Gosh, how time flies. It's almost been a month since my last blog :-| Actually, it's almost been a month since I started writing this post. But I guess that's what happens when you find yourself working 6:30 -10 almost every night of the week. Since my move to my new apartment, there have been quite a few changes to my life and lifestyle:
1. I now live smack dab between two stations making things both MORE and LESS convenient. In one sense I'm a short bike ride to a large station. On the other hand, I'm a short bike ride and quick jog to the train I take to work. Before I was a quick walk to most places, now I'm a quick bike ride. Needless to say my thighs and a$$ are much firmer than before I moved (DEFINITELY A PLUS).
2. I joined a gym. The gym is a lot like the Lifetime back home. The cost is about 79 bucks a month (a little ridiculous), BUT it's located right next to a major station which gives me FREEEE BIKE PARKING!! Which is easily worth 30 bucks a month. Meaning that I pay about 50 bucks a month, not tooo shabby. I'll have to try and write more about the gym later.
3. My schedule has become extremely hectic. I wake around 6, start my commute around 6:30, work from 8-5, head to a private lesson, get to the gym around 9, get home around 10:30 and eat, then sleep and start over. This is pretty much my schedule M-F and Sundays. It's dang tiring and the days have quickly blurred.
4. Money seems to be falling out of my pockets at an extremely rapid pace. So I bring in an extra 400+/month in private lessons...but it just doesn't seem to make it to the bank.
5. I've started spending time with my new roommate, who is a lively (and lovely) British girl. She's been kind enough to introduce me to her friends and even let me hang out with her on the weekends. However, most of the time is spent dishing out large sums of money for food and drink (30 bucks for two drinks and one meal last week alone). I don't know what would happen if I actually stayed out with them the entire night. See, most of her Saturdays are spent drinking and karaok'ing all night with friends. They keep insisting that once you do it, it becomes easier, but to me that sounds like those old drug commercials that used to be on tv as a kid. I've yet to try it, mostly because I fear that they're right and it WOULD become easier.
6. I've taken up Japanese cooking. For my b-day my roommate bought me an English/Japanese cookbook. It has to be one of the nicest presents anyone has ever bought for me. But I think it's because she caught me putting sticky notes in her's. Yeah, I know, I'm not the best roommate. Now, instead of sleeping at 10pm Monday nights (only free night I have), you'll find me preping and cooking a variety of Japanese dishes. So far, no one has died during the consumption of said dishes. I do find that Japanese cooking is way to time consuming, taking multiple hours to cook just one meal. But it was either learn to cook using Japanese ingredients or keep eating miso soup, rice and eggs. Sad, so sad.
7. I've become more focused on learning Japanese. My roommate is currently studying to take the level 2 Japanese Language Proficiency test, which has motivated me to focus on preparing to take the level 4 test (level 4 is the lowest). This basically sucks up whatever other free time I have available. Train rides, work breaks, freetime at home, and sometimes (shhh...don't tell anyone), sometimes I even study while I'm "assisting" the other English teachers (shows you just how much I really do at work).
Needless to say, life is starting to really fly by. I honestly can't keep up with it and have attempted to make a schedule. At some point I'll find time to blog about it and maybe post a picture, but until then I'll just have to focus on getting by.
1. I now live smack dab between two stations making things both MORE and LESS convenient. In one sense I'm a short bike ride to a large station. On the other hand, I'm a short bike ride and quick jog to the train I take to work. Before I was a quick walk to most places, now I'm a quick bike ride. Needless to say my thighs and a$$ are much firmer than before I moved (DEFINITELY A PLUS).
2. I joined a gym. The gym is a lot like the Lifetime back home. The cost is about 79 bucks a month (a little ridiculous), BUT it's located right next to a major station which gives me FREEEE BIKE PARKING!! Which is easily worth 30 bucks a month. Meaning that I pay about 50 bucks a month, not tooo shabby. I'll have to try and write more about the gym later.
3. My schedule has become extremely hectic. I wake around 6, start my commute around 6:30, work from 8-5, head to a private lesson, get to the gym around 9, get home around 10:30 and eat, then sleep and start over. This is pretty much my schedule M-F and Sundays. It's dang tiring and the days have quickly blurred.
4. Money seems to be falling out of my pockets at an extremely rapid pace. So I bring in an extra 400+/month in private lessons...but it just doesn't seem to make it to the bank.
5. I've started spending time with my new roommate, who is a lively (and lovely) British girl. She's been kind enough to introduce me to her friends and even let me hang out with her on the weekends. However, most of the time is spent dishing out large sums of money for food and drink (30 bucks for two drinks and one meal last week alone). I don't know what would happen if I actually stayed out with them the entire night. See, most of her Saturdays are spent drinking and karaok'ing all night with friends. They keep insisting that once you do it, it becomes easier, but to me that sounds like those old drug commercials that used to be on tv as a kid. I've yet to try it, mostly because I fear that they're right and it WOULD become easier.
6. I've taken up Japanese cooking. For my b-day my roommate bought me an English/Japanese cookbook. It has to be one of the nicest presents anyone has ever bought for me. But I think it's because she caught me putting sticky notes in her's. Yeah, I know, I'm not the best roommate. Now, instead of sleeping at 10pm Monday nights (only free night I have), you'll find me preping and cooking a variety of Japanese dishes. So far, no one has died during the consumption of said dishes. I do find that Japanese cooking is way to time consuming, taking multiple hours to cook just one meal. But it was either learn to cook using Japanese ingredients or keep eating miso soup, rice and eggs. Sad, so sad.
7. I've become more focused on learning Japanese. My roommate is currently studying to take the level 2 Japanese Language Proficiency test, which has motivated me to focus on preparing to take the level 4 test (level 4 is the lowest). This basically sucks up whatever other free time I have available. Train rides, work breaks, freetime at home, and sometimes (shhh...don't tell anyone), sometimes I even study while I'm "assisting" the other English teachers (shows you just how much I really do at work).
Needless to say, life is starting to really fly by. I honestly can't keep up with it and have attempted to make a schedule. At some point I'll find time to blog about it and maybe post a picture, but until then I'll just have to focus on getting by.
