It’s been nearly two months since I’ve returned home to Australia.
Looking back, I’ve had a pretty good run in Japan. I’ve made a few friends, I’ve left a positive impact on some of my students, and my confidence in communicating in Japanese has improved somewhat.
The month and a half I spent after my contract finished was also quite eventful. The hostel I stayed at for a month in Nagasaki was really awesome for the most part, and I was also introduced to a small European-style bakery hidden off the main road.
I still think of that white chocolate and macadamia nut bread roll from time to time. It was really that good.
I was also able to visit Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures for the first time. Northern Japan is quite different from what I’m used to down in Kyushu, and it’s a region I’ll have to visit again in the future.
As for what’s next?
I’m not too sure, to be honest, but right now, I’m simply content taking it easy until the new year. Of course, I’ll be on the lookout for jobs, but right now, my main priority is to get my mental health back in order. Even though I did enjoy my five years in Japan, the pandemic didn’t really do wonders for my mind.
Having said that, it’s probably a good thing I’ve discovered the world of the Arch Linux operating system. While I’ve had prior experience with Linux in general (via the Raspberry Pi, Puppy Linux, and Linux Lite), Arch Linux is a completely different beast. It took me about three attempts to get a setup that was mostly functional, and a week of using that setup to learn more about the pros and cons of the OS.
All of that was worth it - I’m now running Arch Linux on a second-hand Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q desktop, using the LTS kernel as the foundation. The hands-on approach to installing Arch has also helped with improving my mental state.
(Interestingly enough, from what I’ve read on social media, while the Arch Installer script was designed to ease beginners into installing the OS, it’s actually more convenient to NOT use the script if you can find a good unofficial installation guide.)
While I’ll be getting myself a new MacBook later this month, I also intend to get myself a second-hand laptop to continue pushing the boundaries with Arch Linux.
Hopefully, it won’t take long for me to post my next update, but in the meantime, you can always check the Mastodon feed on the front page of my website for bite-sized updates.