Jun 01, 2013 19:29
First: If you decide to remove me from your friends list, could you please have the courtesy to at least let me know so I can remove you in turn and not waste time reading your LJ? I thought this kind of thing was common sense, but since it seems not, asking now! Thanks.
Sorry I haven't been updating much! I promise I've been reading everybody's entries, but I haven't had much to say about my life.
Every day I wake up, realize that the nightmare of my most hated job is over, and everything feels a little better. I am so grateful. I feel so free. I never, ever want to go back to that kind of work ever again. With some experiences in life, getting away from them or having time pass gives perspective and makes them seem better, but in this case, I don't think I'll ever be able to look back on it as anything other than a hellscape of bullshit and disrespect. Please, please let me stay financially stable enough that I never have to entertain thoughts of doing something like that again! I honestly still have nightmares about it once or twice a week.
There are only a couple more weeks left in my first term of school! I can't believe how quickly time's been flying by, but you know the saying, time flies when you're having fun. The education here is fantastic, and I basically have nothing bad I can think of to say about it. This was a great choice for me, and the only issue is the realization of how much time it's going to take me to get good. (more than I can afford to spend studying there!) When this term ends I think I'm going to make a couple of big posts of art from my first term so you guys can see what I've been up to. Thanks for your suggestions on image hosts! Next term I've decided to only take classes at night and on the weekends so I can try to find a full-time day job. I'm finally putting feelers out there and have started submitting my resume to places, albeit selectively.
I don't know how hard or easy it's going to be to find a job, but barring some sudden financial disaster, I'm not in a desperate hurry (although of course I'd like to find something ASAP!) thanks to my savings. I'm giving myself 2 months to look for office jobs or customer service jobs, and if I still don't have a job when August comes around, I'm going to REALLY lower my standards and go for the bottom of the barrel.
My school is launching an online program next term, so I've decided to cut the number of classes I'm taking in person in half and then supplement with the online material. Some people think I'm crazy for not just taking all my classes in person when I have the chance, but I think combining with the online material will help me study effectively at home. I haven't been able to do as much studying outside of class as I'd like to because I'm so scared of forming bad habits or doing things that aren't really productive, so having a system at home to study will help me immensely. I'm normally leery of online content, but I've been really impressed with the school so far and the teachers' dedication, so I'm sure this will be high quality, too!
I've been having issues with America's painfully inept and expensive medical system, which is a large part of what's fueling my urge to get back in to the workforce right away, not gonna lie. I've seen a few doctors, and while the doctors I see are progressively getting better and better, they are still more clueless about treating me than any other doctors I've ever had. In any country. And medical bills for pointless tests and visits add up fast. My basic expenses are already as low as I can possibly get them (the only extravagant purchase I have made for myself in the past 2 months was a 5$ set of 48 old-school Sega games, and I am still feeling guilty over that), so the only way to change things is to get some income!
I feel like I am finally settled into life here, after a pretty rough period of trying to get everything worked out and adjusting to a new situation. Now I'm ready to get in gear and be productive with my time and find meaningful things to do, get back to my hobbies, and start fretting over my fitness again! I'm thinking about going low-carb for a month just to see if it helps at all. Anybody been down that path before?
As a whole, aside from medical/financial issues, right now I am feeling really centered and on track in my life, and it's been a long time since I've felt that way. Things aren't perfect, and I have worries and miss a lot of things and people in Japan, but for once it feels like normal worries and not the kind that come from being stuck in an unhealthy situation for an unbelievable period of time. It's a big difference. Now I just have to find a financial way to keep this happening until I can get the skills I need. I hope that good things do come to those who wait.