Why would I leave my comfortable loving home in the lucky country, my boyfriend, my family, my friends, my job, my stability and move to Japan all by myself for a whole year?
All of my reasons (in no particular order) are listed here, directly quoted from the handwritten notes in my planning journal:
– To truly understand the world we live in and the people we share it with
– To fully immerse myself in a different culture
– To appreciate my life in Australia more; everything & everyone in it
– To learn & use another language
– To increase my potential earning power; earn more money in the future
– It’s a long-term dream
– To say I’ve done it!
– To increase my confidence by becoming more independent financially, emotionally & practically
– To conquer my fears
– To learn to better trust my instincts and nurture my intuition
– To learn to live in peaceful solitude
– To be living proof that if you want something, you have a vision and you work hard, you can do it
– To relate & empathise with all those that have been expatriates before me & will be after me
– To inspire & encourage my future children to follow their dreams & be strong
– To miss & be missed
– To strengthen my bonds & evolve my relationships
– To be fiercely challenged & be victorious
– To expand my knowledge & experience
– To open more interesting, meaningful & rewarding career opportunities
– To contribute to my Future Educational Project research (I want to help create more holistic & helpful school curriculums)
– To give the gift of effective communication to my students
– To open my mind & encourage others to do the same
– To experience Japanese culture, from their devotion to & worship of nature, to their Buddhist fundamental values & the various sensational art forms & celebrations
– To learn to be thicker-skinned
– To learn better control, diplomacy & judgement in the corporate world
– To practise my writing skills through my blog
– To investigate my curiosities
– To grow as an individual; to become more balanced, more disciplined, more patient, more accepting, more tolerant & more present
– To become more myself
– To be happy & feel successful
– To be able to sit on my back porch as an elderly grandmother & look back on a fulfilling life with no regrets.
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same frog, new pond 