Itchy feet – be gone; it’s almost time to hit the road again!

Since completing my CELTA course in May I’ve been relentless on my job hunt and my days have been planned around CV amending, applying for jobs and carrying out Skype interviews. I’m pleased to say it’s paid off as – alongside a few jobs – I’ve been offered and accepted an EFL role in Japan. The flights are booked, the visa application is being processed and I’m all set to start at the end of July.

I was offered a couple of jobs and had a few second interviews arranged for positions in Vietnam and Hong Kong, but once the Japan job was on the table it was an absolute no-brainer for me. Japan is the first place I can ever remember telling my mum at an incredibly young age that I really wanted to visit. Add that to my love of Japanese food, and you’ll see why the opportunity to live there for at least a year seemed too good to pass up.

It’ll soon be time to pack everything up again, only less hair gel this time.

I’ll be jetting off from Manchester early on July 17th in to Rome where I’ll stay for a few days before heading off to Tokyo on the 21st. It actually worked out considerably cheaper to break up the flight like this, so I thought I’d spend the money saved (and probably a little more!) on some sightseeing in the Italian capital!

In the meantime, it’s a case of playing the waiting game and killing time. I’m going to take the opportunity to discover more of Liverpool and the surrounding areas, as well as seeing as many friends and family members as possible before I go. I’ll also – naturally – be trying to fit in as many gigs as I physically can. And no, the fact that the Manic Street Preachers are playing in Japan in August did not have any influence on my decision, despite what you may wish to believe.

A bit of light, topical reading.

To prepare myself for life in Japan, I’ve started reading a book about the Japanese mafia (which I’m not entirely sure is all that wise), I watched a documentary on Japan on BBC2 last night, and I’ve even started trying to learn Japanese. If my previous attempts at learning a language are anything to go by, I should probably just give up now.

So 37 days to go, but who’s counting?