Next?

Okay so clearly I am a horrible updater. Sorry for that. I find it hard to know what is interesting to other people because I have been living it for 3 year now. Ahhh 3 years...not to sound cliché but it really does seem like a few days ago I stepped off the bus in my black non-breathable suit into the sweltering heat of Nagano prefecture. Now it is that time of year again when the next crop of new and excited English teachers descend upon Japan. They are seeking advice, trying to learn Japanese before coming, and eager for any information. 

At the same time, a group of people who have come to call this country home are preparing to embark on the next chapter in their life. What I have found most interesting during this period of changeover is the questions I receive on a nearly daily basis. "What will you do after Japan?" There are more questions but ultimately this is the biggest one. It is a hard one to answer. It is not because I have not thought about it, I have been thinking since November when I had to decide whether to leave or stay a 4th year. What is life like after Japan? My life here was once described as "college but you have money and don't work weekends". This is fairly accurate. I sit in school all day doing a job that is really fun and on occasion it can be challenging to the mind. Afterwards I hang out with my friends, go out to eat, take special interest classes, or chill out at home. Weekends bring a variety of activities like hiking, camping, white water rafting, volunteering at English camps and international festivals, going to festivals, traveling, and of course partying. For holidays I travel even further and have been to a number of neighboring countries and traveled the bulk of Japan. So I leave all this, and a fat salary for.....

Home. It is hard to explain home to my friends here. Those who miss their home understand the yearning I have to go back, but still not the actual place I come from. I have lived around the world and never in one house more than 3 years. In fact the apartment I have now is the place which I have resided in the longest in my life. Again with clichés, home is where your heart is. My hometown is Beaufort, SC and it is an amazing town tucked away in the southern islands of South Carolina. After being away for 6 years, 3 in Japan and 3 in college, I can think of no other place to be right now. The smell of the ocean, the amazing sunsets undisturbed by mountains, the charming people and small shops lining a picturesque downtown area. 

I am frustrated when people seemed shocked that I have no real plan once I get on the plane at Narita. I laugh and say "sit on the beach, hang out with family". I understand that I am the type of person who usually has a plan, stays to busy and there is always some next big thing coming. But if Japan has taught me anything, it is that taking your time to enjoy the beauty of the moment, and not having a plan is okay. I think people do not take enough time these days to stop and enjoy life. Sometimes life demands that you must work hard and have little time for yourself, but sometimes you are given the opportunity to slow down, and I intend on using mine. 

So what's next? Playing at the beach with my two godsons and going to the local ice cream parlor. Learning how to cook from my grandmothers. Talking to my sister for hours about nothing to serious. Watching the dolphins play in the river and shrimping with my best friends. Traveling with friends and family. Volunteering and learning something new.