Thursday, 13 September 2012

Leaving Japan :-( Going to New Zealand :-)


Hi Everyone,

As most of you already know, I'm leaving this beautiful country soon. Living here for 4 months has been a great experience! I met amazing people, not only from Japan, but from all over the world (just the way I like it). I made friends that I will never forget and I'm sure some of these friendships are going to last for a lifetime. I learnt so much more about the Japanese culture and language. It feels great to know your way around in Tokyo (not everywhere of course, this city is way too big and changes way too quickly). To be able to speak to people in the street, station or super market. I've said this many times already, but whenever I get to spend the day with my Japanese friends, and we speak mostly Japanese all day long, I get really happy. Japanese is not an easy language to learn, but it is all the more satisfying when you manage to communicate in Japanese. Having intensive classes when I got here, was a great way to get into it, but I learnt most of my Japanese thanks to my Japanese friends' patience. They never hesitated to invite me to do things with them and sometimes even organised activities for me. I'll miss them, as well as my other friends here, that's for sure! My housemates, the people I met in the hostel where I stayed in, in June, etc.

However, I am not sad. I know I'll keep in touch with my friends. Maybe they'll visit me, wherever I am. Or I will visit them, wherever they are. And even if we don't meet again, we can keep in touch. I'll come back to Japan as well. I love this country, and I want to continue studying Japanese. Aside from knowing this is not a goodbye, but a see you soon, I am not sad because I know this is a new start. I'll be moving to Auckland, New Zealand at the end of this month and I'm actually excited and looking forward to this new adventure. This week started off very nicely since I received my working-holiday visa, which allows me to work in New-Zealand for 12 months. Hopefully, I'll be able to quickly find a job there. It should be easier than finding a job in Japan, since I have a valid working visa, and I speak the language. I'm looking forward to discovering the amazing nature of New Zealand and its great people as well. I have gotten along very well with every single Kiwi I ever met. In my experience, they are nice, open-minded, funny and relaxed people. Well, I don't think I need me to tell you how amazing a country New Zealand seems to be. Everyone that knows I'm going there is telling me how they always wanted to go there too and how jealous they are I'm really going. I'll try to get them/you even more jealous by posting pictures of this amazingly beautiful country. Maybe some will come to visit me, even though it is quite far from Europe...


I'd like to make use of this post to thank my family and friends, who are always supportive of my "life decision", however crazy they may be. No one ever doubted my decision of going to Japan, and everyone is still supporting me now that I announced I'll be going from Japan to New Zealand. I'm very grateful for that, because this is what makes it possible for me to take such decision so "easily". Sorry, this almost sounds like I'm reading a speech right after winning an award or something. But if I can not say this now, then when can I? This is nothing new of course, and I hope my friends and family know this too. I try to tell them once in a while, and now is a perfect time for a reminder of how amazing they are :-)

Big hug to everyone. I hope that wherever you are and whatever you are doing, you are enjoying yourselves just as much as I am ;-)

2 comments:

  1. EXCELLENT post! :-) btw, I think we can all agree that you're just awesome and you clearly know how to take care of yourself. Besides, it's something you really want, so who wouldn't support ChloƩ's extraordinary journey!? Ok, let's talk via skype ASAP!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much Aisukurimi!!! Let me say the same to you too: you are awesome and you'll have a great adventure as well! Let's try to visit one another next year ;-)

    ReplyDelete