It always feels sad to say goodbye.

     It always feels sad to say goodbye.       It has been almost a month since I came home. I helped my parents, especially my mom, move things and clean. My mom just started a tourist base an hour from the city center. There were a lot of things to do, specifically, little things that needed to be done. Then I became an inpatient at Bodi Setgelten (the one I was hospitalized back in May of this year). I spent 5 days and got home today. Now, I have a few more days before I go.       No matter how many times I have said goodbye to my family and friends, I always feel sad. Initially, I felt like crying. I cried once when I had to leave my 3-month-old brother. Even though I don't cry anymore, I always feel sad.       Back in May, I thought to myself that I needed to come back home at least once a year. It helps my sanity and physically ( I am in a cooler environment when it is the hottest in Japan).  Also, I g...
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The storm before the calm.

    It has been a couple of weeks since I posted. 

    It was hectic for a couple of weeks. 

    First: Work. During the summers, we offer themed programs in English (of course). This year we had two different themes: Dinosaur and Pirates. There are a lot of things that go into putting a program together. From tiny details like who is going to buy the snacks or who is going to sweep the floor, to what each teacher is going to teach and make. I am responsible for all the seasonal programs. So, I had to delegate some of the logistics tasks to other people. The first week went fine. We had wonderful kids who could understand and speak in English to a degree. Also, we were more prepared for the week. Then the second week comes. We weren't prepared as much as in the first week. There were a lot of ideas, and we did them all. Even though it felt like we weren't that prepared, we were prepared enough to have some activities that we didn't have time for. This is good. 

    However, there was a tiny action that bothered me for the two weeks. The other two teachers are old white males. Every time they talk, they talk about old songs and things that they have context for without care for time. Every single time, I had to call for a clean-up or the next activity. I have noticed this with the majority of my work colleagues who are male. 

    Second: Moving. We bought a house. We mean my two cousins, one cousin's wife, and me. We were living separately and paying rent (more than 200K yen). We couldn't save money, not the amount that we hoped, and it felt like a waste of money paying someone for a place. So, we pooled our savings for a down payment, and a cousin (the one with the wife) got the loan (his income is very high). The whole process took a little over a month. As soon as we got the key, my cousins started to prepare for the move. However, during this time, my cousins' father wasn't feeling well, so the younger cousin went to Mongolia to take care of their father. This means that we (my cousin's wife and I) are to prepare all of the things to move (the husband is very busy with work). The three of them have so much stuff (a lot of stuff that they can declutter in my opinion). It was literally moving everything to the house and sorting it in the house.  We still haven't finished. I will move in September after my trip. 

    Three: Guests. On top of my work and the move, I was informed that my parents' friend's son, along with his cousins, is coming to Japan and staying at my place. I was like, "What the big F?" I couldn't say no, but also, they cannot stay the duration of their trip because I will be going on my trip. So, they stayed for three days. I asked my friend who has extra bedrooms if they can stay for a fee. She said it was okay. At the end, it worked out okay. 

    Four: Preparing for my trip. I had one day to clean my house, mitigate the humidity that may occur when I am not there, and pack my luggage. The day started at 2 pm and ended at midnight. After I finished, I was proud of myself because I was slowly doing things during the two weeks, and it didn't take long to clean up. 


    Right now, I am sitting on a couch, sipping coffee and typing. 

    I hope and genuinely wish for you to have a nice day. 

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