The Countdown...

25 July 2016

The countdown has begun.  In five days I hop on a plane – Japan-bound.

This has been a long time in coming.  I decided in 2014 that I wanted to travel more and thought that it would happen in 2015.  But it didn’t.

I’ve been accepted for the JET Programme (Japan Exchange Teaching) – a programme run by the Japanese government.  This has meant lots of paperwork and bureaucracy (something I’m slightly allergic to), but it should be quite an experience.

I’ve been learning the language for about a year and half now.  I’m still not that great, but hopefully I know enough to ask for directions, or understand what I’m buying at the supermarket.

I’ve left all my work here in NZ.  I still have a house in Dunedin, and my family is here, so there is a pull to come back, but now it’s time to explore the world a bit more.  I want an adventure.  I want the unknown.  For too long I’ve known what I’ll be doing, where and with whom.  I need something more unpredictable, and by going to a country where I don’t speak the language, I’m forcing myself to accept the challenge.

My contract is for one year, and I can renew if for up to five.  Will I stay away that long?  Who knows?  Watch this space!