Being an Adult

The beauty of the JET Program, especially for newly college graduates such as myself and Ron, is that it's a babystep towards adulthood. After being in the college mindset, being in Japan makes it a nice middle ground instead of being immediately thrown into adulthood. We have work, bills, and if we want... savings. Yet, we don't have to worry about insurance, large costs, and othe problems that come with adulthood. We can relax in that "happy medium" while we try to think of our next step into true adulthood.

However, I think we are starting to take a faster approach to adulthood. Recently, we've been very busy. Within this month, we are struggling to get internet, working the mounds of paperwork to get a car, getting ready to pay for car insurance, calling to make doctor's appointments, et...cet...e...ra...

I guess it's silly to say that this stuff is overwhelming and sometimes I want to pull out my hair. But I'm starting to realize just how much comes along after graduating college. There is no parental financial support anymore and all those little things that were taken for granted are now things that are building up to be a pain in the butt. Just yesterday I had to cancel my phone mail function because I was getting so much junk mail and being charged for it. To save $20 a month, it had to be cancelled. Ron and I have started to see where we spend our money and how to save more money in other places. It's kind of our own reality show. "This couple is given $100, how long can they go before it's gone? DUN DUN DUN!!!

Before it was a pain and I went in a state of depression so strong that even my favorite PURIN (pudding) dessert couldn't shake me out of it. Then, I started to figure that we aren't in a bad place and the things we have are things that are needed. I'm a saver by nature so the idea that my money is going somewhere else kills me. Having to pay half of the car last week was like taking a piece of my soul. But now, I've come to a different mentality. One that isn't gauged by how much we save in a month, or what things we CAN'T afford. Now, I've come to enjoy coming home, shopping for dinner, and study nights. So much so that the trip to Mr. Donuts that I won't be taking doesn't bother me anymore. FYI, I've lost 6 pounds because of it.

This is by no means a sad story, I think that I've grown up a little more and thanks to the JET Program I can take my time to realize these things. I think the "mature" sprout on top of my head just grew another inch (or 2.54 cm... YAY metric!) Hooray, I'm growing!

Thank you mom and dad for paying my phone bill. I recall it being quite high.