My First Post Back in JA-KAR-TA

I remember every time I try to update my blog, the first thing that popped on my mind was about how I should consider writing more regularly, as I knew deep within that I’ll be updating my blog with longer and longer span between each post. I tried to promise myself but somehow updating a blog is as difficult as tidying up my life!

Such a long time since my last post on my blog. Reviewed it again and the last post that I uploaded was early of July last year! OMG. It has been 7 months ago and so much have been happening on the last 7 month, definitely. Several significant events happened on that period that I can share were:

1. Finally fully resign from my company in Japan and managed to pass all of those good-bye parties safe and sound (it was quite tiring for an introvert like me), while I
2. Manage to clear out my moving process from Japan to Indonesia too. It was such an exhausting process as so many steps have to be done such as selling stuffs, clearing my bank account, unregistering my utilities, packing and sending boxes, make reports on ward office, and everything else even I still couldn’t believe I passed all of those stuff alone.
3. While in the meantime before I went back Jakarta, I managed to travel to Seoul for around 10 days alone,
4. And checking my list for visiting Hokkaido too, alone!! And then I finally
5. Move back for good to Jakarta and adapt quite well; still hate the traffic jam though,
6. Manage to settle my tiny nail business, well, even though so far open for close families and friends,
7. Manage to get a job here in Jakarta; which I’m not sure yet whether it’s the one that I want to do for the rest of my career, but  it gave me a good chance to learn and grow,, and finally,
8. Passed 2016 safe and sound (since my hectic period on moving and resignation stuff, all I want to do at that time do is only get to pass 2016 peacefully in my apartment balcony back home in Jakarta, and it came true naturally. Hahaha.

I have to admit 2016 was not my best year and it was the most exhausting year of my life hands down, however I’m very grateful for it. It was exhausting, but it was fulfilling. I knew how far my limit is, and I learn to be grateful and feel content of what I already have.

However, adapting back to Jakarta’s lifestyle is no joke.

At first it was so nice, all of the friends and family, no more lonely times, everyone was there for you, and it’s like happily ever after. It’s like everything that I ever wanted when I’m in Japan came true in a flash.  However there will always be times when I’m missing what I had in Japan that I miss the most: the freedom of doing everything alone; the way I want, anytime.

I miss my freedom to do everything alone. I miss traveling alone. It was so easy to go just everywhere on my off day. I can go museums alone, go aquarium alone, exhibitions alone. I can go out of town alone, came back late alone, or maybe drink with one best friend until late, and it was safe for me to go back home very late. I miss all of that.

In Jakarta?? Nahhh. When I went out with my friends even just a little bit late, everyone as in my family will tell me to go home asap. I knew they are worried about my safety and I realize that too, since Jakarta’s safety is quite bad, but sometimes it provoke my annoyance, however on the other hand I can’t complain much about that. IT WAS SO HARD FOR ME TO HAVE MY OWN TIME HERE.

Actually the longing of freedom was so bad until at one point I realize that there will be no end to what I want unless I feel content about it. When you had freedom, you want a connection to people around you. When you got people protecting you, you miss your freedom. I went to Japan, but I wanted to go back to Jakarta, but when I’m in Jakarta, I really wanted to go back Japan. There will be no end of this unless I can sit down, try to pause a while and stop thinking about moving forward.

Sometimes I feel that that maaaybe what I really need was only a looong holiday for me from all of the accumulated stress in Japan? But I’m already here anyway. And I believe everything happen for a reason too.

What I can and have to do right now is just to live, enjoy the presence, and be content of what I have. I knew I’m still adapting, but I believe I can make it somehow, and everything will be better onward.

And I have to catch up with some friends that I haven’t met too for several years... (I’m running away from socializing too long already!)

To perk things up a little bit, maybe I will post about my trip to Korea and Hokkaido last time… For the sake of lighting up my travel spirit and routine blog post too!!

See you on my next post!!

FINALLY JAPAN!

Finallyyy I have moved to Japan!! My blog is lacking progress simply is due to a hell lot of working to do before I got to Japan. Now finally I have the time to write and update my blog! Yaay thanks God for this time! There’s a lot of thing I’ve been doing for about this two months.

I think I will list it and make it simple:

1. For one and a half month, I’ve been studying intensively about Nihon Go because in early October I will go to Japan directly.
2. In this one month too I get my visa ready! It is said 5 years working visa wtf. So long??? I didn’t expect that!! (But still happy)

·       While in Japan, it’s been around 1 month I’ve stayed here. The whole month is so damn busy!! From apartment stuff until training stuff.  I’ve been doing so much this whole month until I cannot believe that a drastic routines movement sometimes it is exciting yet depressing.I’ve been doing these things so far:

• Surveying new apartment and decided which apartment to stay. I pick the cheapest one that I can get here hahah. 
• Preparing for my new work: Shopping for new uniform. Since my company require the staff to use their clothing for work, I buy a lot for at least 1 week stock. So happy I’ve never buy so much clothes in one time shopping for my whole life!! I buy some of the furnitures too.

• Moving to Apartment. I will talk more detail about this on the next post! How is my apartment look like and some details about it. Now just a sneak a whole-peek.

• Making my residence card, bank account and other boring official things and stuff.
• Buying new handphone (In Japan, they called it “Keitai Denwa” / “Keitai” only which means portable phone? Not really sure). Finally I can get rid of my BB and finally decided to buy HTC one as my replacement. I will try to make separate post about handphone in Japan since the system is quite unique. Not a proffessional discussion of course but only to try to make a simple explanation about it like dummy guide for something.

• Search for a church. Still struggling to get a comfortable one.
• Welcoming ceremony in my company, and start training. It has been two weeks now for the training. The training is so intensive!!  Not to mention about the “lost in translation” mode I’ve always have on the training due to language barrier thingy. But until now day by day I am getting more used to talk and speak in Japanese. I hope I will get better at least for the next two months.  And these is my friends from Singapore, China, and Hongkong consecutively.Yes they sometimes get “territorial” because they speak Chinese fluently while I only can speak English, Bahasa and Japanese a little bit. Sometimes I miss speaking Bahasa, a lot.

Why am I alone? Simply because I'm the only one from Indonesia. So proud yet so sad on the same time, confusing you are Yolanda.

Tons of activities for this past two months and I really don't have any time to do blogging (So sorry even for myself). After this I’m sure I can write so many interesting things about since I am in a new place and still a lot whole more to discover! See you on next post!

Interview Marathon!

Sigh.

Sighness.

As a final year colleagues student, 1 thing to be feared of besides finishing my Final Thesis is...

The fear of being an unemployed after I graduate.

And yes, based on this fear I'm lately focusing on so much work application to several companies I'm interested. SO yeah, last week was my interview-a-thon week for me.

Just imagine! I'm requested to do psychological test from (just say) Company on Saturday and then, suddenly this Company B requested me for FGD too! Geez. This is what I've called an experience, really.

While I'm doing the psychological test for Company A, the result was quickly announced THAT SAME DAY (imagine the pressure for both mentally and physically, for me) and then continued directly into HR Interview. Damn my soul are sucked out that day. I came home like, "Jesus Christ I just want to sleep NOW". The pressure and nervousness are unbearable! Still, now I'm waiting fir the result to come out, whether I'm done for, or will continue on User Interview.

The different story came from Company B. This company, required us to do online aptitude test first from the internet, which was VERY HARD (I Think). Considering the competitiveness of this program opened by company B are very high and that damn hard aptitude test I can't work well, I actually gave up on the first application of CV and Aptitude test. I thought like, impossible for me even to pass the first requirement. Surprisingly, I'm qualified and CALLED for Focus Group Discussion.

Unbelievable.

But still, my pessimistic self think that this is a nothing-to-lose FGD. If I pass, well, that's good (and amazing. Really), but if I fail, so what. I'm not that really interested too. While I'm thinking like this, the FGD were kind of gruesome, I think. It was really a domination test, everyone was FORCED to talk on the discussion or you'll be looked like a fool between all of other applicants' enthusiasm. It's like, "Talk and dominate! If you can't, then poor you! You must be stupid" kind of thing. In this company, show off is the primary goal.

Meh, I think I kinda don't like it. Well, still waiting for the result though, but not as enthusiast as waiting for Company A's result. We'll see then.

Meanwhile, before the mentally and physically pressured interview, I applied for a Japan business plan competition which prize is a business trip to Tokyo. Wow! I'm really looking forward to the trip, of course. Fortunately, My business plan (which I have worked on about 2 weeks before this interview week) are qualified and I'm moving to the next step which were Proposal Interview and User Interview! I'm so excited!! I was called right on the Wednesday of the same interview week, and passed the Proposal Interview which leads directly to User Interview on the Thursday. This is so tiring but exciting. The only interview I'm waiting for the result THE MOST. My business plan are unbelievably accepted kindly and even the interviewer seems like very interested in it. I'm glad.

And the most exciting part is, I was informed that the winner of this competition were going to be given a chance to apply, have an interview and even work in Japan, directly. I'M FULL WITH DESIRES NOW. I'ts like wakening my childhood dream, again. When I was a primary school student, (until junior high) I've always wanted to go, see, and even live in Japan (blame all the mangas and animes). My dreams are kinda neglected as the time pass by because of several conditions that forced me to focus more on reality though. But now?? Hearing this chance again, is like waking me up to work again on my dreams even more. Maybe it is my, yes, my ONLY chance to make my dreams come true. I'm really, really, waiting for the result now.

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So, can you imagine how was my previous week then? Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, was really used for all kind of interviews. This November, is like the answering month, I guess. Everything will be clear this month. So, I'm gonna update this blog, SOON.

- XX