Happy New Year! Hello 2011!
The straight answer is sometimes.
There are times when I miss my students. There are times when I miss employment. There are times when I miss my all time favorite restaurant in the world. But I know that I have made the best move I could have possibly made at the time.
Sure the economy is still at the bottom of the longest long drop toilet since the 1930s. Sure my mother and I do what mother and daughter do when adult daughter moves home sometimes. Sure I've gained a small amount of fat thanks to over indulgence in food that I missed while in Japan. Sure it's hard to get some of the Japanese foods that I sorely miss. BUT the future is in my hands and there have been a lot of awesome things about home that I am going to share now.
1. I am enrolled (I think) in my Masters of Environmental Management which will take me until the end of next year to finish. I took one class in the second semester of 2010. I learned a lot about myself and my country through that class and got some high praise from some people well worth knowing.
2. I might be unemployed but I am unemployed in the most beautiful country in the world that nothing can compare to. I am also unemployed in the lucky country where the government helps you out while you are unemployed.
3. I've put some tentative plans together for the future.
4. My sister is getting married in August and being a distance learning student I am guaranteed to be able to go.
5. English TV and English books.
6. Libraries full of English books!
7. Feta Cheese
8. Salad greens.
9. Mum's oven!
10. Space! My garden!
11. Family [please note this is in no particular order!]
12. My furry friends.
13. My human friends.
14. Clean beaches safe to swim at within walking distance.
15. Coffee!
Friends of my parents who are employers have looked at my CV and have told me that having lived overseas is good. I've had 4 job interviews in 4 months. I don't think that's bad in the current economy. I don't mind those rejections. I would mind if I did not have this awesome plan B that I am following through on.
For me this move has been tough but it has not been a bad move at all. The sooner I get my masters and work experience in my chosen field the better and coming home when I did helped to kick start that.
I'm a bit bored at the moment which is certainly not a good thing. I reminds me of why I don't want to just sit around being unemployed and I am excited about starting back to university proper in February. In the meantime the hunt for a part time job has begun.
So to sum up, I don't regret it, no.
