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Firstly, can I apologize
for Saturday? I was so anxious at being late I never
wanted to split you and your friend up. At the time I
did not think and was so relieved the taxi had finally
arrived and had been panicking so much on the way to
pick you up because it was so late that I did not think
for one minute she may have wanted to come along. She
should have come along with us as we could have all
enjoyed the evening together. Next time please say how
sorry I am and if you are meeting her in the next couple
of weeks and going out I would love to enjoy both your
company. In fact it would be a real honour for me.
I
wanted to send this email in Japanese as I realize what
a difficult decision you are soon going to have to make.
I hope you don't mind me giving you my advice as it is
such an important decision and I would like to offer you
my opinion.
As you said on Saturday it is what "you" want to do. Not
your family. Not your friends. But what "you" want and
to know it is the right decision from inside yourself.
But in my opinion it would be such a shame for you to
return home as you have achieved so much. Your English
is of a very high standard.... much higher than you
believe it is. And you have also developed a perfect
English accent. Of course there are surely things you
may wish to improve and many new words you would still
like to learn but you can do this in another 12 months.
You could then
go home to Japan with a qualification for life. You
can always be an
English
teacher anywhere. As you
grow older
your
income will always stay secure (unlike many other
professions where you become less employable the older
you are). And
teaching is a good career. You would be helping pass
your skills onto others. Doing good things for the world
and being respected for it.
I
have seen your situation in my family. My sister gave up
her three year nursing course half way. It could have
been a very
good
career, just like teaching. She would be helping
others in the world and have a
secure income for life. Today she could have now
been a qualified nurse. Instead today she only has a
part time job with no career path ahead of her.
And I have seen your problems in myself. I also do a lot
of
thinking about my life and how dissatisfied in the
way I am living it. In English slang it is called "The
Middle Life Crisis," but many experience it. I am
very unhappy at
being
single at my age. I am very unhappy in having no
spirituality in my life. In my work I do not do good
for others and feel I am leading a wrong life because of
this. And in my work I get up at 6.30am and get home at
8pm exhausted which I have to do five days a week. I ask
myself all the time is this "life"
and enjoying it? Is this what I was born to do? I am
unhappy in so many other areas of my life too.
Earlier today I was making enquiries about
starting my own business in Colchester. This would
be a much more rewarding career knowing it is my own
company. And then I wouldn’t have to
travel
anymore which would be much nicer. This year I have
promised myself I am going to
make lots of positive changes in my life.
If you choose to stay in Colchester you perhaps could
try to make the next 12 months totally different from
the first 12 months. It would be so good if you could
find the same enthusiasm and motivation to
study English that you have given me to
learn Japanese. To spend as much time as possible
studying and to really enjoy all you’re studying. You
kept saying you believed you were possibly "lazy" but
you are not lazy at all. A lazy person would not have
travelled all the way from Japan to learn a new
skill. But I feel you need to find that same level of
motivation and
commitment from inside yourself that you had to
learn English when you first arrived here 12 months ago.
And then it would work for you. You could get a job here
now. Go out and
make new friends. Really enjoy your time here. Make
the next 12 months totally different to the first.
I
would also advise both you and your friend if you
visit London to go to the Japan Centre. Lots of
Japanese people assemble outside; you could get
coffee there in a busy bar and
meet lots of other Japanese people. You could
combine it with some
shopping and both have a great day out together.
There is a large
Japanese community in
London that you could both enjoy.
Whatever decision you make will be the right decision.
Because you will have made it. And you will have
considered all the facts carefully before you make that
choice. And you will know it is the right decision from
within. Assuming you return to Japan I will keep my
promise I made to you on Saturday that I would still
study Japanese and finish my course. And I will e-mail
you in Japan to keep you updated how I am progressing.
You can know you always did someone a lot of good in
Colchester helping them achieve what they always thought
was an impossibility… to speak another language. Thank
you again.” |
