work life

i arrived at work one day recently to find a stack of papers on my desk. leafing through the packet, i realized it was terms and an offer for a third-year contract. i’m only four months into my current commitment and they are already looking ahead, which is so the japanese way to conduct business. it’s interesting food for thought… in the last 16 months i’ve invested countless hours and enormous amounts of energy in learning the language, adjusting to the daily routine, thrusting myself into situations, trying to learn as much as i can about the idiosyncrasies and nuances of this place i now call home. in the first few months here i was defeated by my lack of language skills. the curiosity i had that couldn’t be satisfied without the ability to communicate was a huge motivating factor. now that i can convey ideas, understand explanations, asks questions and imbibe responses, my life is so much more vibrant and rich…not to mention less frustrating. honestly i can’t imagine uprooting and terminating the momentum that now has me hurtling towards a deep understanding of somewhere once so foreign. the revelations and insights gained in a situation like this are invaluable in not only broadening my awareness of japan, but also in increasing my understanding of people and the human situation the world over. this experience is highlighting the basic drives of humanity for me; i’m seeing that human motivations work in strangely similar ways, regardless of political machines or geographical boundaries. at the same time, i’m coming to understand situational disparities and how individual histories and the confluence of centuries of cultural remnants influence people. i’ve worked hard to carve a path into this society and i’m not ready to turn back yet. weaving and craning my head, i can see through the obstacles in my path, there are so many interesting things lying ahead; i’m sure there are many more i can’t lay my eyes on from here. so the question remains, how to go about my future in japan…i’ve known for some time that i’d like to be a part of the thriving cultural scene in one of the country’s larger cities. i’ve always loved tokyo for it’s an entity unto itself; after two recent trips to kyoto i feel familiar with the infrastructure and invigorated by the arts and entertainment to be found there; osaka is a city with a charm all it’s own offering the live-ability of a medium size city in the heart of a huge metropolis… then there’s little ole joetsu, a comfortable home base from which to explore southeast asia, which affords a decent salary, ample vacation time, a chance to hone my japanese language skills daily as so few people around here speak english. i’ve spent some time researching job/living options recently online. the kansai area [encompassing kyoto, osaka and kobe] is do-able, although the cost of living is higher and the pay is lower. there are ample jobs and an endless amount of creative activities. now there is a kinetic riot in my head; the pros and cons list is swirling, opportunities are being batted around, options are churning, choices are weighed, but as of yet no decisions have firmly been made. deadline: 12/15/05.