Reasons for Not Writing...

I am aware it has been awhile since my last post. There are a few reasons for my absence: 1) Teaching has picked up and I find myself with loads of marking and nights filled with creating games and activities by hand (because there is ZERO technology in the schools) 2) I have dedicated my weekends and evenings to making new friends and trying new things and 3) I found that when I was able to connect with people back home everyday via text, Instagram, and video chat, I became extremely homesick at first and I was overwhelmed by the incomplete feeling of being connected without the tangible fulfillment of actually experiencing things with loved ones. After I got my phone I was in a strange limbo between both Calgary and Japan but I was not truly living in either. Instead of blogging, I checked Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to see what was happening in Calgary and at first it felt comforting but it quickly turned to yearning. When I first arrived in Japan, I wrote everyday because I was all alone, disconnected, and forced to really live this life. I didn`t realize it at first, but I was getting used to the disconnect and was starting to find enriching ways to create a life here. When I first got my phone I suppose I didn`t feel like writing because I wasn`t fully experiencing this life anymore, and it is hard to write about something that your heart isn`t really into (at least it is for me). 
Now, I am finding a balance between being connected to people at home and focusing on building my life here. My excuse for not writing has changed from avoidance to just being busy. I am happy to say that I am settling in quite nicely and the more that I explore this city the more I am falling in love with it. Niigata is the perfect city for me in so many ways (which I will talk about in my next few posts). I have found a wonderful group of friends, I am making a ton of travel plans, I am getting involved in Japanese hobbies, and I am learning to make space in my heart for both homes.