I want to apologise for the amount of time between blog posts. I do wish I could write more often, but sometimes there are two reasons behind the length of time; one, nothing exciting is happening; or two, I am swept off my feet with the amount of things happening! In any case, I have wanted to blog about my recent decision to recontract for an additional year in Japan.
If you know me well, then you’d know how indecisive I can be. You only have to go shopping with me to realise how much of a pain in the backside I can become. As you can imagine, the decision to recontract was not an easy or immediate one.
I think it is unfair for JETs to need to decide on their contract within a mere 6 months of staying in Japan. It is really not enough time to decide which direction you want to go. Additionally, it is just after Christmas time too; the time where you miss your family and friends the most! As for me personally, December was also a rough month. It became bitterly cold quickly, I was missing people from home and I had many bike incidents that left more than their mark!
Coming home for Christmas, I was a little bit of a wreck mentally. I felt as if I wasn’t making progress with my Japanese, I wasn’t sure if I was enjoying my lifestyle in Japan and I dearly missed the atmosphere of Australia (funnily enough). So, I tried to do a ‘pros versus cons’ list. If I had it all out in front of me, surely the answer to my decision will just ‘pop up’.
Sadly, no. The list sat at even. While there were so many good things, there were also many recent negatives that I couldn’t push aside. That was until one message stuck in my head.
A friend was also fighting as to whether to stay or go home. His decision however, came down to this –when are we ever going to be able to do this again?
When I thought about this, he was right. If I was to return home this year, get a job, maybe a house, etc, I would never be able to come to Japan for an extended period of time. Nor would I be able to afford some of the travels that I can do now. While I have no commitments, while I am young, I should be experiencing everything I can now!
And while I am still hesitant over whether I can improve my Japanese to the standard I want, the experiences I receive will almost outweigh that. Mind you, for those of you who know me well, you know I’ll be putting my head down for these next 18 months and be studying like crazy to get where I want to be!!
So, on the last day possible, I handed in my papers to accept an additional year in Japan. The expression on my supervisor’s face was heart-warming. It was a mix of surprise, relief and excitement. She seemed so pleased I was staying. It was at that moment that I knew I had made the right choice.
There is no doubt in my mind that I will still have good and bad days. There will definitely be days where I feel dreadfully homesick, but there will also be days where I will return to my apartment here reflecting on how enjoyable my classes were.
If this program has given me anything thus far, it has cemented that I am in the right career field – teaching.
