende so gut laufen würde, wer hätte das gedacht? Jetzt heißt es beten und Daumen drücken, es wäre soooo toll wenn es klappt!! Und woher wusstest du dass heute die Chance kommt?? ^o^
It is a lot of stress, sometimes I can hardly sleep, lol. I really hope to find a job soon! If the pressure is away I'm sure I can enjoy life in Tokyo more XDD Yeah, something will work, I'm trying so hard :-)
Thanks for your support, it means a lot to me, Michelle!! :-) I will try my best!
I'm going to give my best!! Thanks for your support and kind words! :-) Hope I can spend Christmas with some friends who also still have no plans! :-)
I'm so sure she does, I miss my Mum, too. hope I will get the chance to talk with her and the rest of the family :-) Thanks for your support, it means a lot to me! :-)
Thanks for your comment! I followed your blog back a few days ago :-) Thanks for your support, I will not give up and hopefully find something to work soon! :-)
I also enjoy reading personal posts! :-) Thanks for your lovely comment, you've become a truely good and supportive friend, I love you! <3333333 I will find a job for sure, and I will announce it hugely on this blog, hahahaha!
Of course I can help you with the Japanese words! I'll send a message to fb, and I'm sure your bf will be soo happy to get those self made presents from you! :-)
Ach, mir gehts schon wieder besser! aber ich würde mich soooo freuen, was zu Weihnachten von dir zu bekommen, was möchtest du denn haben?? XDDD
Jaaaa, ich gebe nicht auf, auf keinen Fall! Ich finde schon was!! XDDDD
Yes, don't worry about it too much, since you are already doing all you can, so if you cannot do anymore, there is no point in worrying more. You don't want to needlessly make yourself more unhappy. So try to stay confident (since that can't hurt :-) and if you think positively, I'm sure something good will happen soon. :-)
I hope you can get some student soon! When I did that type of thing (only for English) while I was a student it took about a month before I got any students that were interested. Good luck!!!
Have you been here before? It really seems like you've just been here for a long time (at least that's the impression I get from your blog). But yeah, I think that the beginning is always hard because you're either too free and busy looking for a job and don't really have anything set, or you're TOO busy with too much of a set schedule (like with already having a job or going straight into school -- I had this both times).
Your welcome! I can't wait until we can properly talk in person, hahaha. I'm glad you're already thinking of me as a friend :D I really do love sharing my experience here with people who are new to life in Japan... I wish that I would have had someone to have helped me out! Oh well~ hahaha.
Yeah, my work is stupid :( And Christmas isn't really a big deal here so they don't give it to you as a holiday. My boyfriend will come over that night though, so we can at least eat dinner together and have a date the next day ^^v
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