A new city, a new job, a new currency, a new language, new people, new relationships...a new life. I am starting over, yet again. In many ways it feels as if I am starting over for the first time but I know that I've done it before. Familiar feelings and reactions crop up and I am reminded this isn't a completely unknown experience.
Tokyo is a big city and one that I hope I have more time to explore. As of now, I am an au pair to a single father in his 50's. He has a live in Japanese girlfriend who helps him a lot, but since he does no housework and doesn't seem to possess the patience needed to raise 3 boys ages 5, 7, and 14, he needs more help than just her. He's extremely non-confrontational except for his underhanded "why aren't you reading my mind" sort of comments. For example, if he feels like the kids should be doing something that they are not doing, like eating dinner with him even though he never said he was going to eat and they ate earlier because they were hungry, he will continuously make comments like, "so I guess I'm eating alone. Well, this is lonely. I didn't know family dinners were so lonely." I personally wasn't aware that I was expected to wait until 8 pm for him to crawl out of his room so I could feed his 5 and 7 yr old sons dinner before their 8:30 bath. I have a lot of different thoughts about how children should be raised than him. It's an experience trying to navigate my way through his expectations and my reality. He is an exhausting man and I cannot wait to start teaching again. Silver lining: he has an oven and I have turned into a baking maniac. I can't stop. It's been too long since I've had an oven.
Even though my job is less than desirable at this point, it is only temporary and that was the understanding from the beginning. Everything else is wonderful. I love the people here, I am enjoying learning Japanese, the relationships I have here are fantastic, and exploring is FUN. Also, he hired a second au pair and she is from France. It is seriously so great having someone to work with that I can talk and relate to. We're learning Japanese together and in the process, I am also learning french. It's an interesting life!
I hope I find a teaching job in the next two months so I can stay here, otherwise my visa expires. :( I feel I have too many important things to figure out here before I go, two months isn't long enough. Even though lately I have been missing Korea, I know I am only missing familiarity and security. Soon, I will have that here, too.
