Ok, you want to go live that mysterious, foreigner closed and sometimes geeky country. You don’t care that you would look completely different than those among you, engage in a constant struggle to communicate or change (degrade?) your lifestyle significantly (less food, less space, less time, etc). You even dare to ignore the fact that you would constantly offend everyone around you by behaving as raised since your memory recalls. Yes, you might believe you’re being polite with a local, while he or she expects your next action to be a face-aimed spit. Moreover, you’ll be leaving your beloved family behind, a couple of good friends and a great deal of your possessions to go and fulfill your dream of experiencing Japan. Eh, wait… why is it that you want to go there?
Being the first paragraph of the first real post of this blog, I realize it may have sounded discouraging. I did it on purpose, though, because I know that people like me don’t find the reasons stated above enough for falling in dismay. If you really seek Japan you know that you’ll be losing some things, but you are also aware of what you will gain and that this plus side is much larger. It may be that you want to learn about their “economic miracle”, traditional and hi-tech blend, epic history, complicated social system, developed and exceptional arts or how they fostered the path that other Asian countries are adapting and following towards industrialization. Whichever may be the reason, you are most likely convinced that by being a foreigner, or gaijin as they say, you will build up the main features that defines a human: spirit, mind and body. And no rant like the one before could convince you otherwise.
Why nonmonetary then? Well, money isn’t a restriction these days. Most likely someone over there is demanding something that you can offer. For example, Japanese universities are constantly working for a higher international recognition. This requires a certain amount of students from abroad, which is unsatisfied by those “cultural barriers” mentioned earlier on. With a little bit of luck, you could help fill up voids like these.
So don’t try to chain yourself to false obstacles. That’s the hard part. If you can throw yourself in betting your effort in the uncertain satisfaction of your dream, you’re in the right path. After all, there is the following unquestionable truth: trying might be risky, but there is no doubt you’ll lose if you don’t.
