Finally, a full day at home

     It has been non-stop since I got back from Mongolia. First, I had to move. I had three weeks before I had to return the apartment. I moved several boxes a day. Then my father came to help. While he was here, we had to drive to Kochi, which took three days. I drove 12 hours each way. Then it was moving week for both me and my cousins. A day before we actually moved the last of the furniture, my cousins got a phone call. It was dreadful news. Their father had passed away due to his illness. As soon as we finished moving, or more like shoving things into the house, they had to prepare to go back to Mongolia for the funeral. That week was horrible.      Then it was time to look for a parking spot for the car. The house comes with a parking spot, but we have two cars, so we needed to find a spot for the second car. It was a stressful week right after my cousins had left for Mongolia, because I had to park the car at the coin parking since my cousin hadn’t f...
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In hopes of using my brain...

    I have been teaching English where I worked part-time as a student. I accepted a position at another company where I worked (part-time, of course) during the pandemic before moving to my current employer (non-profit organization). 

    For a couple of years in the beginning, I learned a lot. It is a set of skills for navigating tantrums, conflicts with a toy, or whatever the situation may be. The skill set you have relied on might not work on the next kid. You have to update and refine the skills constantly. 

    Don't get me wrong, it is rewarding to work with kids, and I am humbled (thankful for their trust) by the fact that the parents are leaving their kids in my care (there are other teachers, of course). However, after a while, once you have gotten the basics of child care and development, everything you are (I am) doing becomes routine. That's where I struggle. 

    Last week, I had a meeting with my supervisor. I was honest with her that I was not learning anything. I pointed out that I have an MBA which I feel is not being utilized in the way I hope it would (secretly thinking it may not be the place). She was understanding and explained there would be changes that would happen from April (In Japan, the new year starts in April). Our meeting was productive and I was able to get answers for the questions I had and some more. 

    That brings me to my next point. I am giving myself 1 year to learn and take on different projects and tasks where I would learn new skills and maybe (more like hoping) land a new job in a new company. 

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