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My my my, does time fly by. Every month that I am back to write my reflections, I am amazed by how fast time goes by. I love that I can come back to this blog and reminisce about my past month that I might otherwise forget had I not written it down. Anyway, this month was very mellow with nothing special going on but I hope you find something of value in my November 2020 journey. Here it is:
Lifestyle: Daily Routine
At the start of this month, (literally November 1st, 2020) I started my first big girl job! I was nervous, excited, and thankful to even have a job in this pandemic. I can’t believe it has already been a month at this job. It’s also crazy how fast people get into the routine of things and feel like it’s something that you’ve done for years. I am amazed at how fast this month has passed by, yet it also feels like I’ve been here for long because I’m already so used to the lifestyle. My Mondays - Friday is the same routine every day so I thought I would physically break down my days for you guys:
Morning
6:15 am - 6:20 am: Wake up/ Get up
6:20 am - 6: 50 am: Get Ready and Head out the door
6:55 am - 7:10 am: Wait for the bus to come
I always arrive early because there usually ends up being a line to go on this specific bus.
7:10 am - 8:40 am: Commute to Work | Bus
If I find a seat, I would either watch Netflix, listen to music, or listen to a podcast. (Shoutout to the bus for having free wifi!)
If I don’t find a seat, I would have to stand up on the very shaky bus so I opt to listen to a podcast so I can put my phone in my pocket and hold onto the handle.
8:10 - 8:40 am: Commute to Work | Subway
I would be either listening to a podcast or music.
8:40 am - 8:50 am: Coffee Time!
I love getting coffee on the way to work, especially supporting the small cafe businesses. (Go support your small cafe businesses, especially in times like these!)
9:00 am - 12:00 pm: Work Part 1
I also have a mini breakfast during this time, which is usually just a hard-boiled egg or something simple like that.
Afternoon
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Lunch Time!
I either go to this place that kind of looks like a cafeteria and you get to scoop your food to control the amount you want at a very cheap price! ($5 and the menu changes every day and week)
I also love exploring different restaurants with my co-workers and this would also just vary depending on what we are craving. My favorite we’ve had so far is the Blood Sausage Soup because I was craving some hot soup on a colder than usual day. Also, it may not sound or look that appetizing to some of you if you have never had it before but please try it!
1:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Work Time Part 2
I make sure to take vitamins in between work such as Vitamin C and D!
I also love having snacks such as chocolate bars, gummy bears, and chips. (I love sharing my snacks with my co-workers!)
Dinner
6:00 pm - 7: 40 pm: Going Back Home!
7:40 pm - 8:00 pm: Quickly get unready
Don’t forget to wash your hands!!
8:00 pm - 8:30 pm: Dinner Time
My mom usually either has dinner prepared for me when I come back or if she was also out and about, then she meets me at the subway and we grab something before we head home.
8:30 pm - 9:00 pm: Officially get unready
Shower, facemask, and massage time!
9:00 pm - 10:00 pm: Chill
Watch Youtube, Netflix, or Tiktok (lol)
10:00 pm - 10:30 pm: Get ready for bed
Watch Youtube, until I get tired or it’s time to go to bed
10:30 pm: Go to bed
If you guys want to see me go through this day, go check out my day in my life video on our Knowledge Post College Youtube Channel!
On Weekends, it varies. I was able to go on a weekend getaway for one of the weeks. But in the other three weeks, I usually just spent time with my family here or had a lazy weekend. I think working has made me appreciate the weekend even more but also appreciate having time to do things I enjoy or spend it with people that I care about.
Lows: Insecurities
One low I faced this month was feeling unsure about myself. The first week of work, I felt some imposter syndrome. I was scared of “exposing” myself as a “fraud” or someone that’s not as intelligent in this field compared to others. I think stepping into a new role in this new chapter in my life, I was scared that I was going to fail people’s expectations or this job - in general.
After that, I was hit with insecurity that maybe my job wasn’t as good as other people’s or peers’ jobs. I think I bring up something similar each month about comparison in success but I think it’s something I don’t think I struggle with a lot until I write back these monthly journals. Having social media, such as LinkedIn, where people are sharing or boasting about their new role or big milestone in their career makes me wonder whether what I have is enough. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that people post on LinkedIn and that people should DEFINITELY be proud! They have every right to brag about their achievements. However, I need to work on realizing that my achievements are not any less than others’ and to just stop doubting the rest of my career because I don’t know my future.
Lessons: Small Happiness, New Chapters, and Your Path
One thing I learned this month was about finding small happiness in the daily routine. Having to do almost the same thing every day can quickly get boring and exhausting. However, I learned that there are so many little things you can learn to be grateful for and find happiness even in the same routine. For example, listening to different podcasts, music, or Netflix shows during my commute makes me not as dreadful for the long commute but more excited to start the next episode of a podcast or Netflix show, or find a new song that I like on Spotify! Another example is switching up the different small cafe businesses to support or switching up my coffee order. The last example is sharing snacks with co-workers in between work or exploring different restaurants during lunchtime. I found that there are different things you can switch up to make your dreadful daily routine a more exciting time.
Going back to feeling imposter syndrome during my first week of the job, I realized that it was more out of fear than the lack of trust I had in myself. Whenever I started a new chapter in my life, it was always scary at first. For example, starting middle school, high school, and even college was very nerve-wracking and scary. I remember high school teachers would scare students by saying “college professors would never accept this” or “college won’t be as easy as high school.” So, I remember feeling so scared about taking college classes and wondering how I was ever going to pass a class. However, I realized it wasn’t as bad after the first quarter of college and four years later, here I am with my degree! So yes, every new chapter is scary. However, once you get over the initial scare, you realize it’s not as bad and that you can get through it. Similarly, after the first few weeks of easing into the job and completing the given tasks, I realized that it was something I can accomplish. Plus, I realized I’m still very young and have so much to learn.
Lastly, I realized that I need to recognize being happy in the place I am at without the comparison of others. As I am working at my desk at work, there’s a time where I think about how crazy it is that I am working my first big girl job in Korea because it is something I would have never imagined a year ago. There are also times where I imagine what it would be like had I stayed in America and not come to Korea in August. It makes me wonder whether I would have had a “worse” job or a “better” job, even though I don’t even know what I mean by that. However, this quote I found on Pinterest made me feel better about the exact place I am at. It goes like this:
“You are exactly where you need to be.”
I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason and that it will all make sense in the end. It made me feel like the reason why I came to Korea and landed a job here was just all meant to be. It also made me feel like this journey is something I need to have and will have an impact on whatever future is meant to happen. Where I need to be is going to be different from wherever anyone else needs to be and that’s okay.
Songs on Repeat:
My top 3 Songs:
Location Unknown - HONNE, GeorgiaFragile (feat. Melanie Fontana) - ARMNHMR, Melanie FontanaFlames (feat. Ruel) - SG Lewis, RuelCheck out my November Playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3K2BZ5frSH4wEtLywmZzcJ?si=WxIkbnI_RJu1knXfmYFpEA
My Pick of the Month: Podcasts!
Having a long commute to work every day made me turn to listen to podcasts. I’ve never really been a podcast listener before and would rather listen to music in my free time. However, this month showed me that I love listening to podcasts, especially with topics that are either relatable to me or something that I’m passionate about. I love how it felt like I was a part of the conversation or would feel like I was eavesdropping in someone else’s conversation. Unfortunately, because I’ve been exploring so many different podcasts, I’ve only really gotten to listen to one or two episodes of someone’s podcast. Therefore, I can’t say right now which podcast is my FAVORITE. So, I thought I would shamelessly do a self-promo of OUR podcast that launched this month!
Listening to other people’s podcasts made me realize the type of direction that I wanted to take in my portion of the podcast. I think it’s just so interesting to share our ideas and experiences that some people may find unique or relatable. Recording our podcast this month was a lot more nerve-wracking than I thought it would be. I hope that I ease myself into the podcast more because I love the genuine conversations that Stephanie and I have on various topics. Make sure to check out our first podcast episode and keep updated on new episodes coming every month!
I hope that you had a great November 2020 and are excited for the last month of 2020. Whether you have the same daily routine or crazy fluctuating days, I hope you can find happiness in the small things. I also hope that whatever chapter or journey you are on in your life right now, you recognize all of your potentials and have faith that everything will work out in the end.
Talk to you later,
-- Jin