9th day of summer

A day of ups and downs.

Crazy day of extreme emotions.
Felt like so many different things were happening and I didn’t know what to feel.

The time spent in school was good, though.
I love talking to my students and coworkers.
Will really miss P when he returns to South Africa.

I know my Japanese is not good,
but it never felt as demoralizing as today,
when I had to struggle with making myself understood
during an important phone call.
A crucial phone call,
on which rested my professional reputation.

I kept saying,
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you mean.
Could you repeat that?”

I listened as hard as I could,
but I really couldn’t make sense of what was being said.

I thought of how if I were in a similar situation in Singapore,
I would have resolved my problem in three minutes flat.

I closed my eyes and willed myself not to give up.