Hey guys, how's it going?
My name is Micaela, and today is a very special day, do you wanna know why?
Today is a very special day because eleven years ago today, I came to Japan for the first
time.
Eleven years!
That's like, 40% of my life.
Seriously. 40% of my life has been spent in Japan.
Ah.
AHH!
In a previous video where I talked about "Why I Came To Japan", I talked about how I found
it really hard to fit into the Canadian high-school lifestyle, growing up, and it wasn't that
I didn't have friends, it was just that I really enjoyed my alone time, and I didn't
enjoy going to parties or any of the social activities that a lot of people my age did.
And, at the time, like, honestly, my parents were worried, they would use words like "Anti-Social",
like, "Oh, you're being anti-social", like it's a bad thing, but only in the past couple
of years have I come to terms with the fact that I'm actually just a huge introvert.
But you know what?
That's totally okay.
And when I think about the past 11 years, really, one of the things that has made my
life so comfortable here in Japan, was the fact that, I do think it's very easy to live
in Japan as an introvert.
I find that people generally like to keep to themselves, they don't like to you know,
get involved in other people's business, and they're very private people, which, you know,
suits people like me, who are also kind of private, and quiet, and withdrawn really well.
And while I do think that there are a lot of introverts in Japan, they don't like to
put labels on themselves, I think when you label yourself as an introvert, people kind
of think that has negative connotations, mostly due to misunderstanding what it actually means
to be an introvert.
For starters, being an introvert doesn't mean that I'm shy.
I'm perfectly capable of being outgoing and bubbly when I'm in my comfort zone, when I'm
surrounded by people that I trust, or when I'm in front of a camera, alone in my bedroom.
Like, it's not beyond me to be outgoing, to smile, be energetic, I can do that, but, it
also means that like a battery, it drains pretty quickly, it needs to be recharged,
and I can't be like this all the time every day.
Seriously, as soon as I'm done shooting this video, and I turn off this camera, my face
will probably go to like....
For the rest of the day!
The second common misconception about being introverted is that it means that you're a
recluse, and you don't like people at all, and I think that is an over exaggeration,
because as much as I do love being alone, it doesn't mean that I'm afraid to go out,
or that I don't enjoy being out, like I have friends, that I love to hang out with, but
I don't seek to expand my social circle beyond that, because I'm comfortable.
And in the internet world, being introverted has become such a cliche, because it feels
like everybody is an introvert, and there's a good reason for that.
It's because for people, like me, and like so many other creators, especially YouTubers,
it's a lot easier to sit in your room, in front of a camera, and express yourself, than
it is to go and express yourself in front of thousands of people.
This is within the comfort zone of an introvert, it's not that strange, really.
I don't think that being the life of the party is the end-all goal of humanity, and I think
the sooner that people can understand and respect that there are more than one type
of person in this world, the happier we'll all be!
So, that is my opinion.
For as introverted as I say Japan is, it's also very conscious of the fact that it needs
to try harder to facilitate social connections and therefore there are times that you might
need to just kind of bite your tongue and deal with it within Japanese society.
A good example of this is obligatory work parties, or drinking parties with co-workers,
and this is done primarily to encourage communication within the company, and to encourage friendships
and create a better job..
working environment, and for me, I don't like work parties, and I think a lot of people
don't like work parties, but you actually lose a lot more by not going.
By not going, you are showing kind of like, a blatant disinterest in helping the company
run smoother, and that can be offensive to people around you, and actually have a negative
impact on your job.
I've cancelled work parties...
I've cancelled attending work parties last minute, and I can tell you that I've not benefitted
from that ever.
I've only disappointed people, and let them down, which sucks, cause I know that their
intentions are pure, they want to get to know me, but I deny them that opportunity, by saying
I'm sick at the last minute, you need to kind of have to just understand why they exist,
in order to feel okay with attending.
And if you don't attend you have to realize that by not attending you're taking a risk,
potentially hurting people's feelings, or showing disinterest in getting to know everybody
and that can have a bad effect, negative effect on your work.
Another thing you should keep in mind about Japan, is that, I guess, the foot-in-the-door
job, the first job that most expats have in Japan is teaching, and if you are an introvert,
you might find teaching in a high-school, or teaching in front of you know, multiple
students, very exhausting...
So, if you're looking for a job and your visa allows it, perhaps try to work more privately.
If you're coming to Japan and you want to teach English, and your visa allows it, what
you can do instead of teaching at a high-school or any situation that puts you in front of
a large group of people, is to join an Eikaiwa, where they usually have smaller class sizes,
or teach privately where you're teaching one on one, and you get to know each student individually.
I find that that is a lot easier.
Dancing around and entertaining children of course, it is a lot of fun, but I think I
could only do it once a day...
And, doing multiple back to back lessons of children, and dancing would drain me so badly
that I would just go home and like, not talk to anybody.
The good news though is that I think being introverted actually comes with a few advantages
in Japan, and that is because introverts tend to be more withdrawn, but also very perceptive,
and sensitive, to the feelings and environment around them, and I think that that is a really
valuable skill to have in Japan, especially when a lot of communication is done...
A lot of communication is done very vaguely, and there are a lot of vague expressions and
there's a lot of reading between the lines that needs to be done when communicating with
Japanese people, especially in a formal environment.
If you're interested in knowing more about your personality type, you should take a Myers-Briggs
test.
These are actually so much fun.
I love these tests because I always find they're so accurate.
And I think it's important to take it because you realize that there are so many different
types of people in this world, so many different strengths and weaknesses, not everybody functions
the same way, not everybody handles stress the same way, so taking the test might help
you understand yourself a lot better, but it also might help you realize how many different
combinations of people are out there in the world.
Um, I'll, I can't remember what I am, so I'm going to take the test and I'll put the result
in the description, but let me know what you are.
Let me know, are you more of an introvert or extrovert?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Let me know in the comments, and I will talk to you again soon.
This is Kit, Kit is also an introvert.
Kit's hobbies are hiding away in the bedroom, the one cool room in the house, and sleeping
all day, cause it's too hot for that noise.
Isn't that right?
Good boy.