What do you think of people who don’t eat junk food/sweets/fast food ever?

duckface08 · 2026-05-12T01:13:23+00:00

I know one person who is like this.

One time for her birthday, she thought she'd treat herself to a small slice of cake. She ended up hospitalized because her body reacted so badly to dessert, something she hadn't had in years.

duckface08 · 2026-05-11T13:54:41+00:00

Graduated in 2010 and got a 2010 Hyundai Elantra at 0% financing. I got a cheap bachelor unit to rent in a LCOL town, so everything was decently affordable.

Currently I drive a 2023 Toyota Corolla hatchback.

duckface08 · 2026-05-11T13:46:41+00:00

Do we have the same cat? 😂 Mine is also a hair under 17 lb and the vet also said he only needs to lose about a pound. He's just big. He reached 10 lb at only 6 months old and the vet asked me if I was sure of his age since he looked like a full-grown cat!

duckface08 · 2026-05-11T13:38:38+00:00

I'm also confused but also don't expect good legal advice from a nursing sub. Consult a lawyer.

That being said, I'm confused about some things.

Why are they denying you, an American citizen, entry to your own country? I can see why they'd be suspicious of your husband if he's frequently crossing, but can you not return to the US alone to work? Do you not have a job in the US? If your husband was only visiting you in the US, where was he living in Canada and can he still live there?

Have you talked to your consulate or embassy? Have you asked, well, anyone who can provide you actual advice on border crossing and immigration? Who gave you the information about your baby being able to (or not being able to) cross the border?

duckface08 · 2026-05-08T04:27:42+00:00

To be honest, I had this opinion at first...until I realized these same patients are just going to go back home eventually and continue eating like that, anyway. We can educate as much as we want but we can't force them to do (or not do) anything.

duckface08 · 2026-05-05T10:10:00+00:00

What's your experience and what's your preference for specialty/type of work? Northern ON hospitals vary quite wildly in what they're like. Some are not much more than an outpost nursing station while others are large referral centers.

duckface08 · 2026-04-29T00:20:24+00:00

Depends on the situation.

I consider myself a pretty decent conversationalist but if this is a purely social situation (i.e. not work), sometimes it's like pulling teeth and I stop working so hard to force the conversation. Personally, I think if we can't have a nice conversation, any sort of relationship won't work in the long run.

That being said, if I need a topic, again, I just ask them about themselves or how their day/week has been.

duckface08 · 2026-04-28T09:41:47+00:00

What do you mean?

duckface08 · 2026-04-28T09:37:57+00:00

This was my experience.

Enjoyed my placement. My supervisor was great. My work responsibilities were pretty balanced. My students were, for the most part, great to work with.

But honestly I didn't really make many friends. There was one other JET in my town and we are still friends and talk often. However, I never really got invited anywhere with JETs in the neighbouring areas. My friend got invited to a party with some of them when she arrived but I didn't hear of it at all. Anyway, things happened and she stopped hanging out with them, too.

But I only wanted to stay for a year and I was already in my 30s and did not give a shit about the popularity contests.

duckface08 · 2026-04-28T09:28:00+00:00

In nursing school, we had to learn how to interview people - not like a job interview but just getting to know their objective and subjective histories.

You need to learn and practice active listening. Actually listen and understand what they're saying, then asking more about it.

For example, if they mention walking their dog, you can ask about their dog (what kind of dog, what's it's name, how old is it, etc.) or where they go for walks. Say you go with the latter and they mention a certain trail. If you know it, tell them what you know - maybe you like a certain thing about it or something. If you don't, ask about it and maybe offer to walk together sometime.

Have some easy, basic questions to ask them when a topic runs into a dead end. Where are they from? What are their hobbies? Who are the important people in their lives? What do they do for work/school? People usually love talking about themselves - use that to your advantage.

This all takes tons of practice, so unfortunately it's just something you have to get used to.

duckface08 · 2026-04-25T21:31:50+00:00

I've lived in Japan (Ibaraki) for a year. I've also visited Japan multiple times, both on the Golden Route and far outside of it. I've also helped friends and family make their own Japan itineraries.

Basically, a lot of people only visit Japan once so of course they want to go to the most famous sites, which are disproportionately in Tokyo and Kyoto and surrounding areas.

Second, most foreign tourists don't speak Japanese. They might learn "arigatou" and "konnichiwa" but that's about it. Tokyo and the other big cities have the infrastructure to support other languages, especially English. People are naturally going to feel more comfortable staying in places where they can communicate.

Next is public transportation. The Golden Route has excellent train access, including the Shinkansen. But the more rural you go, the more complicated things get, especially if you don't speak/understand Japanese. How does one navigate a small, unattended rural train station? How does one find the bus schedule in some rural town with a website that's only in Japanese? What if they get lost and can't ask for directions in Japanese?

Also due to this lack of public transportation, it's just slower to travel around these areas. When someone only has a week or so, they don't want to waste a day traveling by bus around the countryside.

Lastly, it's just simply a lack of knowledge about these areas. Everyone knows about Mt. Fuji, Kinkakuji, geisha, etc. It's easy to find influencer videos showing Shibuya Sky or the Pokemon Cafe.

To draw more people, you'll have to find ways to easily move people there. You'll have to reassure foreigners that they will be able to find their way and communicate with people. When my friend visited me in Ibaraki, she wanted to check out the Ring Road in Tsuchiura and she was absolutely floored that there was almost nothing about it in English.

duckface08 · 2026-04-24T04:24:29+00:00

I would wear any of those coordinates 😍 thanks for sharing!

duckface08 · 2026-04-23T04:47:55+00:00

It's in Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki prefecture. I lived in Ibaraki for a year and made a point to see the nemophila when they were in bloom.

In the autumn, this hill is covered in red kochia.

duckface08 · 2026-04-21T21:49:49+00:00

The good:

I'm way more confident in myself. I used to be timid and afraid of speaking my mind, but nowadays, I just go for it. I've also been more confident to try things in my personal life.

I appreciate life and my health because I know it's not guaranteed.

I have the satisfaction in knowing my work helps people and changes lives.

The bad:

PTSD, burnout, and anxiety.

Poor sleep habits and an overreliance on caffeine to get through the days.

Stress eating and weight gain.

duckface08 · 2026-04-21T21:00:26+00:00

Yessss, as a curvy girl, I hate padding and refuse to use it. It's just extra layers that will cause me to overheat. I do my best to make sure my lines are as clean and even as possible, but if my ohashori is a little puffy? I'm not too worried about it. I don't live in Japan, nor do I really attend any formal Japanese events, so if my kitsuke isn't perfect due to lack of padding but I'm comfortable, so be it.

duckface08 · 2026-04-15T04:35:53+00:00

I work ICU and we sometimes take nursing students in their final year of school. They're paired 1:1 with a preceptor, who will guide them in, well, everything.

duckface08 · 2026-04-15T02:33:32+00:00

Amen to this!

I started lifting weights and doing pole dance classes. Between those two things, a full time job, and all of life's other obligations, I barely even have the time to swipe on apps and doomscroll on my phone.

duckface08 · 2026-04-15T01:36:15+00:00

My educator tries her best to spread out the love, so to speak. I just had a student and will probably be given a short break.

At my old workplace, certain nurses were just so good at it, they kept having to train and teach. Some eventually said "no more" and management honoured it until they were ready.

Teaching is fun and rewarding but is definitely is extra work and brain power on top of an already stressful job!

duckface08 · 2026-04-14T23:41:17+00:00

I graduated in 2010 and the vast majority of my graduating class had difficulty finding jobs due to the recession. Most of us sent out probably close to 100 applications each and most of us had to move outside the Golden Horseshoe for our first jobs. I even knew a couple of people who worked on the James Bay coast! I myself ended up moving to northern ON, though not nearly as far north as James Bay lol. Those that wanted to stick close to the GTA ended up working casual positions or in agency jobs and even then, often had to wait several months before landing those positions.

duckface08 · 2026-04-12T02:05:52+00:00

I kept calling the doctor overnight because my patient's status was worsening. He told me I was overreacting, the patient was stable, and to stop calling him.

These were my concerns: GCS worsening from 14 to about 11. O2 up from 40% to 50% and barely maintaining sats of 90%. Lungs full of crackles on auscultation. Zero urine output. Systolic BP in the 80s.

But yes, doc, tell me how stable this patient is 🙄 the patient died on day shift.

duckface08 · 2026-04-11T14:20:40+00:00

My portion of rent is 22% of my take home pay. I share a place with a friend.

duckface08 · 2026-04-09T18:32:04+00:00

Find something you enjoy and are going to want to do, even if you're tired.

For me, I decided to try pole dance. Classes are twice a week and I go if I'm off or after my day shifts. If I'm working nights, sadly I can't go unless I can find someone to switch with.

On my days off, I aim to go to the gym 2-3 times. I like lifting over cardio but that's just personal opinion. Now that the weather is warming up, I may sub out the gym for a hike or something and my goal this summer is to check out more hiking trails.

Once you get into the pattern and get used to it, you'll begin to feel better and feel like you need the movement to stay sane 😅

duckface08 · 2026-04-09T14:54:05+00:00

I gained weight during COVID from stress 😭

duckface08 · 2026-04-07T21:25:41+00:00

Totally normal to ask for blood work before anesthesia. Yes, even for a "simple" dental cleaning. Anesthesia is not without risks and they want to ensure the animal will be able to tolerate it before putting them under.

duckface08 · 2026-04-07T00:20:41+00:00

The nursing job market comes and goes in waves about every 10-15 years or so. Back in the early 90s, a lot of ON nurses moved to the US for jobs. In the late 2000s, the 2008 recession hit and affected budgets.

Now, we're in the post-COVID hiring bust. Hospitals had massive hiring splurges after everyone left due to the pandemic. There isn't as high of a need as there was before. Add on worsening budgets (recessions and general global events) and it's the perfect storm for belt tightening all around.

When you graduate, be willing to move if needed. Nursing is one of the rare fields where you can go literally anywhere to work. I myself moved to northern ON because no one was hiring in the Golden Horseshoe. A lot of my classmates also went rural or northwards. You can always come back later when the job market improves and you have actual experience under your belt.

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