Silence is nice. It's nice to be able to let me thoughts run wild and flow. I was able to solve, or at least settle a lot of things that have been causing me stress lately. I feel refreshed and ready for my next challenge.
The Week's Highlight: On Thursday I had my first body counseling session with a trainer from the gym. It was eye opening. The trainer, let's call him Mr. Fitness, took all my measurements and then handed me a printout. In summary the sheet said, "You're average." There is a lot of room for improvement and clear set goals that I am after. As disappointing as it was to read the print out I didn't let it discourage me. Actually, it motivated me. It outlined a fitness plan for me to follow and gave me a way to set realistic goals for myself. By having everything recorded on paper I can clearly see where I am beginning. I now have a starting point and what I am working towards. I am so excited to start this new routine. Lately, I've been missing PureBarre and the consistency I had when I was living in Texas. This gym is my solution. It's going to be good for me.
[Insert story of body counselling session here and how it took me about a minute and half to realize that it was being conducted in English, not Japanese. I was shocked and happily surprised. Even better, Mr. Fitness attended one of the JHS's I teach at and spent time in Australia teaching Japanese. Everyone I meet has such an interesting story.]
The biggest takeaway for me was what Mr. Fitness said when he saw my reaction to the information on the printout. He said, "That's why you're here." It meant a lot more to me than just changing myself physically and improving my health. It resonated with me because it reinforced the overall reason for me coming to Japan; which was and still is to grow as a person. With growth comes change and that is why I'm here. I'm changing myself for the better. I'm exposing myself to experiences that push me out of my comfort zone, challenge me, and make me form my own opinions and beliefs. Whenever the time comes for me to leave Japan, I know I'll be taking habits and beliefs with me that I learned and developed here. Japan is shaping me in more ways than I know and I'm letting it.
This Week's Update: My focus is shifting. As of lately I'm staying local. Trips that I thought I would be taking have become less of a priority. I'm focusing on what the area around me has to offer and taking an active interest in building my life and routine here.
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Here's how the rest of my week played out ...
Monday
- Japanese National "Sports Day" Holiday
- spent my day on the tennis court playing mixed doubles
- enjoyed the fall air and my new tennis clothes
Tuesday
- normal school day
Wednesday
- normal school day
- received my first letter from the United States! Thanks, MOM!
- bought housewares for my apartment and did a little decorating/re-organizing
- my apartment is starting to feel like home
Thursday
- semi normal school day
- teaching observation in the afternoon with two special guests
- organic Japanese conversation at the bus stop on my way home
The story: I was checking the bus timetable and an old woman waiting for the bus began talking to me. She was speaking Japanese but I could understand a little of it. She was asking the normal questions: where are you from? what's your job? how long have you been in Japan? and I was responding in Japanese. I was so proud of myself and excited. We ended up riding the same bus but sitting in separate seats. When she was getting off for her stop she made a point to come up to me and say goodbye. It was such a sweet moment.
- Fitness Exam & Body Counseling Session
Friday
- normal school day
- had a lot of fun speaking with the students and staff
- watched the tennis and baseball clubs practice
- paid my entrance fee for the 10 k race in November
