Yesterday I said goodbye to the best friend I made in the two months I lived here.
He got on a bike and went forward on his journey.
That's the nature of living here.
Now I face the cons.
It's not a hostel, where you may leave the next day. Here you can spend months, maybe even a year, with the same people living and cooking and talking and going and playing and drinking and learning and complaining and aspiring and struggling.
Half the people here are on a working holiday visa. Just a year.
The others have normal jobs, trying to get ahead and pay cheap rent.
Maybe they want to mingle with foreigners or practice English. But most of the time, they're just working. People are busy.
There are 11 of us. Half of us foreign:
4 Japanese. 2 Vietnamese. 3 French. 1 Spanish.
And I'm the American.
What's great is as soon as I got here, I had connections. Maybe not friends, right away, but people I could talk to. To ask about how to live. Or where to go. Foreign locals.
Sometimes it's nice to be downstairs, and chat with who's home. Sometimes I retreat to my room to focus.
Some people are messy. There's a lot to be cleaned. But overall, it's been a blessing.
To move to another country. It's hard living alone and finding friends. Though I've done that too.
I recommend starting at a sharehouse. That was my friend's advice. And I'm so glad I took it.
It's an experience in itself. I learn more Japanese, and more about Europe, and living with different people. I've never had so many roommates.
I also learn to be a better housemate. How to share a kitchen. Or a washer and dryer.
I make mistakes all the time, but it's improving my self-awareness.
Home alone, no one's there to correct you. Or check on you if you go astray.
It's fun. It's safe. And the times that annoy are still worth the return.
The rent's less than $400 a month.
To the blog.
To the podcast.
To my contact.
To the main page.
Enjoy!