So... Basically, what drove me almost 5,000 kilometres away from my tiny, tropical garden city to the holy grail city of sushi, nice people and my fave, 100yen stores? Well, the answer is simply: curiosity. Yup, I was awfully curious as to what it would be like to live overseas. Nope, not for a semester of study abroad, nor a homestay on some long backpacking trip. What I had in mind was proper, setting down roots in a foreign country kind of situation. Having to be independent and shaping out your own life story. And somehow, I settled on Japan, mostly because it had the least restrictive visa application process and there was a demand for English teachers, meaning career options for me which I am currently one. However, it was a pretty gutsy move, I think, to move to a country that I have never even set foot on, if you happen to not know.
On top of that, my job here in Japan will be my first ever full-time job post-graduation, which happened just six months prior. Not only that, I will also be moving out of my parents' house, getting my own rental apartment and pretty much be thrown into adulthood with no sense of perception of what is to come and what will hit me in the face AND derrière. So that was one impressive push out the door, if I say so myself. Was I nervous though? Not really. I was more excited than I could ever be nervous. Probably because I had prepared for everything and anything, with contingency plans and whatnot. It took copious amounts of research intertwined with saving money from my part-time job as a shop assistant. I was just stoked that it was finally happening.
THE MOVE
It was nearing the end of winter in 2018. Got to the airport, said my goodbyes to my dear family and friends, and flew to Osaka, Japan with my life packed in suitcases. Honestly, the packing was an utter ordeal, trying to downsize everything under forty kilograms. How can one even fathom doing that when you have to bring your entire life along with you? Certainly, not me, but I was not going to complain for long because I had a mission the moment I land in Osaka.
Basically, I had to organise my entire living situation within two weeks, which was when I would start my job training. And let me tell you, it required military precision to plan everything when things like apartment rentals can take up to a month to get approved and move-in ready, and you had to do things in a specific order, if not you will mess up everything down the road. But, by some miracle, I managed to pull through - I moved in before my job commenced and got all my administrative paperwork sorted for life. The sense of relief at the end of all that was inconceivable, especially when clueless me had to go round talking to Japanese people without knowing a shred of Japanese. Thank god for Google Translate, which would be my best friend for months to come.
THE PRESENT
And now, one year later, life could not have been better, although we are currently in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. That aside, I do not regret making that leap of faith and starting out my adulthood in a foreign country. More often than not, I am eternally grateful for doing this, for a myriad of reasons. One being that it has taught me innumerable life lessons, cliché as it sounds. Meeting so many Japanese students, from a spectrum of ages, as well as other foreign instructors from across the continents, really open up your eyes to the infinite pool of knowledge out there waiting for you to soak it all up. I learned so much first-hand about the different cultures, people's perceptions and how to essentially be a global citizen of this world. Not only that, you also develop so much as a person emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
Also, I would be lying to myself if one of the reasons for moving to Japan was not for travelling. I can not put into words how amazing travelling around Japan has been, and I believe all those who have been here would agree. The shifting landscapes of Japan across the four seasons, the cornucopia of historical Japanese temples and shrines, and the delectable array of Japanese food steal my heart every time.
Being based in Osaka, which is part of the larger Kansai region that consists of well-known cities like Kobe, Kyoto and Nara, you barely break a sweat going from one major city to another as most of the time, it takes an hour or less on comfortable modes of transportation. This is thanks to the plethora of limited express trains and an extensive rail network. Of course, there are other options like the shinkansen, or bullet train, and the different airlines operating out of the Kansai or Itami Airport. Yes, there are two airports in Osaka, so do be careful where you are travelling in and out from. Not forgetting, the Japanese transport system is renowned for being on-time to the exact minute, possibly second, but I personally have never checked.
Because of this, travelling in Japan has been such a breeze, although pricey at times. Regardless, slowly but surely, I am ticking off the things of my Japan bucket list, such as visiting the shrines and temples in Kyoto, seeing the wild deers in Nara, shopping in Harajuku, Tokyo and even seeing Mount Fuji. Still, I barely even scratched the surface as I continue to discover even more hidden gems living here which I am desperately dying to go. We will see how it goes, you will definitely hear more of it here.
THE FUTURE
What the future holds, that I am not sure. Nor am I psychic. But what I am sure of, I am going to savour every single moment I am here. A, because life is too short and B, why not. Like I said, I have only just seen a minuscule fraction of what Japan has to offer, and there are also all these other neighbouring countries I want to explore, like Guam, the Philippines, Taiwan and even all the way to Hawaii and the US. While all these plans are on hold due to the pandemic crisis and it is all just wanderlusting for now, I am still hopeful as there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel. Let us just pray that the whole world heals soon enough and then, we all can hop on the very first plane to our long-awaited vacation.
If you ever have a chance to go through a similar experience, just bite the bullet and go on an adventure of a lifetime. Everything else will eventually fall into place. For me, I could not have been more blessed and grateful for these opportunities, and I can not wait to share my stories with you.
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