September 24, 2025 - My First Post!

 HELLO WORLD

   Greetings! My name is Sharlene, and my birthday is celebrated by the Chinese on their Independence Day. I went to language school before going to DHU. But because of Covid-19, the first 6 months were spent in my home country before I actually went to Japan. I lived in Osaka for that 1 year, met a lot of new people and made a bunch of friends. It was tough, a lot happened during that 1 year but nothing could have prepared me for what happened during these past 2 year and a half I spent in DHU.

    My dad passed away last year in July. I had to take leave from school for around 3 weeks which was more than what the school had allowed. My attendance rate wasn’t looking so good, and I had to go back to Japan to finish my exams so I don’t fail my classes. But it hasn’t been easy since then. I still miss my dad’s presence, his jokes, and our similar taste in music. Artists like David Foster, Rod Stewart, Fourplay, Westlife, and Air Supply, my dad’s favorite music has continued to live in my life. My mom is still on her journey recovering from the grief of losing my dad. Despite their very chaotic marriage, they stuck together until the end. She thought she still had more time with him to spend their old days together traveling, or having a nice family dinner together.

    Just when I thought things were finally getting better, we got into a car crash almost 2 weeks ago going down from a mountain. I thought I wanted to die then, but turns out I didn't want to just yet when I tried to get out of the car. By God’s grace, miraculously no one got severe injuries except for my mom who got a dislocated shoulder and a chipped arm bone, and my grandma with her fractured hip bone. My mom was hospitalized for a week before I had to go back to Japan and I slept beside her every night on the hospital couch, just like how I did when my dad was battling with cancer. It’s not easy seeing your parents sick, and I am kind of stressed out from life recently. I am also unsure about the future, but something I learned from a nice grandma in her 70s on the plane back to Japan is not to take life too seriously. Relax, and just live life. I tried starting my first sourdough starter and it died the next day I left it for Japan. Everyone has their own story and at the end of the day, I’m grateful I can still eat sushi and breathe the fresh air Japan has to offer.

    If I had to live my life again, I wouldn’t have changed a single thing.

THANKS FOR READING :D