First you’re buying clothes to look professional for a new job: Khakis, black slacks, collared shirts. Button-downs. Then, you’ll be putting on your old clothes after work one day – T-shirts with band names or ironic slogans, bright white sneakers, etc – and realize that your younger self is no more than a Halloween costume. A uniform for leisure.
I am moving to Japan because I’m determined to lead a more interesting life.
I’m still working. I have a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, usually 9-6 with an hour or so of checking in at 8 p.m. I walk to work daily, stopping for coffee and a bagel. I’m in a three-month oasis of boredom between my college graduation and my departure for Japan.
My current job consists of determining what gets placed where on the website of a decently sized New England daily newspaper. Since it comes in before print, I’m responsible for editing and shaping the coverage based on the reactions by readers. I edit video and I get to see the kind of human depravity too extreme even for newspaper comment sections. Every day delivers new challenges for my ethics and time-management skills.
I design things, I write things, I panic and then I solve things. If it sounds impressive, don’t worry. I’m a glorified blogger (When I leave, I will be a blogger, sans glory).
In August, I move to Japan. Fukuoka-ken, on Kyushu, where I will teach English to high school students.
This Japanese Life. 