Not-So-Temporary Insanity

[unforth]

Well, first, I'm back from Chicago and installed at home with the pup once more. The trip was fun, and I'm sure I'll write about it more later, but for now, I think (getting more certain by the day) that I've decided what I'm doing with the next year. I think I'm crazy, and I think that that's alright.


When I started undergrad, I wanted to be a translator. In order to accomplish this, one of those "life plan" things that never go quite the way you expect was that I'd go to Japan for about a year right after I finished undergrad.

Flash forward seven years. For various reasons, this didn't happen, and I thought I had moved on. Two and a half weeks ago, I half-joked to schenker28 that it was something I could do now if I still wanted to, but I didn't really want. A week and a half after that, I said the same thing much more seriously to my mother.

Three days ago, it dawned on me that that wasn't a joke at all - I really, actually COULD go if I wanted to. I have the time, I have a job that will follow me anywhere I go that will pay enough that I could afford to live (albeit, in Japan's economy, INCREDIBLY modestly), and I have only one responsibility that can't really come with me, and multiple potential ways to handle even that problem (the Jonie pup would have to be quarantined for 180 days to come with me; I won't do that to her).

Two days ago, I started thinking that this was a damned good idea.

Yesterday, I bought a book about what this would actually entail. ("Live and Work...in Japan")

This morning, I started reading the book, and am about half way done with it now (in between doing all of the other things I had to accomplish today, like taking my car in to the shop).

At the moment, I'm rather sleep deprived and tired. So maybe I'll look back tomorrow and decide this is sheer insanity and should be aborted immediately.

I think I'm gonna shove my things in storage, pack a suit case and a couple of boxes, get my hands on a travel visa, and go live in Japan for a year. If one of those boxes contains my graduation present (a collection of basic binding equipment) I can still get my skills together to apply to NBSS next April, but instead of sitting around either doing basically nothing in Bloomington or working some mindless entry level conservation job for a year, I can go and do something totally and completely awesome that I'll probably never have another opportunity to try.

There are some dangly bits that will need to be sorted out, of course...

But I think I'm gonna do it. :)

(and yes, I'm giving the finer points a great deal more thought than this rather impulsive sounding post might suggest. I spent most of yesterday and today considering finer points. The thing is, if I really want to do this, I can't wait, things like visas take time to get. :) )


Yay?

Edit: In other news, my plans to start exercising daily as soon as I got back from Chicago have been manifestly damaged by an inexplicable but rather painful ankle injury. It's rather difficult to do most forms of aerobic exercise when your ankle throbs in pain every step after about 10 minutes of activity. Grrrr. I wish the pool was open, at least then I could swim. grrrrr.

Comments

[ultimabaka.livejournal.com]

Coupla things
(a) The best experiences come from shit you just threw yourself into. I wish I was better at doing that.
(b) Why can't you try something like Jet if you needed an excuse to get a work visa out there? There are plenty of places out there that'll take you, no matter how stupid you've become ;)
(c) In a different universe, I'd be like "I'll get a transfer to the Japan office if you go out there!" I remember speaking to Widy once upon a time about the possibility of going out there for a while, and her response was like "why would I want to go to a country where the people think I'm sub-human?" So much for living out there with her...hehe. But if I lose the Widy...*snicker*

*huggle* Lemme know what comes from this crazy idea of yours ne?
-- Gerardo

[unforth.livejournal.com]

I'll be posting about it in LJ, I expect. The reason I can't do JET is because it's on a very set time frame and has very strict acceptance procedures...and applications are due in January. However, there are LOADS of other ways to teach English in Japan. I'm thinking about trying to get one of the less formal positions - a lot of places want someone to run classes for adults or teenagers which run after work/school and are more casual, and I think that sounds nice, plus it's not full time - it's like 3000 yen an hour for a two hours a day a few days a week. Since I don't fully need the money - I'll keep working for mom - it'd be a good way to get the Visa without overloading myself.

(can you tell I've read the chapter on employment since the last time I posted? :) )