Final Decisions

I've accepted two job offers as of today. Thank you to my mentors and kind references who made this possible. I will be working for Interac as an Alt. English Teacher in a Tokyo public elementary school. Also, I will be working for GABA, which is one of the fresh concept one on one English schools in the city. Both organizations are very reputable and I like the direction they are going. I am overwhelmed by the opportunities I have been given. I honestly did not believe that I was qualified for these positions, and even stated that at the interviews. But my interviews went very well and my new employers believe that I am the right person for the jobs. I am withdrawing three other applications at this time. The other positions I was considering were in the Foreign Exchange Market and Executive Search industries. Although I am very interested in both, I know that I can enter those fields in the future if I like. I will however, make significantly less money teaching English as opposed to the other two fields. I had a question sent to me in one comment from an earlier post. The question was: "Help me understand the purpose of your time in Tokyo - what led to this journey?" This single question helped me realize that I was here to learn the culture, not to make money. I am here to learn about the people and their ways of life. I can think of no better way of accomplishing this than to spend my days in the classroom of an elementary school and one on one with the general population. So, thank you Texan for your enlightening question. I am sure of my decision, which leaves me feeling optimistic and excited about today, tomorrow and the days beyond that. Thank you to everyone for your kind words and support. I have tried to express my experience and emotions here as honestly as possible. It is a very "un"Japanese approach to communicating. The more traditional Japanese population, rarely expose their true feelings, especially to strangers. This is done for the sake of the people around them, whom they do not want to feel uncomfortable when exposed to their emotions. It's a very unselfish and honorable reason to "shield others from discomfort". The Japanese rarely "tell" someone they love them. I believe that they choose/intend to "show" it instead. I am not sure what this insect is, at first glance I thought it was a bee. If anyone knows what this creature is, feel free to comment. Enjoy your day.