Sept. 22 - Essay writing has become a therapy for me.

1. Essay writing has become a therapy for me.

I live in the countryside and I will be turning 50 in six months.  I could not last working the whole day like young people do. 

There is no opportunity to find a job related to English.  I don’t have any specific goals in studying hard.  I am now at "menopausal stage" or "the change of life."  My physical strength has been changing and I feel weak.

These days, I am not interested in what’s happening to the world, but I feel passionate about what’s happening to myself.  When I am writing, I always think of my inner feelings.  I think essay writing has become a therapy for me. 

2.  I used to be a city girl. 

I used to live in Tokyo Metropolitan areas which are closed to train stations.  My apartments located within 10-minute walk from stations.  Trains come every 5 minutes or so, so I didn’t think about driving a car because the public transportation system was excellent there.   

When I got married at 40, I moved here in the countryside.  I have been living here for almost ten years.  I have been accustomed to live in where I am now, but I still cannot drive a car. 

3.  My current situation

If I go to the nearest train station, I have to walk for more than 20 minutes.  Once I get to the station, trains come every 15 minutes and I can go anywhere.  The train ticket to Himeji Station costs me about 300 yen one way.  We can find almost everything in Himeji Station area such as sightseeing spots, department stores, and nice restaurants and so on.

Taking a bus service is another choice.  Fortunately, we have a bus stop in front of our house. 

Here’s the bus time table to Himeji Station

7:00, 8:28, 9:24, 11:38, 13:38, 15:38, 16:24, 17:24, 18:24, 19:24

Here’s the bus time table from Himeji Station

7:15, 8:25, 9:55, 11:55, 13:55, 16:25, 17:25, 18:25, 19:55

If I take the 11:38 a.m. bus to Himeji station and eat lunch with friends in a restaurant for an hour, then I may take the 13:55 bus and come home.
 

This means that I stay out for more than 2 hours.  The two way bus fare costs me 540 yen and a lunch in a restaurant would be around 1,000 yen.
 

Sometimes, I would like to have someone to chat with, but I think it will cost me too much.  I can only afford to pay for once a week meet ups which is around 6,000 yen. 

3.   Talking to RJ tutors

 

I take one lesson every day, and it cost me about 200 yen per lesson.  I can talk about anything I can think of because Filipino tutors are nice and friendly.  I can save time too because one lesson is only 25 minutes.  I can have time for house chores or I can take a nap.

I pay 6,000 yen to RareJob every month and it would be equivalent to the amount of eating out with friends weekly.   However, RJ enables me to save time and helps me improving my English skills, which are rewarding to me.

I somehow manage to myself understood in English.  My explanations are always long whenever I try to explain something in English.  If I explain the things I wrote above in Japanese language, I may do it within 5 minutes.  However, if I do it in English, I may need 25 minutes.    END


manage to ... do something difficult  (intransitive and transitive) to succeed in doing something difficult, especially after trying very hard