Craig-685 On Gourmet Doughnuts; Yummy Snacks, And The Keys To A Happy Life In Japan!
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I’m looking for a new job. I suppose in English teaching. Somewhere between Kobe and Himeji. I have experience from the munchkins to advance level adults.
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- Craig Hoffman (@CraigHoffman11) January 23, 2020
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I enjoyed some awesome doughnuts from a national chain here in Japan. It seems a rather famous chef, Pierre Herme designed them. Yummy!
Living in Japan is easy.
Well, that’s not entirely accurate.
There are a few caveats.
This is also true in the field of English teaching especially when you are Grey, Grizzled, and Gaijin. Still, I know long-term foreigners who have carved out nice lives here as English teachers ( and other careers, too).
But a funny thing happens…
Once you reach a certain ( life, job, economic) level in Japan, your existence is on auto-pilot. This applies to expats and Japanese people alike. Now, that is not an entirely bad thing.
It is great to have a stable life here in Japan. But, there is something about doing the same things year after year that make it less fun. At least, that is true for me.
It bothers me more the longer I am on Social Media. Every day, I check my Facebook “On This Day.” My memories stretch back long before I was ever on Twitter and most of my time here.
It’s amazing to see the same dinners, work events, and community events pop up on my feed. It makes me happy to remember great moments in my life. But, it is also a mildly depressing thing at times to see how repetitive most of my life has become in Japan.
There are days I have seen I ate at the exact same restaurant nine years in a row. Worse, I ordered the same lunch every time. One supposes I could get more creative in seeking out “new” places to go for a cheap meal.
I like to save money.
I get out of bed. I go to my company. And, I find myself counting down the hours until I am home. It is a running joke at my house about how, “boring your work life is…”
The days, months, and years have passed with little to no trouble. That’s great for me and my family.
But there is a problem.
I’ve had little motivation this year to keep pushing forward for “more” in my life. For the first time as an adult, I have felt like settling for my underachieving lot in life is okay.
And that troubles me.
I had a Japanese “friend” who was an engineer at a major company for 15 years. I met him often at a local standing bar. He liked English, and he was always eager to practice with me.
We were talking one day over some beers. My “friend” mentioned he was up for a “promotion to management.” I was most happy for him. But, he was glum. My “friend” had no interest in working more hours than he already did for only slightly more money.
He had been passed over numerous times for promotion. But, as a worker with many years of experience, he knew there would be a time that he could not turn down the “promotion.”
And, that day finally came for him.
That happened five years ago, and I never saw or heard from him again. I found out later after a string of mental and physical problems my “friend” died.
There is nothing wrong with my job or my company. In fact, it is a good gig. But I want more out my life.
I know there are opportunities out there. If I keep looking, I am going to find an opportunity in Japan for me to “be more.” One supposes my “ship will come in…” one day.
But I wonder if I shall live to regret not being content to simply:
Grey, Grizzled, And Gaijin
Got a Question for the Grey, Grizzled, And Gaijin Mailbag? Send it to:@craighoffman11 on Twitter!
Originally published at http://craiginjapan.wordpress.com on February 29, 2020.
