Ichi Yen

2020 + 1

A year has gone by with a gust of the wind. Like the wind, my thoughts and hopes for the new year brings a disorderly yet cool sheer unto my skin.

I wonder what it could possibly be.

2020 has been one of the strangest, saddest, yet encouraging year for me.

I first started the year with being home for Chinese New Year before returning to Japan, a new city (Kobe) and work environment. Covid then came in like bam.

Fast forward, in May, I moved to Moriya due to covid-19. My first ever apartment after months living in a sharehouse in Japan.

Summer swooned in. Earthquakes and fatty’s yummy food was a constant in my life here in Moriya. I was indeed skeptical of my new work- I have never dealt with teaching kids full time before. But, very quickly, I got the hang of work and I love every bit of it. I love the children in my school. In the past, I never really wanted anyone to know what I did for a living. But everything changed in 2020, right here in Moriya.

I saw the value in education, how my work was making an impact not only on my life, but to those who will be the leaders of the future. When I said I will jump in a shooting battle for the children in my school, I would. I never really did anything in my work with burning passion, yet, I would do so much for these children that weren’t of my own. I soon noticed how hard it was to get into the education scene here in Japan, coming from a non-english native speaking country. Trust me.

Moriya did change my perspective on what I wanted to do in the future. I now have a goal, a business I want to run. Never have I ever pictured myself, 10 years from now but here I am. 2016 me would have never imagined 2020 me to be running such ideas or projects here in Japan. Oh, and I also started selling and designing postcards right from Japan.

I watched a movie twice, completely in Japanese. Cried my eyes out most of October, and remained hopeful for the future. Got myself a little admirer at work and praised myself for being the coolest teacher. Started drawing (never before) and gave off the impression that I studied arts in university which I never did. Almost 30. Just had to throw that in.

Instead of focusing on how Covid-19 affected my daily life, I have so much to be thankful for the year 2020. I spent time with the people that mattered the most to me and I started enjoying the simplest things in life such as 24 hours conbini and Seiyu or ¥200 peanut butter from Gyomu.

I never would be here if it wasn’t for the every-days 2020 and God has given me.

So, 2020, thank you for being good. Ultimately, thank you for being there for me.

Here’s to 2020 + 1.

Yen