Possible move to Japan
So something I've been considering for about a week now is a possible move to Japan to teach English. Tim and Rebecca are already there, and have been teasing me about it for a while. So what's different this time? Well, a lot of things. For one, I recently moved to Poughkeepsie and live with the guys from work. Aside from a much smaller room (where I spend most of my time), I kind of feel like a visitor there, and rarely spend time in our living room. Add that to seeing the same people at work and home, and it's been pretty stressful.
So along with other factors, my mind has been pushing me to consider this pretty heavily. It's hard to imagine giving up a job I've had for 9 years now, but otherwise there's not much holding me back. I'm out of the Geek House, I don't see several of my friends as much any more, nor am I making real progress with my running, websites or photography since I've moved here.
I feel like I'm the kind of person that really should live in another country for a while. I think the change in culture could do me good, and I haven't felt mentally challenged in quite a while now. Work has become pretty routine, and it might be time to move on.
So what's the catch? I have less than a week to decide if I'm doing this. I still need a passport (which takes about 2 week), and I'd have very little notice to give my boss if I decided to go. Not to mention, I just got health insurance starting at the end of the month, which is quite a time to bail.
I don't know all the details yet, but I do know I'd be teaching mostly younger kids, and that I'd be thrown in without any real training, which is very intimidating. The job is in Shikoku, I think? The money would be more than I make now, even after rent, which would make it easier to save up some money for my return. I'd likely try to save some money for a new car, which I sorely need right now. Of course, who's to say how long I would stay. More importantly, it would get me into a new area, and force me to be a bit more independent.
All in all, it sounds like something I really should do. Almost everyone I've talked to has told me I should do it, and I think they're right. It's just scary jumping off the deep end into a completely new direction in my life. Sometimes it has to be done.
I'll know within the week what I'm doing, one way or the other. In the meantime, I'm gonna be a bit stressed out and on edge trying to make a decision.
So along with other factors, my mind has been pushing me to consider this pretty heavily. It's hard to imagine giving up a job I've had for 9 years now, but otherwise there's not much holding me back. I'm out of the Geek House, I don't see several of my friends as much any more, nor am I making real progress with my running, websites or photography since I've moved here.
I feel like I'm the kind of person that really should live in another country for a while. I think the change in culture could do me good, and I haven't felt mentally challenged in quite a while now. Work has become pretty routine, and it might be time to move on.
So what's the catch? I have less than a week to decide if I'm doing this. I still need a passport (which takes about 2 week), and I'd have very little notice to give my boss if I decided to go. Not to mention, I just got health insurance starting at the end of the month, which is quite a time to bail.
I don't know all the details yet, but I do know I'd be teaching mostly younger kids, and that I'd be thrown in without any real training, which is very intimidating. The job is in Shikoku, I think? The money would be more than I make now, even after rent, which would make it easier to save up some money for my return. I'd likely try to save some money for a new car, which I sorely need right now. Of course, who's to say how long I would stay. More importantly, it would get me into a new area, and force me to be a bit more independent.
All in all, it sounds like something I really should do. Almost everyone I've talked to has told me I should do it, and I think they're right. It's just scary jumping off the deep end into a completely new direction in my life. Sometimes it has to be done.
I'll know within the week what I'm doing, one way or the other. In the meantime, I'm gonna be a bit stressed out and on edge trying to make a decision.