jakeinbalance

I am living in Japan during one of the strangest times in recent history. While spending this time here, I’ve integrated with a society that has dealt with the pandemic for over a year now. Ever since the start of 2020, the government has asked its residence to take precautions. Key word, “asked”, because the Japanese government has yet to demand anything from its residents, but instead only requests that people follow the guidelines in place. Masks Mask-wearing has been practiced by nearly everyone. I have been wearing one every day at work since last April. Usually, people will not take off their masks when speaking to each other and the most common type is the non-reusable paper mask. It is often thrown away after a few uses. Social Distancing Social distancing has been largely ignored. Being that much of the population relies on trains and stations, there have been incredibly crowded spaces during my commutes each day. Restaurants are operating at a smaller capacity with reduced ho...

On Christmas Eve, I was sent to a Buddhist temple. I took the train to Yokohama, walked up stone staircases, through a cemetery, across a pond full of koi fish, and into a temple. Here is where I met a monk, who also doubles as a school principal.  After exchanging greetings, I continued up the stairs and arrived at the school. It was on the top of a hill, overlooking the city.  Then, I organized the classroom, thought about the classes I was about to teach, and observed the skyline. I waited until the monk sent his granddaughter for her weekly English lesson. Three other students also joined, a group of four. I spent the next few hours teaching. I've been doing this sort of work for the last 15 months. Although seemingly peaceful, I would be lying if I said it wasn't a challenge.  A challenge that has taught me about Grit. Developing grit is a slow process. It accumulates through years of punches and scars. The more one has, the more one can persevere, no matter the circ...

I am in Japan as the year nears an end. For some reason, out of all the places on Earth, I have spent the past year here. We all know that 2020 has changed the world forever, and for some reason, I have been privileged to live in Japan during this  year of uncertainty. For whatever reason, I have been blessed with security throughout the wildness that 2020 brought. During 2020 is when the world turned upside down. I have followed the news flowing out of my home country as several plagues existed at once. Whenever I consume it, it feels like I am looking through a small window into a house that is chaotic. A place where everything is turned upside down.  Where grocery store workers are taking on the most responsibility, and government workers are ignoring responsibility.   Where socialization is dangerous and isolation is necessary.  Where school buildings are empty and hospitals are full. My home country has been standing on it's head and I commend all who have ...

The history of human-beings is outlined in Yuval Noah Harari's "Sapiens". I recently read it, which examines the last 70,000 years and guides readers through how our world evolved into what it is. Revolutions have shaped the current world and should not be forgotten. I think we can all feel that a similar sort of enormous change is happening, right now, therefore I thought I'd highlight the revolutions of the past for this month's blog. Cognitive Revolution The moment in history when apes gained a consciousness, eventually developing into the living, walking, breathing people that everyone embodies today. All of us share the same core DNA. The bus driver in Tokyo, teacher in India, grandparent in Italy, and newborn baby in New York. This is unifying to understand. No matter how much we may look, sound, and behave differently from one another, we are all Homo-Sapiens with the same ancestors. Agricultural Revolution This started the moment we began to grow our own f...

I was in Kyoto a few months ago, near the main station. I was soaking in the city while stopped at a corner. The day was calm. While waiting to cross the street, I noticed an elderly lady carrying a large bag. It looked like a bag of sand. I quickly found out it was a bag of bird food. Because, In the next moment, this lady opened the bag and started feeding pigeons. The birds flocked to her. On the corner in Kyoto. A pigeon feast was underway with about 50 attendees. Then, a man started shouting. He wanted her to stop feeding the pigeons. The lady calmly ignored the man and continued on with her food delivery. The man walked off in frustration and continued on with his day. I am sharing this story because after one year in Japan, it is the only negative altercation I’ve witnessed. I’ve learned that, aside from the occasional bird-feeding dispute, the people of Japan seem to have a shared ideology to help one another. To care for one another. A shared sense of empathy. In the last 12 m...

Life feels like a mountain with no designated path to take. Both beauty and horror are in this feeling. It is horrible because you will get lost and you will be scared. A lonely and quiet experience for all of us. It is also beautiful. It is beautiful because you can change your path, if intuition insists. This change displays the mountain from a different view. A different perspective. A path change often reveals where you are truly trying to go. It clears your vision, so you see the mountain as a whole. Life as a whole. So you can accurately map your climb. This is where I'm at right now. I am approaching a year in Japan and I've dramatically changed the path of my life. I went from Philadelphia to Kakamigahara to Chiba, where I am currently working from. Chiba is buzzing with energy and I can sense myself being fueled by it. It will be the place where I imagine my 25th year. I went from being an Uber driver to being an EFL educator. Being an educator has brought me closer to...

     What is adulthood? I've been thinking about this question lately. It seems as if there is no universal age that represents it. The path to it is different for everyone. The journey is never easy, but once reached, it is a satisfaction.        I am an adult. I feel that I have made enormous strides into adulthood in Kakamigahara, Japan. I'd like to share these strides with you. Two realizations in particular. Two pillars that made me an adult. Two pillars that could help someone navigate there own path. Reliability.      There is something maturing about waking up each day and knowing that people rely on you. There is a sense of purpose when you enter the day knowing that you are responsible for helping others. For me, this was realized through teaching. I had to develop myself into a reliable teacher. Someone who would not only show up, but show up with a positive attitude. Someone who you could count on.       ...