Today was spent attending the Reading Matters; conference, and I'd quite forgotten how amazing it is. It's events like these that remind me how awesome it is to be working in the children's / young adults literature industry, and how awesome it is to live in Melbourne.
I also spent some of the evening attending the Artists Party at the Emerging Writers' Festival. Again - awesome to be living in Melbourne.
It's certainly these things that I'll be missing most when I move to Japan. However, I'm also feeling a healthy injection of inspiration to get myself in gear where it comes to my own creative work. Part of the reason I quit my last job was because it was such a drain on my creative energy, and I need to get back into the zone. The isolation of Japan will be good for this, and the experience of being in a new place will also be an impetus for creating new landscapes in my writing.
I'm also becoming ridiculously aware of my age, and seeing so many bright young things who are already past the "emerging" status of their art makes me feel, frankly, embarrassed that I haven't achieved enough with my life so far.
So, I promise myself this: I will use my time in Japan productively. If I can't find fulfilling work that will stimulate my career, then I will use my time to write all the stories, all the songs, and all the rhymes that are currently waiting to be committed to paper. I will return to Australia with a catalogue that is long through every passion ranging - of ballads, songs and snatches, and weepy lullabies.
My year in Japan will be the much-needed sabbatical that I've been promising myself for the last two years.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
There's a whisper down the line at 11:39...
Yes, it's official. Well, by official, I mean unofficial. We're going to Kishigawa in the Wakayama Prefecture.
S was contacted via Facebook (of all places!) by her predecessor last Thursday, and we're now very excited. We're also pretty lucky, as it seems that nobody else has been contacted yet, and until it's confirmed with the consulate, it's still unofficial.
So, I did a brief search on Kishigawa. On the negative side, it's rural, and has a small population, which could make things difficult for me to find other English-speaking people, let alone find paid work!
But on the plus side, it's only 2 hours away from Osaka by train, and fairly close to Kansai Airport. There's regular swing dancing in Osaka, which will keep me in practice. As it's rural, living costs will be lower. It's in a farming district, and they have a produce market - which means fresh vegetables (apparently that can be a luxury in some parts of Japan).
And, best of all? The local railway station has a very special stationmaster...
Just as well I'm a cat person... :)
S was contacted via Facebook (of all places!) by her predecessor last Thursday, and we're now very excited. We're also pretty lucky, as it seems that nobody else has been contacted yet, and until it's confirmed with the consulate, it's still unofficial.
So, I did a brief search on Kishigawa. On the negative side, it's rural, and has a small population, which could make things difficult for me to find other English-speaking people, let alone find paid work!
But on the plus side, it's only 2 hours away from Osaka by train, and fairly close to Kansai Airport. There's regular swing dancing in Osaka, which will keep me in practice. As it's rural, living costs will be lower. It's in a farming district, and they have a produce market - which means fresh vegetables (apparently that can be a luxury in some parts of Japan).
And, best of all? The local railway station has a very special stationmaster...
Just as well I'm a cat person... :)
Friday, May 20, 2011
Notified!
Two days ago, we found out where we're going to be sent. However, I'm currently at the Sydney Writer's Festival, and too busy to blog at length. Will blog about it at length when I get back to Melbourne on Sunday...
Until then, Google "Kishigawa, Wakayama"
Until then, Google "Kishigawa, Wakayama"
Thursday, May 5, 2011
...but enough navel-gazing!
"YES!" I hear you cry, "GET OVER YOURSELF ALREADY."
Okay, fair point. You'll hear no more emo blathering for the moment; there's work to be done!
Ten things I need to do in the next four months.
10. Work. A lot. Save money. It will very likely come in handy.
9. Cease and desist from acquiring any further possessions. This means clothes, accessories, and especially books.
8. Start learning the Japanese language. I've already started using Mango Languages via a local public library's website, and it's quite good.
7. Start throwing things out that I absolutely don't need. That means magazines, posters, clothes with holes in them, and other various random crap that I have all over my room.
6. Read as many of my books as I can. They weigh too much to have all of them sent over.
5. Practise packing. This will give me a sense of how much I can fit into my bags, and how much stuff I'm going to have left over to sell / throw out / donate to charity.
4. Take the time to enjoy the things I love most about Melbourne and Australia. Go to the Melbourne Film Festival in August. Visit a few dance exchanges (there's one in Hobart and in Canberra in July and August). Attend some literary events.
3. Sell all my worldly possessions that I'm not taking to Japan. Of course, there'll be various books ephemera of personal value, which I'll put into storage, but it'll be minimal.
2. Donate everything I can't sell to charity. (Unless they don't want it, but considering that pretty much all my furniture is just over two years old, that's unlikely).
1. Send one box of stuff to Japan just before I leave. Everything that I will probably need, but won't fit in my luggage.
Sounds like a plan! What did I miss?
Okay, fair point. You'll hear no more emo blathering for the moment; there's work to be done!
Ten things I need to do in the next four months.
10. Work. A lot. Save money. It will very likely come in handy.
9. Cease and desist from acquiring any further possessions. This means clothes, accessories, and especially books.
8. Start learning the Japanese language. I've already started using Mango Languages via a local public library's website, and it's quite good.
7. Start throwing things out that I absolutely don't need. That means magazines, posters, clothes with holes in them, and other various random crap that I have all over my room.
6. Read as many of my books as I can. They weigh too much to have all of them sent over.
5. Practise packing. This will give me a sense of how much I can fit into my bags, and how much stuff I'm going to have left over to sell / throw out / donate to charity.
4. Take the time to enjoy the things I love most about Melbourne and Australia. Go to the Melbourne Film Festival in August. Visit a few dance exchanges (there's one in Hobart and in Canberra in July and August). Attend some literary events.
3. Sell all my worldly possessions that I'm not taking to Japan. Of course, there'll be various books ephemera of personal value, which I'll put into storage, but it'll be minimal.
2. Donate everything I can't sell to charity. (Unless they don't want it, but considering that pretty much all my furniture is just over two years old, that's unlikely).
1. Send one box of stuff to Japan just before I leave. Everything that I will probably need, but won't fit in my luggage.
Sounds like a plan! What did I miss?
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Amusement Park Emotions
Well, as you may have guessed, last week was a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. But then again, if I'd been completely cool about it, I'd probably have been somewhat deluded.
The thing about roller-coasters, though, is that as terrifying as they are, once you let yourself remember that you'll be fine in the end, then you can focus more on enjoying the thrill of the ride. And the same applies to this trip to Japan. Yes, it's true that I'll be taking some risks, but it's not going to kill me.
Well, not unless we have to live next to a failing nuclear power plant situated on an active fault line.
This evening I attended an author talk with Meg Rosoff, who is visiting Melbourne at the moment, and one thing she said in particular struck me:
"If you have a safety net, you tend to jump into it."
And when I look back in my life so far, the times I've thrived most is when I've moved out of my comfort zone. There was no real "safety net". I needed to keep myself active and switched on, otherwise I was going to crash and burn. Which I certainly did, emotionally, a number of times, and most notably when I finally decided to move back to Melbourne.
And so, almost exactly five years since I first left Melbourne to live in Darwin, I'll be flying out to Japan. I've bought my one-way ticket today, and it's non-refundable.
The thing about roller-coasters, though, is that as terrifying as they are, once you let yourself remember that you'll be fine in the end, then you can focus more on enjoying the thrill of the ride. And the same applies to this trip to Japan. Yes, it's true that I'll be taking some risks, but it's not going to kill me.
Well, not unless we have to live next to a failing nuclear power plant situated on an active fault line.
This evening I attended an author talk with Meg Rosoff, who is visiting Melbourne at the moment, and one thing she said in particular struck me:
"If you have a safety net, you tend to jump into it."
And when I look back in my life so far, the times I've thrived most is when I've moved out of my comfort zone. There was no real "safety net". I needed to keep myself active and switched on, otherwise I was going to crash and burn. Which I certainly did, emotionally, a number of times, and most notably when I finally decided to move back to Melbourne.
And so, almost exactly five years since I first left Melbourne to live in Darwin, I'll be flying out to Japan. I've bought my one-way ticket today, and it's non-refundable.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
One week on...
I'm already getting the jitters about going to Japan, and it's only been a week since we found out that we were going. S will be there three months from now, and I'll be there a month later.
I'm already anxious. It feels like it'll be a huge disaster, and a big mistake for me - my personal life, my career, and everything I care about in my life, will be turned upside down.
Right now, I just want to walk away from it all.
That is all.
I'm already anxious. It feels like it'll be a huge disaster, and a big mistake for me - my personal life, my career, and everything I care about in my life, will be turned upside down.
Right now, I just want to walk away from it all.
That is all.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
The beginning...
Late November 2010: My partner S and I went to the Japanese Consulate in Melbourne for an information session regarding the JET Programme. We both have a desire to travel, but as I'm 32 years old, I'm not eligible for a Working Holiday Visa. We figured that JET would be an excellent way for both of us to work overseas and be paid well for it, and experience living in another culture.
December 2010: We submitted our applications for the JET Programme. It was a bit of a stretch getting an (excellent) reference from my school principal on time, whilst at the same time hinting to him that I might not be coming back to my job in 2011!
January 2011: We got the letter on the same day. S was selected for an interview. I was not. Whilst there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, we'd already decided that, in the case where one of us was selected and the other was not, we'd still go together. In fact, if both of us were selected, there would be a strong chance that we'd be located in different areas, which would make maintaining a relationship somewhat problematic. And besides, there was no point in getting ahead of ourselves - an interview did not necessarily mean acceptance into the programme (though, quietly, I felt that once she'd gotten to this stage, she'd be a shoe-in!).
February 17. 2011: S had her interview. From all reports, it was friendly and straightforward.
March 11, 2011: Massive earthquake in Japan, resulting in tsunami devastation, widespread death and homelessness, nuclear power plant damage, and radiation containment problems.
April: Anxious waiting, for many reasons. Notification of shortlisting is (understandably) delayed.
April 21, 2011: S is informed that she has been shortlisted for placement in the JET programme. For the uninitiated, this means that she has basically been accepted into the programme, and will be allocated to a contracting organisation to be an Assistant Language Teacher in a Japanese school.
And so, our adventure is about to begin! We will be flying to Tokyo on the 24th of July, which gives us three months to settle our affairs here in Melbourne.
There are still many questions at this stage, like:
- Where will we be living? We've specifically expressed a preference for a city placement, but ultimately it's seemingly random where JETs are placed.
- Will I be able to find work? (The JET salary is designed to support a family, so basic needs like accommodation and food will be fine, but it'd be nice to have *some* financial independence, and I'd rather not drain *all* of my savings!)
- What will I do with all of my stuff?
- What will I do with my time if I don't find work? It's definitely an opportunity to "get back into the studio", so to speak. The cultural isolation will definitely help my creativity along.
- Who else will I be able to network with in the area, both professionally and socially?
- How do I feel about potentially being a full-time home-maker who is financially dependent on my partner for a year? I mean, I do love cooking, and don't mind doing the household chores, but what ramifications will this have for my career, my relationship, and, I guess, the way I'm using my time when I'm definitely feeling like I'm not getting any younger!
This blog will chronicle my time as a non-JET in a JET world, living in Japan for (at least) a year.
What are your predictions of the outcome?
December 2010: We submitted our applications for the JET Programme. It was a bit of a stretch getting an (excellent) reference from my school principal on time, whilst at the same time hinting to him that I might not be coming back to my job in 2011!
January 2011: We got the letter on the same day. S was selected for an interview. I was not. Whilst there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, we'd already decided that, in the case where one of us was selected and the other was not, we'd still go together. In fact, if both of us were selected, there would be a strong chance that we'd be located in different areas, which would make maintaining a relationship somewhat problematic. And besides, there was no point in getting ahead of ourselves - an interview did not necessarily mean acceptance into the programme (though, quietly, I felt that once she'd gotten to this stage, she'd be a shoe-in!).
February 17. 2011: S had her interview. From all reports, it was friendly and straightforward.
March 11, 2011: Massive earthquake in Japan, resulting in tsunami devastation, widespread death and homelessness, nuclear power plant damage, and radiation containment problems.
April: Anxious waiting, for many reasons. Notification of shortlisting is (understandably) delayed.
April 21, 2011: S is informed that she has been shortlisted for placement in the JET programme. For the uninitiated, this means that she has basically been accepted into the programme, and will be allocated to a contracting organisation to be an Assistant Language Teacher in a Japanese school.
And so, our adventure is about to begin! We will be flying to Tokyo on the 24th of July, which gives us three months to settle our affairs here in Melbourne.
There are still many questions at this stage, like:
- Where will we be living? We've specifically expressed a preference for a city placement, but ultimately it's seemingly random where JETs are placed.
- Will I be able to find work? (The JET salary is designed to support a family, so basic needs like accommodation and food will be fine, but it'd be nice to have *some* financial independence, and I'd rather not drain *all* of my savings!)
- What will I do with all of my stuff?
- What will I do with my time if I don't find work? It's definitely an opportunity to "get back into the studio", so to speak. The cultural isolation will definitely help my creativity along.
- Who else will I be able to network with in the area, both professionally and socially?
- How do I feel about potentially being a full-time home-maker who is financially dependent on my partner for a year? I mean, I do love cooking, and don't mind doing the household chores, but what ramifications will this have for my career, my relationship, and, I guess, the way I'm using my time when I'm definitely feeling like I'm not getting any younger!
This blog will chronicle my time as a non-JET in a JET world, living in Japan for (at least) a year.
What are your predictions of the outcome?
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