Canadian Economic Upturn Screws Expats
I am disgruntled. Now normally, being a patriotic Canadian and all that, I would be quite pleased to hear that the Canadian Econmony is doing so well on the world's scale... not today, my friends, not today.
I went to the Post Office the other day to send money home (the Post Offices here double as banks) and was mighty chagrined to learn that Japan is now offering only 102 yen to the dollar on Canadian monetary exchanges. What does this mean?
Well, upon my arrival in Japan six months ago, 100,000 yen would have netted me approximately $1150 Canadian (a 15 percent exchange rate); now, however, I am getting a total of $1020 Canadian for every 100,000 yen (losing $130 per month; $1560 per year). This is bad. This means that I am suddenly getting paid less at my job even though my salary remains the same (since I send the majority of my income home to Canada). What's more, I fear that if the exchange rate can change 13 percent in six short months I will actually end up losing money through exchange in the not-so-distant future!
I know, I know, you ask: "Why not just save your money in Japan, until the rates are in your favour?" If only it were that easy! See, I have to send some money home for bills each month; furthermore, there are limits to how much you can export from the country at any given time, so it's more difficult than one might think. Grrrr.
Anyhow, that's my beef. Just venting.
THIS JUST IN:
My boss just called. Suddenly I am not only getting paid less (as previously explained), but I will also have more working hours as of this week! Rather than continuing to allow me Thursday afternoons off (because the school I was supposed to work at couldn't find any kids who wanted to take Optional classes; likely because they are two years old and younger) my employers have contracted a new client. Now I will have to work for an hour Thursday evenings (right through dinner time, I might add) with the great possibility that this single class will multiply into more classes with the addition of more kids.
Why is this girl, who is contracted to work less than 26 hours per week so annoyed?? - well, although my working hours are fairly light, I am doing work-related things a great deal more. In fact, without this additional class, I devote approximately 38 hours per week to teaching, preparation, driving, eating lunch at the schools (often with the children), and pissing around at the schools because there are intermittent breaks but I am too far from home to leave, or they are too short to get anything done. This sucks!
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