August: August 17 - August 23, 2017

August 17, 2017

Tired, but rewarding.  My bosses are great people, so seeing them in person is much less intimidating than on the phone or through email.  Today, I did okay.  Some struggles, but getting back into the teaching grove after my absence.  I also had my adult class cancel on me, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, I took an extra class to help out the other teachers.  It’s not a problem and getting brownie points is always nice.  One of my students also gave me some candy as a gift since she got back from Chicago. It was really nice. All in all, this was a pretty great day for me.  Not perfect, but what ever is?  I’m finishing up listening to the Unexpectables, which has been a joy, as always.

August 18, 2017

Uggghhhhhh…So, one of our teachers is sick, so I’m kinda working Saturday.  Sigh.  It’s not THAT big a deal, however it’s always frustrating when plans change.  I wanted to go to a bath house and talk to my family, however now…no time.  Anyway, I’m getting brownie points, but the extra stress is hardly worth it.  Tired and have to wake up early…or not early, but go into work before 9:45.  Life goes on.  Trying to cope.  Going to bed.

August 19, 2017

God…today just kicked my ass.  The classes were fine, I guess, considering I had no input or history with the students and was basing my lessons on a vastly different set of notes and teaching style, but the humidity, the length of time, and the early nature of Saturday classes made me hate life.  I felt so drained by the halfway marker.

I talked with my boss today and while there is criticism, I think it’s justified.  The pronunciation issue is that I’m using my Japanese in my daily life, so I’m becoming accustomed to the Katakana pronunciation of words when speaking with other Japanese people.  Watching out for that. And my hand writing.  Also working on that. Aside from the critiques, I felt I was judged fairly and while I have no promises of continued employment, they seem to value me and appreciate that I gave up my Saturday for the team.  It was annoying, as I said, but…you do what you gotta do.  I was glad for it to be over.  I got the magical super special pizza I’ve spoken of before and picked up more soda from the Yamaya.  I also got a care package from my family, which was much appreciated.  Now, I am tired, so resting.  Today was tough, but I made it through.

I want to add that I DID get Yakiniku last night, which was great, and the owner was a good guy and shared some of his watermelon with me.  It was an eerie parallel to how I shared some sweet melon I had with him a while back.  I doubt it was connected, but it was nice.

August 20 – August 21, 2017

Not much to report on Sunday.  I spent the day resting and playing games.  Got some writing done, but I was bloody wiped from Saturday.  I’ve almost devoured all my family’s care package and really want more…still, I have everything I need here.  Planning on making a 6 month specialty update for those who care to read it.

Monday was Monday.  It was pretty easy with a few classes being difficult due to uneven levels of the students.  Sigh.  Not looking forward to Tuesday.  The heat and humidity make life miserable here, largely because the school doesn’t have the kind of A/C I want.  Also, no one told me about a schedule shift to different classrooms, so my first evening class was a bit off kilter.  I like this town a lot, but summers and rainy seasons are hard.  I’m gonna put off grocery shopping till next week, so I got some supplies from the 7 and holdings.  Really, I’m just majorly tired.  A theme sure to be repeated this week.

August 22 – August 23, 2017

Not too much to report.  I’m still brutally tired functionally all the time, but it doesn’t interfere with my work so…it’s whatever.  The heat and the humidity are killing me and at times it feels on the level of when I was doing work on phone lines with AT&T.  I have a few things I still need to do for peace of mind.  I need to consolidate my pile of bills that I have already paid, for records, and organize them, so I need to buy some file folders.  I also need to write more letters home, but I think that will wait for a little bit until said organizing is done.  After all, I can still talk with them online, so it’s not as pressing as in the old days.

Still writing, but I feel it has slowed due to the latest pressure I’ve been under.  I write once a week, edit twice a week(unless I get overly stressed and need to rest), and review/read my older chapters once a week.  So, 4 days of writing…not too bad.  Especially when I have my main job to be focusing on.  Just want to get through the week for right now.  Will discuss more later.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Sigh.  I promised myself I wouldn’t let this journal be a place for hatred of any kind.  Just an honest account of my life.  So, I’ll just say I’ve had a rough time of it today.  My classes were great, but life finds ways to frustrate.  Also, this may not be a place for hate, but screw Nazis.  Screw them.  I will not offer any decorum or politeness like I do with other things when it comes to white supremacists.  They are monsters and can all go to hell.