Daily Supports

I have numerous supports within my daily environment.  These include: God, my family, friends, co-workers and technology (via my phone).  God is the one constant in my life who is with me at all times, He is my biggest support.   Since I am living in a foreign country and my phone is constantly with me I am able to keep in touch with my friends and family and see what is happening in the world around me.  Additionally I am able to translate things into English when necessary.  I have a friend from college who also works in Japan.  She is like a sister and has been a great help to me, especially in the beginning when I just came.  She gave me lots of useful advice, helped me to identify things in the supermarket, helped me to navigate the transportation system and often cooked for me.  We continue to hangout and do a lot of things together. I am more settled now but I know I can go to her for help if I need it.  My co-workers are also a big support in and out of the work place.  At work they help me come with different strategies and resources for teaching my students.  Out of the office we often celebrate each other birthdays together and do different activities together.  Most of us are foreigners, so we end up doing most things together.  Without these supports I would be very lonely and probably depressed.  I would have no one to help me and I would be alone in a foreign country where I do not speak the native language.  Life would be extremely difficult for me.

One challenge I can think of is getting lost.  My family would not necessarily be able to help me but my friend and co-workers who live here could via technology.  God would keep me calm and keep me from freaking out about being lost in a foreign country.    If I realize that I am lost I could use the GPS on my phone to show me my present location and help me get to a familiar location.  I could also call my friend or other co-workers who would be able to talk me through getting back home or at least getting somewhere where one of them could pick up. They also have more knowledge about the transportation system, so they could tell me which bus or train I should take.  These supports help me feel like I have people I can rely on and a family away from home.  Without these supports I would probably be afraid to try new things and explore new places.  I would probably just stick to what I know and not bother to venture outside my comfort zone.