Supporting my friend

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Japan has many historic places. One of them is Kawagoe. It is a very nice, calm town.   There are so many historic sites. One of them is Chabudai.   Chabudai is a nice guest house in Kawagoe. There is a small cafe/diner on the first floor. They hold different events every week. One of them is that you become a chef. On Saturday evening, my friend made her debut as a chef. Her cooking is very good. Another friend of ours went there to support her. Many people came as she cooked in the kitchen. Compared to a Western-style kitchen, this kitchen is small and open. She cooked and talked with her customers.                                            Of course, I ordered Kawagoe sake. It was very good. Next time, I would like to try it warm.   We ordered deep-fried pork cutlets and vegetables. For dessert, she made carrot cake with lemon cream cheese frosting.   Thi...
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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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