This past summer was as per usual extremely hot in Niihama. Many a nights I was unable to sleep from how incredibly hot it was, also the spiders, cockroaches and centipedes come out by the throngs at summertime and you must be vigilant at all times! This year I am proud to say that no cockroaches were found in my apartment.
Rice fields filled with water in summertime.
Summer is a ton of fun though! Everyone comes out from hibernating during winter and there are a lot of BBQs, trips and events. This past June I went to the Yukata party and was able to wear a beautiful blue yukata and enjoyed a nice afternoon with some people who returned home later on in the summer. Thomas took part of one of his school’s softball team and hit a couple of home runners! We joined the team over for dinner at the end of the day and spent a fun night with some very nice Japanese folks.
Mingh and I at the Yukata Party
This past summer however, was also pretty rough for me. At the end of June I was stopped by the local police officer for a malfunction in my vehicle and upon looking at my driver’s license I noticed that it had expired. That landed me at the police station for 7.5 hrs and it became by far the worst time while I’ve been living in Japan. The following days were some of the most stressful days I have experienced, I think in my whole life. The expired license was an oversight in my part but being so far away from home and not being able to understand what the officer was telling me was the worst part. The whole event left me with no driving privileges and having to bike to all of my lessons at 35C weather, plus humidity. It was really NOT fun. At the same time I didn’t want to leave. So I did my best waiting for the 7 weeks until my trip to Canada where I would be at home with my mom, family and friends and would then be able to speak to them and get a better perspective over the whole situation.
I can say that 5 months later things look much better on my end. I quit my job due to many reasons, but the main one was because after the traffic violation incident I had had more than enough. I was able to find a job with a different company. I had an interview and the next day I landed the job. Everyone I work with has been very helpful and professional. The company has helped me out with all legal and personal matters and everything is much more clear. I am still waiting to be called in to court to pay my fine which I imagine will be hefty, but personally I am in a much healthier environment so I know everything will be solved in the best possible way.
