Homesick?

Temperature - 32

Food eating - Pork and Rice

It is tough to believe that a month of my journey has already passed. It feels longer like I have been here for months, which is the norm.

Things got somewhat bumpy last week and my health finally decided I couldn’t ignore it any longer. Japan’s healthcare system was very organized and with some help, I was seen pretty quickly. It turns out that the thing they found years ago and ignored was a thing! I have cough variant asthma and I am now on a course of medication.

So that has taken some accepting, that I was let down years ago and I have been struggling daily ever since. It’s also tough for me to accept that I am sick right now, to I only took 5 days of sickness in 10 years of employment… it is tough for me to accept that I am not on form. And I need to be kinder to myself right now. My medication is taking a small toll on my mornings. But I am trying my best to ensure I do not cut my story short.

Saga is still very hot and many of my coworkers have told me this is unnatural for us, this weather is still mid-August temperatures. So temperature-wise I am still battling the torrent of sweat daily.

But let’s talk about isolation in a new country, homesickness? Everyone and I mean everyone will experience it to some degree. And It is best to be as kind to yourself as possible. For me it was bad timing and my life was in a bad spot, but timing ? life picks the worst timing.

It was most likely a domino effect that caused my big wobble, just everything going wrong, bad days and really having no one to talk to about things. Everyone at the time was seemingly against me, not really understanding the situation. So I was lying on my sofa thinking, why I am here? lights of, moonlight pouring into my room. And I just imagined I was back in my room in the UK. Beside the bed some of my favorite snacks, the cat asleep on my feet.

I just tried to find some comfort that night in the silence, the odd clicks coming from the fridge breaking up the silence here and there. It was little things, comfort foods or flavors, clothing I missed and had decided against bringing. My craft table. My cat, always missing my cat.

That night in my mind I had flown home even for a little. The next day the sun continued to burn and I got up and tried again. I still get the small wobbles and I still crave familiar foods. But allow yourself to ride it out, it will happen maybe even when you least expect it.

But this is another aspect of the program which you won’t really be able to prepare for until you experience it. You may never even get more than a “ I miss cheese” but it will be something. You learn a lot about yourself when you take yourself out of your comfort zone.

I promise the next installment will be much more cheery as I have some cool articles planned!