It all began with a wild idea!
The birth of a dream is magical. It starts with a flicker, igniting within us and growing each day. Sometimes dreams are cultivated over a long time, Sometimes it’s just there. You wake up, feed the floof monster meowing in your face demanding food at 4 am. When realistically breakfast has and will always be 6 am. But that’s non-negotiable when the 4.6kg monster sits on your chest and turns its way past 11!
You switch to autopilot, performing the role you have always known for 10 long years. Did you get comfortable? Did you fall out of love with yourself? Or just accept…I am not enough to find something new. Work is stressful and feels more and more like walking water.
Maybe it was all of the above? All I know is I wanted to change. I wanted to do more and blow my world wide open. I wanted to finally give that dust-covered degree a use. I had a burning desire for travel! Jumping at every chance I could afford to take 3 no maybe 4 days off to explore a nearby country or town. Anywhere new. What food could I discover and what history could I learn?
My dust-covered degree in History with a minor in Philosophy? Well, I have always loved history. The crazy thought that a long chain of events led to now. I would spend hours creating many wonderful costumes just listening to videos on different topics. Nuclear meltdowns, How often do you think about the Roman empire? Big ships with rigging and a plethora of other random areas of history. Anything to satisfy that part of me now neglected.
Japan?
A place I had studied a fair bit about, with its amazing culture, music, food, and folklore. Its many shrines and places of rich history. Microclimates, lush bamboo forests, the towering Fuji San standing proud at the heart. How could my soul not be interested? But it was a dream nothing more. It was far enough away to be out of my price range. That cycle of autopilot days at a job that would never really foot a trip.
You don’t talk much?
I used to? I think… maybe a long time ago when I found a soul eager to listen. I jumped at the chance to meet new people and tell them about my wild adventures. Or crazy stories of how a costume would come to life! My proud moments of representing the UK internationally at Cosplay? Being in a band! My radio show! But as autopilot ticked on by I lost confidence in myself. Found no one wanting to listen anymore.
It faded into rambling widely about weekly anime releases on a small YouTube channel! Just the chance to talk! share my opinions with whichever lost soul stumbled upon my corner of YouTube.
Have you heard of the JET program?
Vaguely? But I am a little too old. I left autopilot on for ten years surely I would never even stand a chance?
Autopilot ticked on by, work got more and more stressful. I think it was around October/November time when something inside me woke up… faced the floof meowing for food way too early and said… not today.
Today felt different.
Then one wild idea later, I hit Apply.
