Hello everyone! It's me again. I have wanted to write a post for a while but been unable to start one. The truth is, I often feel like I don't have enough interesting material to update a blog anymore, now that I'm back in the UK and far from Japan.
Sigh.
My posts did sort of fizzle out towards the end of my year in Hyogo, as I concentrated heavily on getting out and doing as much as possible, eating as much cake as I could source, singing in karaoke bars, visiting friends I wondered if I would ever see again.. Then, when I found myself back in the UK in August, the reverse culture shock hit me like a smack in the face from a confused sumo wrestler.
England is cold in the summer, isn't it? Out came the long sleeved tops, back in the cupboard went the sun cream. I sat surrounded by boxes of stuff I had spent a small fortune shipping home (because every item of stationery, every nik-nak, every postcard, book and cat ornament was essential to my recovery process.) Every day my heart ached for Japan, so I decided to make myself busy and focus on the future. Away from the safe and solid structure of the JET programme, the prospect of having to apply for work and create a new direction for myself was beyond terrifying. Every day I scoured sites, tailored applications, updated my CV and tweaked application letters. I may well write a post in the near future on the job hunt because times are hard and I hope it might encourage others in the same position. In short though, I eventually secured a place on a London graduate placement from summer 2012. Hooray! Until that time comes I am doing admin work through a temp agency to tide me over.
I have also been away pretty much every weekend since I have been home with my folks. I visit my boyfriend mostly, but also travel up and down the country to see friends who have been scattered like seeds with the graduate winds of change. Oxford, London, Norwich, Stafford, Birmingham.. I spend most of my free time on trains!
And so, dear readers, my journey continues! I'm still young (relatively) and at the start of my career, still trying to visit places and try new things, and though I'm not in the super-exciting orient anymore, you are more than welcome to follow me on my journey as I try to make sense of things. I will try to keep things interesting for you as I prepare for my move to London and, as ever, include as many photos as possible of cool things I find on the way. Welcome to the start of my new chapter, far from Japan.
