Moving to a new country alone is mentally challenging, expensive, and emotionally exhausting. It’s been six months of living abroad and it still hasn’t gotten much easier for me. Yes, I will grow a lot this year and hopefully will come home with a better understanding of myself, the world and life. Yet, I will not be ready to pack up and move to a new country again next year, as I planned. I forgot how I felt after living abroad the last time, I was ready to settle in at home for a while after. I am teaching myself that it is okay to rest and take time to recharge. I do not need to be constantly learning, growing and changing. It is just as important to take the time to reflect on all the ways you’ve changed and grown.
Tag Archives: Teaching in Japan
Visiting a Zen Buddhist Monastery – Eijeiji Temple
It’s been a stressful week, a rainy day road trip to “the temple of eternal peace” was exactly what I needed. Eiheiji temple is a thirty-minute drive through the 田舎 (county side) from my house in Fukui City. We pass through rows of rice fields along the way. The many hills are covered by cedarContinue reading “Visiting a Zen Buddhist Monastery – Eijeiji Temple”
Loneliness and Living Abroad
I used to be terrified of living alone and now I am living alone for the first time in Japan. It’s no surprise that I feel lonely here, but this loneliness is challenging me to understand myself better. I am learning to rely on myself instead of others and feel gratitude towards my own actions.
Balance (first post)
There is a delicate balance in my life living abroad in Japan. Loneliness, unfamiliarity, and work stress make some days feel dark and gloomy. Other days are filled with wonder, joy and fulfillment. Both days are part of living abroad, an experience I want to share on this platform with open vulnerability.
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