so as it turns out, i have recontracted for the 2021/2022 year. i do love this country but my job has been almost entirely stress and tears, thanks to my shittalking coworkers and learning that the majority of japanese people actually have no common sense nor decency. (everyone PLS no more with the ‘but japanese people are sooOoooOO pOLiTE’)
polite my ass. i will acknowledge the obsession commitment to social norms and i can appreciate the standardized picture perfect customer service experience but beyond that… living in it is intolerable. pls call me if u’d like to enjoy some work horror stories from hell. ur disbelief guaranteed.
anyways, on my trip to tokyo, a good fren taught me a quote which reminded me of the first proverb i heard in japan. here’s the quote.
終わりよければ全てよし。
owari yokerba subete yoshi. all is well that ends well.
allegedly, the belief is that if the end of your relationship is good, the rest of it doesn’t matter.. as long as long as you have a good ending. it could explain why on the last day before i left for the holidays as i handed out candy canes n handmade personalized gifts to the entire office, no one talks to me ALL DAY n suddenly as i started walking out, every single person in the office stood up, bowed, asked me where i was going n wished me a happy new year ??
i mean, who doesn’t like a good ending right?
for me, the journey is just as important but that’s when i was reminded of the japanese proverb 3 years on a rock. its a lesson in patience + persistence; that sitting on a rock for 3 years will make the rock warm. mmmk but then my friend said something else that hit the rock on the head. (yea there’s a quote, a proverb, and a saying.. try to keep up will ya? ive alrdy bolded em for u) that if this job doesn’t feel like my final calling, then it is only a stepping stone. (good one i kno, thank u)
stress is often caused by our ability (or inability) to choose one thought over another. so im choosing this thought: that my time here, no matter how challenging and tormenting, is only going to lead me one step closer to where i’m supposed to be.
perhaps the journey is gonna be hard as rocks, just like building my kitchen, or moving my whole life here but ive gotta relish in the fact that my life right now is exactly what i once only dreamed it could be. and if that ending isn’t good enough for me, i guess i just have to keep pushing till the next chapter.
o yea and the new contract comes with a raise soooo LET’S GET THIS FUCKING BREAD.
happy 2021,
A
anntanya 