Well hullo there my dear wee dumplings, my excuse for not blogging about anything lately is simply because I've had nothing to blog about. No sudden electrocutions, interesting celestial events, or progress with the book. Life in the orchard revolves around the dwindling cherry crops at the moment, and scrounging for work. However, I've been thinking again, which is always a dangerous thing.
I am at a point in my life where I ought to decide what to do with the rest of it, or at least choose some vague direction to head in, or provide myself some sort of metaphorical cushion to land on should other plans turn to sour custard.
Much still rests on getting replies from the UK based agents I submitted to, and should any of them be successful, then I might yet find myself back in Old Blighty. I'm going to start submitting to American agents as soon as I get all my responses, and should those be successful, I was thinking of moving to Toronto, Canada, where I would be nearish to New York, America. I cannot live and work in America, their visas are stupid, but I can easily live ad work in Canada. I had been looking at accommodation costs and job possibilities, when my darling mother talked me out of it, and gave me what might prove to be a better idea, but yet a far bigger challenge. Let us return to this later in the post.
Oh, before I forget, happy new year! I hope you, wherever you are, had an enjoyable evening and didn't feel too groggy the following day. My new years was unique, but kept with my unavoidable tradition of doing very little. New years is always such a let down, don't we think? We have high expectations and go out with the intention of having a lot of fun, but often when fun is planned, it doesn't happen. Every year I make the mistake of stating, "This year, I'm determined to have fun! See if I don't, damn it!" and ergo, I find myself wandering home sober, lonely and disappointed at around 12.30am. Ah, alas. This year I walked to one of the local pubs with one of my lovely French friends and three seventeen year old Kiwi girls. Because of our underage companions, we couldn't actually go into the pub, so hovered around outside and watched the band play. There was a rather uneventful countdown to midnight, the guy doing it didn't exactly seem sure what time it was, and on midnight there was no following Auld Lang Syne, loud bangs, or fire crackers. Counting down to nothing just leaves one with a sense of... oh, ok then. Woo. Apparently Cromwell had spent its firecracker budget on Guy Fawkes, pfft.
So young Paige, one of the three young'ns, and I, walked to the lake where we lit a little fire, and sent floating candles bobbing out onto the black water. On the way there there was silent lightening in the sky, and Paige saw a shooting star. So it was an atypical but nevertheless very pleasant way to usher in the new year.
My Christmas was delightful; it involved much pudding, chocolate, and jellybeans as always. Anyone who knows me knows that one of my weaknesses is American Jelly Beans. My buddy Adam gave me the matching 'Psycho' bloody shower curtain and bathmat that I've admired for some time, which gives my bathroom the 'Guro' look I originally desired, and a tin of 'Unicorn Meat', since at some point I must have asked for a unicorn for Christmas. He, who knows me all too well, also gave me jellybeans. My grandparents gave me a large tin of jellybeans, which I am still making my way through, but I will blushingly confess that I have nearly finished them.
Now, back to my big life decision thing. Canada still appeals to me, and something in my intuition tells me that going there is still the best option. However, apart from seeking an agent, what possibilities does that country really provide for me? I had wanted to visit Japan for one month to see the Snow Festival (Yuki Matsuri) before heading somewhere else for longer term lodging. Yet, my mother thinks it smarter that I spend a year or two in Japan, to improve my Japanese. I've not been there for eight years, but have been twice, and once upon a time my Japanese was almost conversational. This was when I was only fifteen years old. But I stupidly gave it up and as a result, I've forgotten most of it. If I spend more time there, I can get myself fluent or close to it, thus plumping up the aforementioned metaphorical cushion. I could give private tuition, or do translation, and so on. I can still submit to American agencies. There is no difference between submitting from here or there, either way I am still not in the USA. I believe the Japanese working visa, which is available only to people of like seven different nationalities, lasts for three years and has a 'come and go' option, meaning you can travel overseas for a while, but then return to Japan to work. So if I need to visit America, I still can do so.
And yet! The very idea frightens me. Yes, yes! I know lots of people do it, many people I know have spent time there, but I think it is largely the Korean hostility brewing next door which is making me slightly uncomfortable. That, and the natural worries of 'will I get a job, what if I don't?', and the knowledge that Tokyo (where I intend to stay) is a staggeringly enormous city writhing with at least 12,000,000 people. That's four times the population of my whole country! I am used to wide open spaces, mountains, lakes, trees, peace and quiet. I'm not used to tall concrete buildings cluttered together, packed trains, and streets that flow with rivers of people. But if I coped as a teenager, I'm sure I can cope again. I'm older now and that's er... different, right? Naturally, as I always do, I'll be going alone.
As I conclude this blog entry, I will point out that I have just now finished the large tin of jellybeans. Shame on me. All that remain are the few liquorice ones rattling around in the bottom, which I don't really like.
So... uh, I don't know. Canada? Japan? Moose Milk? Sake? Maple Syrup? Miso Soup? Alas, alas, I am torn! I'm not sure what the *best* idea is. Something to sway me in the right direction would be utterly helpful right now. My life balances on the precipice of uncertainly. Well anyway, toodle-pip for the time being!
EDIT: *Loud screeching noise* Spanner in the works!! I can't remember where I read the three year visa thing, but every other site I've looked at concerning visas says one year. Hmm, feck. This does rather mess things up a little. Canada is now looking more likely... I could go there for a year, and then to Japan for a year? Best of both worlds, yeah?
No comments:
Post a Comment