Moving day!!

It was a perfect day to move on Thursday.  I was lucky considering that it was very hot and humid in the beginning of the week.  I love Michigan weather like that.  It's fun to see how the weather will be each day because it could be chilly to hot, and I can start each day afresh.  Rather than having hot and steamy weather every single day for two months straight in Japan (or any island country, I guess..) 

Moving takes more time than I thought it would.  I packed my suitcases and took Uber to slowly move my stuff on the day before, telling myself that I would be thankful to myself on the following day.  I did thank myself on Thursday.  It's a good idea to slowly do things, not all at once, so that you won't be pressured to finish everything on one day.  I still need to clean my old apartment, but I'm glad I'm almost done.

I thought having a washer and dryer in my unit is nice because I can keep them clean and use them whenever I want to.  BUT there are pros and cons - they are so loud.  I need to go out somewhere when the washer is running to protect my ears.  The dryer noise is bearable, but.. I think I would want to live in an apartment with a quieter washer/dryer or a laundry room somewhere not in my unit.  It's OK, it's my summer holiday house, so I should look at the bright side of things and enjoy life!

My friend who helped me move and I had a late lunch when we finished moving my stuff.  I am so thankful that she helped me.  I will help her with anything that I can!!  Mexican food for the first time in a while tasted very good. 

 

Job interview for a statistician position

Had a job interview.. It went fine. I was able to talk normally.  Had a conversation, rather than being feeling examined.  There are pros and cons to any jobs.  I have a mixed feeling about going home, and working on site.  It's nice to work in a team and talk to colleagues in person, but at the same time, it will be tiring to deal with difficult people and nonsense traditions.  I wonder what is good... I think it would be the best if I could work for a non-Japanese boss... 

     

 

A job offer at a bad timing....

Got a super exciting offer to work as a temporary project aide with collaborators from US, AUS, NZ. It could've been a great opportunity for me to get my foot in the door in the field, but I had to turn it down because of my student visa 😭😭😭 

I was really excited about the project because it is all about what I am passionate about - promoting health, summarizing literature, serving as a bridge between English- and Japanese-speaking researchers, and making effective presentation materials.  However, sad to say, the immigration specialist at my uni says that working for a Japan-based company would be a violation of my student status because if the work (for a Japan-based company or any company) is to be conducted on the U.S. soil, then you will require authorization before you can do any work.  And it is not possible to obtain work authorization at this point because it is my last semester.

It is strict, but I had no option but to let this opportunity go.  It is so disappointing, but I am looking forward to future opportunities to work on similar projects with them after I graduate in August this year. 

Looking at the bright side, it was encouraging to hear that they were impressed by my portfolio website and that they were willing to work with me.  Maybe it's kind of too early to look for a job since employees seem to be looking for someone who can start working immediately.  Nevertheless, I'll keep trying and looking.

For the meantime, I have more time to focus on my dissertation and defense, and to enjoy summer.  

"Sometimes, you cannot control things in your life.  Rather than being stressed about it, you can learn to go with the flow believing that everything will be alright eventually and to be okay with waiting while being open to opportunities."  That's the way to go! 

Something that I learned over the last few years is that too much worrying doesn't produce anything and it is wasted if what you worried about did not happen.  I'm not 100% for the attitude of "let's worry about it only after a problem occurs", but it's worth remembering that it's always a possibility that your concerns may not actually happen.  So, I kind of wonder what if I did not get any job or did not get a job that I like, but I am optimistic that everything will be okay in the end.  We will see where I will be taken.

Chrysanthemum cards and stamps

 It's very interesting to see chrysanthemums treated as normal flowers like roses or tulips (I think?) here because chrysanthemums are exclusively used as offerings for the deceased and so they never appear on greeting cards or stamps in Japan unless related to a funeral. 

Overcoming my knee jerk reaction of connecting chrysanthemums with their specific purpose, I realized they come in all different colors and are beautiful like any other flowers!!

菊の花が普通に普通の花として扱われているのが面白い。菊の花のカードとか花束とか見ると条件反射でビビってしまうけど、ガーベラとかマーガレットみたいで、そういえば綺麗だよなーと再発見。

Adado Riverfront Park

Had a nice and long walk on Lansing River Trail starting from Adado River Park.  It was really nice to meet with a friend in person.  I had a fantastic birthday!! 

 

Bday card from International Students' Office

Got this from OISS!!  It's very kind of them 😊 

Potter Park Zoo for the first time!

Went to Potter Park Zoo for the first time. It was crowded as it was a nice day. 

Kangaroos remind me of Australia! 

The reflection of the trees on the river.. 

World's biggest rabbit breed, apparently.  I
I love the green and blue colors of the peacock! 

Paca... We made a long good eye contact. 

A skinny boy band

A wolf behaved just like a dog.

 It was a cute little lovely zoo.  We thought 2 hours was enough, but we ended up staying there longer!  Just so much fun to see many kinds of animals while chatting lots of different things.  Thankful for this friendship. 

fleur, fleur, fleur....

It was a gorgeous day to take a walk and cherish the beauty of plantae!!

 

Lunch in a dinig hall and flowers around campus

Went to Holden dining hall for the first time.  I just realized that I need to use up all my meal swipes that I had purchased before I graduate!  4 more times to dine out...

It's still 33F in the morning and 56F during the day.  It got much cooler these days than a few weeks ago.  It feels like early spring again and I like the crisp air.

Got something that's not homemade after a loooooong time.

A historic sign in Holden hall..

It's fun to take a look at colorful flowers on campus! 

Its' a different one from Bradford pear tree, butthsi one also bears beautiful flowers. 

Spring flowers on the roads in East Lansing

Took a walk and then rode bus to a grocery store.  The green trees and colorful flowers sooth my mind.

This one has flowers that look like bean flower.  I wonder what they are..

 

Cherry trees and others

Thinking that this may be the last spring in Michigan for me to see, I just cannot stop capturing the moment as much as possible.  The weather is super nice.  Warm sun with cool breeze.  Spring is long in Michigan, which is nice.  In most parts of Japan, it's already too hot and humid to be comfortable.

My writing progressed a lot, and the end is in sight.  Whoa... It is a feeling of seeing somthing that I knew that exists but could never image vividly.   

They look like fireworks!