Saturday, June 03, 2017

Prelude to Farewell

I am leaving Japan soon. My departure from the land of the Rising Sun is expected but the timing is not. Early this year, I was all prepared that it may happened for my contract was to expire by the end of March; however, it was extended for six months. So I stayed and settled myself that I may be staying here until a better opportunity comes or until my preconceived early retirement.

Well, it did come..unexpectedly. It was all due to a phonecall in early April that suddenly left me with a decision so difficult that it bothered me badly. I had to weigh the pros and cons. Although the opportunity is not as financially rewarding as my current, I just decided to simplify the process by following my instinct, i.e. to be with Amber.

For more than 2 years, since Amber left Japan in February 2015, our reunions were limited to short holidays here in Japan or Cebu. So fleeting that every time I leave for Japan, it breaks my heart to see her cry because I always insisted on being accompanied to the airport by her.

For the professional growth, I do see that in my current but maybe not as expansive as I wanted it to be. I respect the organization and in terms of growth, I did grow; however, I would like to see how further can I grow considering that at my age, my options are getting limited. My current company has been very nice and the experience I have was overall amazing. I have nothing but appreciation and respect to my colleagues.

Since my days are getting shorter here. I come to realize that as of this writing, I spent most of my adult life here in Japan. I first came here at 23 and now in my late 30s, I am leaving but hopefully, come back.

This place is my second home and will soon become a distant memory. So, in my final days here, I will revisit those places which I love and will soon miss. Distant places not possible due to time and budget constraints. So, a walk around Tokyo will do just fine.

My only regret was not having the guts to climb Mt.Fuji. 

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