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２）Delivering Newspapers（Tomoko Taguchi）

In Japan fees at a private university are very high. For example, the Language University, which I attend, costs 1,140,000yen per year, which is what a nice car will cost.

If you want to study at a private university, but your parents cannot afford the tuition for you, what do you do? A Newspaper Delivery Scholarship is one option.

By taking this scholarship and working, you not only earn money for tuition but you also receive money for your living expenses.

You do not have to depend on anybody.
You can be independent economically.
You can even save money!

What is your obligation?

You have to deliver newspapers twice a day, in the morning and in the afternoon.　Sometimes you have to put many ads in the newspaper, which is a lot of work.　You work 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon everyday. In return, the scholarship covers the cost of your tuition. And in addition, you get a salary of 100,000 yen per month, and a 55,000 yen bonus twice a year.

Not bad, don't you think?

1:40	get up
3:00	start delivering about 250 morning newspaper
6:00	finish working, taking shower and go to bed
8:50	get up and go to school
9:20	the first class starts
15:15	my last class ends and go back home and change dress
15:40	delivering 150 evening newspapers
18:00	finish all the working including miscellaneous jobs and clean up the office
22:00	go to bed

　Of course everyday is different.

　This job is very hard! I have to get up at 1:40am! I have to run a lot, and I get only one day a week free. I don't know how many times I have thought about quitting this job, especially on cold and rainy days. On rainy days, we have to take care not to get the newspapers wet, even though we get very wet. Once, when I fell down off the motorcycle and the newspapers scattered all over, I wanted to throw them all away and go home. But, I reloaded everything and I kept going. Fortunately, my friends encourage me and I have another newspaper scholarship student in my class. We complain about our jobs to each other and we encourage each other. Apartments are more difficult than houses. The afternoon paper can be put into postboxes on the first floor, so this is easy. But the morning paper has to be delivered to the front door of each apartment. Some apartments do not have elevators, so we have to use the stairs. And sometimes, you cannot get to all the apartments on the same floor from one staircase. So, then we have to go back down and then back up using another staircase. This really irritates me.

　Depending on the day and the season, sometimes all the extra ads that we have to insert into the paper is thicker than the newspaper itself. And of course, carrying and delivering all this extra paper makes the job even harder.

　　The number of hours I have to work often depends on the office and the manager. Sometimes this job feels more like a real job than a part- time job. But the good thing is that you can be independent and you can manage all your living and schooling without the help of your parents or whoever. That gives you self-confidence. Like to hear your opinion. Please e-maill me.

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