Hello! I can't believe it has been seven years since my last post on this blog. It's incredible how much life has changed. I am a totally different person now. I almost want to censor some of the previous posts because of how cringey they are, but I suppose it's a relic of what was. I shouldn't tamper with history, should I?
I had a couple of regular readers all those years ago, I wonder where they are now? Will you ever see this post? Please let me know if you do :)
So, the major events of the past 7 years - I got out of an abusive relationship, worked at a ski resort in Australia (best job I've ever had!), met an amazing guy while there, got a Masters degree in Japanese Interpreting and Translation, was practically head-hunted as a freelance patent translator, took said amazing guy on an epic adventure to New Zealand for snowboarding and then to Japan, adopted a sweet black cat named Squid, parted ways with said guy after 5 1/2 years, and got my black belt in taekwondo.
Nearly two years after that major blow, I find myself in Melbourne, Australia, living through the weirdest time in modern history. Up until last week, I had no face-to-face interaction with anyone, except for Uber Eats drivers and posties.
Lately, due to world circumstances, I've been feeling the need to go on another epic adventure overseas. The only issue is that I now have a cat who I can't bear to part with. She is my rock, my ultimate love. I've also been in Melbourne for nearly 7 years, I think it's the longest I've ever stayed in one place. One of the reasons why I always wanted to become a Japanese translator was for the freedom. I can work wherever and whenever, as long as I have a stable internet connection. However, I've never really used that to my advantage.
Here are the plans I've been running over in my head lately:
- Buy a renovated van and travel Australia with my cat (sort of a test to see how well she adjusts to different places. She's currently harness trained and is adventurous, so I'm hopeful!)
- Travel with my cat between Japan and Korea for 1-2 years on tourist visas (Airbnb is cheaper than my current rent, so the only problem is whether switching between the two countries on three-month tourist visas over a long period of time is acceptable. As far as I can tell it is, but I think I should contact some embassies just to be sure)
- Get work as an English teacher again, either in Japan or Korea (this is my least favourite option, but possibly the easiest to attain. While teaching English was a fabulous experience when I was in my early twenties, it is no longer my passion. Despite that, I think I'd be an amazing English teacher, I've learnt so much after 10 years. I adore translating and the freedom of being my own boss so this option is hard to take)
- Find a non-teaching job with visa sponsorship in Japan or Korea (again, not a great option for me, because I have this strong need to be free and to be my own boss)
And that's currently where I'm at. We have no idea when all this craziness will be over, clearly, but that at least gives me time to think about what I really want to do.
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