I hate posting without photos. I know you hate it too.
In two weeks I'll get paid. I'll have money for the first time in...?
Before I left Portland in September, I was rationing my books for food. I tried not to get hungry and when I did, I'd take three or four books to Powell's and sell them. I'd get like $5, and I'd use it to buy chicken strips at the grocery store deli. My last weekend in Portland, I ate breakfast from a Ziploc bag in my backpack with three slices of wheat bread in it from my mom's house.
Now I've got 12 more days until I get paid. My food is rationed out in little bags and bundles in the kitchen. No bus fare, so I walk for hours every day. It's not so bad but snow's coming soon. I don't have any conditioner and I use Vaseline as face lotion. I've become so good at being broke. I make delicious dinners from like, soy sauce, frozen leftover fat, soup stock...
When I get paid I'll buy face and body lotion, conditioner, and a card reader so I can finally upload photos. And a cell phone.
I have a date, my period's late and it's rain-snow-drizzling outside. That's the worst.
6 comments:
vasaline as face lotion? that's so intense...
coffee, bookstores, dance parties vs. love hotels, inspiration in your backyard, growing up?
whaaaaaat a conundrum.
as a matter of fact a week after starting the vaseline my skin is looking pretty fuckin amazing.
and it REALLY IS. oh well. i'm going to tokyo, i can have almost all that stuff at the same time. minus mountains :( but i can come back and visit
Leftover fat??? Seriously? Wow, that IS intense...
How come you have no money?
I once lived off of nothing but potatoes for two weeks...I figured that it worked for the Irish, it could work for me. Mashed, boiled, hash browns, french fries...
I was amazed with how much I could do with so little...It really forced me to get creative.
But it really sucked. And I ended up getting pretty sick afterwards...so be careful!
Anyways, your blog is funny!
Reannon -
I have no money because I came here in late October with like $1100 and started work on November 1st for a company that pays on the 20th of the month following the month worked. So I've been here for about two months with no pay. I was like "Who needs $4,000 to get settled in Japan, WIMPS!" And I haven't starved so I guess I was right.
And hahaha, "it worked for the Irish." I always think that kind of thing when I set out for poverty! Then I'm surprised when it isn't very fun. Like it was fun for the Irish? Never any regrets, though. Whatever I'm sacrificing for is always worth it. And anyway, TWO DAYS until I get paid. I'm gonna pig out!
Thanks for reading!
P.S. the word verification is "porks" how fitting
I also ran out of money! I came to Japan with no job and found one right away...but didn't get paid for six weeks. I ended up having to ask my job to pay me 500 in advance. Your job doesn't offer that?
I also tutored...and undercharged (2,500 yen per hour) but I got a lot of students that way. I went through Orangutanenglish.com...but I suggest findateacher.com My friend charges 5,000 per hour which is the going rate in Tokyo...I'd suggest you charge around that much unless you're really desperate for students...because I got a lot of weirdos by charging so little. They were mostly strange men that spent the entire tutoring sessions hitting on me.
You're the bomb! There are so many different classified-options online I wasn't sure where to start. I'll sign up for findateacher.com as soon as I get a cell phone!
I actually have no idea how much of a demand there is for private lessons in Yamagata. It's no Tokyo -- quite small. I'll probably undercharge at first and see how it goes. And HA, the guys can hit on me all they want if they pay me and don't follow me home.
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