2010, Taking Chances Pt.2 No Regrets

It's not over until it's over, but I may not want to write anything in the last moments...lol So I'll write them at the year end and keep moving forward.

Since I've been here, up until now, I have no regrets. Everyday I'm learning so naturally I did things out of my character at times, I made plenty of mistakes, but it's all part of the learning/growth process. I also learned valuable lessons, and met people that I hope I can keep in contact with no matter where we end up in this world.

I haven't really been too detailed on my blog. Usually I just wrote about what I did during the week and my ambitions. I really didn't want to write a lot because I would say I'm a very extreme or intense person, so I didn't really want to share too much of my inner thoughts, even though it may have made the blog more interesting. A lot of my stubbornness and "intensiveness" created a lot of motivation for myself, but it could have also been a set back during my adventure because it could prevent me from meeting people, or from seeing other methods to my goal. The good thing about me being stubborn was I never wanted to stop learning even if it meant making mistakes until I got what I wanted to learn right.

Also, I feel like I should share more of my background just so you get a better idea of where I'm coming from. My background and past experiences/travels have definitely shaped a lot of my decisions and my perspective on a lot of things here in Japan. Maybe I will write about that more in a later post.

The only thing I hope I didn't interfere with too much is my parent's dreams as well. I wish I could repay them everything so that their dreams could come true as well without too many problems. My parents always back me 100% in everything I do, whether I fail or succeed, but this is something huge that I could not have done without them at all.

No matter where I end up, I'm never giving up, and I'm going to put everything I've got into everything I do as usual until I succeed. Always aim high! Some say my expectations and my goals are too high, but nothing feels better than reaching those goals even if it takes a long time, reaching smaller goals in the mean time, so keep going!

Have a happy and blessed New Year! 良いお年を！

lol Just how I feel :p

2010, Taking Chances Pt.1 Job Hunt

As the year winds down, I can truly take this time to reflect on 2010's happenings. 2010 was definitely a year of taking chances for myself and also my family. We don't know how things will turn out, but we are all taking chances, chasing our dreams.

I initially started out my language program planning to study here for two years. two years probably would've been just enough time for me to not only excel in Japanese, but also to find a job here in Japan doing something in IT or business. After a few months, two years turned into one year because I realized how fast the money was going, not even mentioning living expenses.

Probably the first few months I really devoted to mainly just studying. Once I got settled, I wanted to venture and experience the place, because I was coming to the realization that this may be my only chance to have this experience, and I didn't know what was next in store. So I played hard, I studied hard, and I began my job search.

Despite not feeling like my Japanese was "ready", I still look for jobs because I felt like that was the way I would improve as I prepared for interviews and polished up my resumes. The way I see it, the economy is basically the same everywhere so the fact the Japanese economy was bad didn't deter me, I felt like I would get the same results anywhere, besides the language barrier, that I'm slowly knocking down. Just to be safe, I've been applying to companies in America, England, and Japan. I can legally work in American and Great Britain why I focused mainly on those countries outside of Japan. To sum everything up, I had a few interviews for great full time positions in America and Japan, but unfortunately I didn't get the jobs possibly because of my location or my current skill set.

I still have three more months to wait for replies and see what else is out there, but if all else fails, I'm preparing to return back to the West. If I have to return it means I have to start from zero in a way, but I've gained a lot of experience here, and has probably strengthened my love for learning languages in general, my love for other cultures, and my decision to live in another country unfamiliar to me even if it's not supposed to be right now.

I'm not giving up, I'm still going to be searching for jobs, but I'm just going to let life happen and see what happens. I still have just enough money to last me for the three months and buy a plane ticket. Yes, money goes fast! If I stay maybe I can use the money I don't buy a plane ticket with to get a small apartment or something.

Young Veterans Again!

Young Veterans gets a feature on OutAroad! Click here to read more...

Roaming Around Kansai

Yesterday I bought a one day pass that allowed my to ride the train all day for 2,990 yen. I had nothing to do and I didn't feel like staying in the house so I just rode the train all over Kansai. I enjoyed the scenery and occasionally dozed off...lol I got off a few times to stretch my legs, but for most of the day I just stayed in the train since it's cold :) It was fun.

Christmas is Coming Soon!

Christmas is coming soon! It will be my first Christmas in Japan! From what I've heard though Christmas here is more of a couples celebration, so a lot of couples go out to eat and do things together. I will probably go to dinner with some friends on Christmas Eve and then maybe take a day trip on Christmas or just read all day...lol

Depending on where I am, I'm usually spending time with family or partying or both. :)
I've been lucky enough to experience Christmas in America, Jamaica, England, Portugal, Germany, etc, and now Japan! My best Christmas and New Year's are always in Jamaica, there's always a lot going on, and it's warm.....just right :) I will definitely say yes, different parts of the world have there own version of Christmas or different traditions, especially house to house may differ.

Mommy or somebody can you send me some sorrel please ....lol

神戸ルミナリエ！Kobe Luminarie

From December 2nd until the 13th the Kobe Luminarie was held. The Kobe Luminarie festival is held every year to commemorate the 1995 Hanshin Earthquake. Every night the streets were packed with people going to see the lights. I went a few night ago, snapped some pics, and came back to my room...lol

忘年会！！Year End Party!

Last Friday was our school's year end party. Myself and another classmate from Finland were the MCs for the night. It was a lot of fun!! We ate a lot, and played some fun games. It was also a good chance for students to meet some Japanese people. At the end, we all exchanged gifts :)

おいしそう！！

Everyone trying to get out of the human knot! They were eventually successful! Playing pass the gifts.

The games I wasn't in charge of I was busy playing so I don't have pics but they were all fun!!