Like, seriously.
So, what’s up with that?
As I’ve written about before, we tend to seek safety in the familiar. Speaking as someone from an East Asian background, I have lost count of the many times I’ve chosen not to do something precisely because I’m scared of the consequences.
It also helps explain the state of foreign language education in particular countries too,
This time, I’m not talking about that.
Instead, what I’m now afraid of is the notion of moving back home after five interesting years in Japan.
Interesting fact: I only intended to stay for up to three years in Nagasaki before moving back home to Naarm. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit, and I chose to stay for as long as I could when it became clear that Japan was unable to bring in new ALTs from overseas. We then had a school shuffle, and I ended up finding myself with a rather interesting weekly schedule.
Long story short, the new timetable allowed me to perceive time going by faster than it had any right to. Before I knew it, summer 2022 had arrived, and I finally found myself as a proper upperclassman, becoming good friends with two South Africans and a Filippina.
We are now approaching mid-June, and my contract finishes at the end of July. I’ve got an apartment to really tidy up, and contracts to cancel. I also need to sort out my accomodation for August as I intend to move out before my lease expires.
I can now imagine the pressure my parents felt when we started moving around the world.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Despite being scared of having to uproot myself again, it will honestly be great to finally move back home, and my awareness of what’s coming up has allowed me to fully appreciate the bonds I’ve made here.
Bring it on.
Today’s song recommendation: