The Quest for Cheese

Now here is a familiar scenario: a mouse is in a maze, and at the other side of the maze is a piece of cheese.

The mouse can smell the cheese, so he starts to look for it. Even from the very start, he has to choose between several different paths. So, using his nose and his gut feeling, he chooses which path he believes will get him to the cheese. He gets further and further, certain that he is getting closer to the cheese. And just when he can almost taste it, he hits a dead end. He can’t go any further.

At this point, the mouse has to make a choice. There are several choices available to him, but basically they boil down to four options:

1. He can give up. He can decide to just stay where he is, or he can just go back and exit the maze from the entrance, and decide to forget all about the cheese.

2. He can go back to the start, and make the same decisions again. He can keep trying the same route over and over and hope that for some reason, the maze will change in some way, so that the route he tried and failed at before will now work for some reason.

3. He can try to climb over the wall. With tremendous strength and a bit of luck he might be able to jump high enough that he can get over the wall and continue on his route.

4. He can go back a little bit, and then try a different route. He can keep trying different routes and different directions in an effort to get the cheese.

The thing to remember about this scenario is option number 4. If the mouse keeps trying different routes, and never gives up, eventually he will get his cheese.

My scenario is not unlike our friend, the mouse. For over five years, I have dreamt of living and working in Tokyo. In my mind, I can envision having my own apartment, with a kotatsu, a Japanese-style kettle, and a shower toilet. For more than five years, this vision has been alive in my mind. This is my cheese. And, in smelling the cheese, I have tried options one through three, above, and now I’m in the process of trying option number four.

To be honest, I tried option number one first. I tried to just close my eyes and let the feeling pass. I told myself that I have a good job in Toronto and a good life, and that I should just forget about Tokyo and be happy living in Toronto. I even created a different dream, a ‘false cheese’ if you will. And I tried to focus on the false cheese, and just ignore my dream entirely.

But real dreams have a habit of not dying. And in my case, focusing on the false cheese just led to hardship for both myself and some of the people I loved the most. And in early 2006, my life pretty much fell apart.

So since my false cheese was gone, I started to try and work my way through the maze. I was off to find my real cheese. I looked hard at ways I could teach English in Japan. I searched through many websites, read countless documents and thought of every way I could possibly do it, but in the end I reached the same dead end: a bachelor’s degree is required, from an accredited university.

So, I tried to go to university. I spend a few hundred bucks and went through the complicated process of applying to both York and U of T. I mean seriously, why do they make it so complicated? Anyway, U of T sent me a rejection letter, and York didn’t even process my application before the courses started (even though I sent my application in on time). So, I had reached another dead-end.

So I created a new false cheese. I tried to create a life in Toronto that was as close as possible to a life in Tokyo. I worked downtown, I took transit everywhere, I lived in Korea town, and I shared a tiny apartment with a rotating cast of young, single, Japanese women. I spent most of my evenings conversing with Japanese people over foods such as curry, spaghetti, omelette rice, and temakizushi. I ate bibim-ba, kim chi, and maki rolls at local restaurants on a regular basis, made frequent trips to the local karaoke bar, and played 4-player Mario Kart until my thumbs were going to fall off. How could life be better?

But still, deep inside my dream was still alive. I felt like I was living a dual-identity: at work I was ‘pretend’ Jonathan, and at home I was ‘real’ Jonathan. I tried to work hard at my job but I had no passion, no drive to succeed at it -- at least, nothing beyond the simple desire to do a ‘good job’. I was told I should study and get certifications, etc. But really, I had no interest in servers, programming, etc. aside from the extra money it might bring in. The main thing I really liked about my job was my constant interaction with other people.

And then in early 2007, I discovered that with ten years’ work experience, I could potentially get an Engineer’s working visa, and do IT work in Tokyo even without a degree. It would be very hard, given my limited language ability, but I thought if I really try, it just might work. If I could just get over there, and talk to recruiters, and meet and greet and shake hands, surely something would surface.

So, I saved my money, and planned. I never ate so much tuna in my life ^_^ I bought a laptop, a plane ticket, a couple of suits, some dress shoes, and I booked a place to live. I hopped on my plane, sure I was going to find my cheese. Sure I was going to live my dream.

But a few months after arriving here, I reached another dead end. Lacking a work visa, lacking truly fluent Japanese, and lacking advanced and senior IT skills, I was unable to secure an IT job, despite my work experience. I came so close, so many times, but in the end, the visa processing time always turned out to be the deal breaker. For a help desk or support job, it’s just easier to hire some guy with only 1-2 years experience (or even no experience and just a certification) who already has a work visa.

As in option number two above, I kept running down the same path and running into the same dead end. I ran down it again and again, hoping for a different result. But it never came.
So, I had to try another option. My friends at the guesthouse suggested teaching English. I told them I had been down that road before, but they suggested option number three. They said that maybe I could jump over the wall – just try to get a job using my college diplomas in lieu of a degree. I was skeptical but I thought maybe it was worth a try. After all, I’ve read reports of people in Japan who’ve actually been able to do it.

And again, I came so close. I got a job offer and everything – and they said they would sponsor my visa and everything looked great. But in the end, it all fell apart, and I reached the exact same dead end that I had reached in 2006.

I will continue to go down this path a few more times, but at the end of the day I have to be prepared that this path might not work, and I have to think of new paths. I have to find a new way to get my cheese.

So, with that in mind, a couple nights ago I drew up a new plan, a new path to the cheese. It’s still in rough pencil, and there are a few unknowns about it, but based on what I’ve learned, here is my plan:

Step #1: Raise money. Sadly, I’m pretty much broke at the moment, living entirely off the scrap money that I get from private lessons. The plan I’m thinking of will take about $2000-3000 of initial funds to get off the ground. There are a couple of possibilities with regards to getting that money:

a. Work illegally in Japan. I have a friend of a friend who runs an English conversation school. It might not be possible, but if she can give me something with steady hours and steady pay, then I might be able to stay here and just raise the money that I need, doing visa runs and renewing my passport when necessary.

b. Work illegally in Taipei. I’m not sure if this is feasible or not, but many people work illegally in Taipei. Again, if I can get a steady job with steady hours, enough to save some money, then this might be a good option.

c. Work in Toronto. Of course, another option is to go back to Toronto and get an IT job there, at least for a few months until I can raise enough cash. Toronto would suck in the wintertime, but I’ve suffered through 34 winters already, what’s one more?

Step #2: Get a CELTA. In order to teach legally in Taipei, I need a TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) or TEFL (Teaching English to Foreign Learners) certificate. The CELTA (Cambridge English Language Teaching to Adults) is world-recognized as a high-standard certificate. It takes one month of full-time intensive study. If I raise my money in Asia, I can get the CELTA in Phuket for $1400 USD. If I raise my money in Toronto, I can get the CELTA in Toronto for $2050 CDN.

Step #3. Move to Taipei and get a job (or, if I work illegally in Taipei, go back to Taipei and get a legal job). With my two diplomas and a CELTA, along with Pi Chen’s help, work should be easy to find in Taipei. I could probably secure a job before I even landed there, although I heard the best jobs are available if you can go there in the flesh and look.

Step #4: Get a degree or get experienced: I found out just a few weeks ago that my school, Fanshawe College, has an agreement with Athabasca University in Alberta. Apparently, with my diplomas, I can get 2-3 years worth of university credits toward a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts. Also, Athabasca’s courses are all available online through distance learning. So theoretically, I could get my degree in Taipei after maybe one calendar year or so (depending on the number of credits I need). Just plop $715 CDN down for a course, take the course online, and repeat 10-20 times, and then I have a degree. If that doesn’t work out, even with three years’ work experience, I could work in Japan without a degree (although if possible, the degree is the better option).

Also, working in Taipei wouldn’t be so bad, I think. I don’t know if I would want to live there forever, but for a few years, I think it would be fantastic. It might not be my cheese, but it’s not really a false cheese either. It’s more like a tasty trail of breadcrumbs I can enjoy on my way to the cheese.

So, after all this, I would have a CELTA certificate, a 4-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited Canadian university, and 1-2 years work experience as an English teacher to foreign students.

And then maybe, just maybe, I can finally get my cheese.

I will go to Taipei on the 11th of this month, and come back to Tokyo on the 15th. I will look for an illegal job while I am there. And then, if nothing surfaces in either Taipei or Tokyo before October 7th, then I will go back to Canada, and look for a job in Toronto.

For those of you in Toronto, I sincerely look forward to the possibility of seeing you again.

Thinking Aloud - Plans For The Future

As I mentioned in a previous blog, on the line between hope and despair, I am now on the side of despair. What that means is that, while I will still try to do what I can, at this time I don’t believe there is any quick fix for my situation, and I believe I will not be able to get a job in Tokyo.

You might think that sounds horrible, but there is a positive aspect to this. It forces me to really look hard at my options and consider my plans for the future.

I have many possibilities that I am considering at this time, but one option that is becoming considerably more attractive to me is the Taipei option. The Taipei option would be for me to move to Taipei and teach English there. Here is what I find attractive about the Taipei option:

Good money. Exchange rates fluctuate, but generally speaking an English teacher in Taipei makes a comparable wage to one in Tokyo, when you compare actual dollar/yen per hour of teaching. But in Taipei, living expenses are much lower. I’ve read reports of people saving $500-1000 USD a month once they are settled there, which sounds pretty good.

Chinese language. Right now my Chinese really sucks. I took a couple of semesters at Seneca, but I forgot most of it. But apparently Chinese classes are pretty cheap in Taipei, and learning Mandarin would be a potentially useful skill down the road.

Japan in the vicinity. Tokyo is just a few hours and a couple hundred bucks away, as are places like Fukuoka, Osaka and Nagoya. Going to Japan for a two or three-day visit to see my friends is actually feasible and doable.

Tokyo on the horizon. With three years of directly-related work experience, I could then go on to teach English in Tokyo and get a work visa, even without a degree.

Many of the same benefits as Toronto: Toronto is attractive because in Toronto I have the option to work legally, save money, and possibly try to complete my university degree by distance. But these are all the same benefits I would have in Taipei. Plus in Toronto, I worry that if I get a job, get an apartment, get some furniture, sign a lease and everything, then I might get too ‘settled’ again and it would be difficult for me to take off.

But of course, there are bad things about Taipei as well, and so these are things I have to consider:

Chinese language. I know I listed this as an advantage, but like I said my Chinese really sucks. Unlike in Tokyo, where I can get around pretty easily and read the signs and stuff, in Taipei I can’t do any of that. The places I could go and the and things I could do by myself, at least at first, would be very limited.

Lack of Japanese language. In Toronto I am very connected with the Japanese community so it’s easy for me to make friends and find people to practice with. I worry that if I go to Taipei and study Mandarin, I will forget a lot of the Japanese that I have learned. But it’s possible they have a Japanese community in Taipei as well, so if I can get connected with them, maybe this won’t be as big of an issue.

TEFL certificate. In order to teach legally in Taiwan, I have to get a TEFL certificate. The problem is, there are so many different kinds of TEFL certificates available, I really have no idea what kind of certificate is required to meet government standards. I’ve seen TEFL courses that are $190 and 20 hours online, or courses that are 1 month of full-time intensive training at a school and $2,000. I’m tempted to go ask the Taiwanese consulate here in Tokyo if they have any guidelines on how to choose a TEFL course. It’s possible that before I go to Taiwan, I might have to get a job in Toronto, save some money, and then proceed to Taipei. Another option is to move to Taipei and work illegally to save some money, then take a month off and get the CELTA TEFL course in Bangkok ($1400 USD), come back to Taiwan and get a legal job. I know “working illegally” sounds scary but from what I’ve read it’s quite common in Taiwan, and many teachers actually prefer to work illegally due to the way their laws are set up. That’s not to say it’s not without risk however.

Lack of friends. While it’s true that I could and would make new friends once I’m over there, the reality is that I really have only one good friend in Taipei at the moment, and that’s Pi Chen. In Tokyo I’ve needed favors from friends but I can spread it out and ask different friends for different favors. But in Taipei, at least at first, I’d be dependent on Pi Chen for everything. Especially due to my embarrassingly poor Chinese (see above).

But at the end of the day, the real question I have to ask myself is, if Tokyo is not an option for me at this time, where would I be happier? I guess I won’t know for sure until I try it, but having been to Taipei a couple times before, I actually think I’d feel happier living there than living in Toronto. And maybe from Taipei, I can continue to work toward my dream of living and working in Tokyo.

Lessons of Life

After my last blog, there are some of you that might think I’ve just given up completely. That I’ll just go back to Toronto, with an empty wallet and a broken spirit, and live out my days in lonely misery, pining for the ‘good old days’ when I lived in Tokyo, and everything was a big ball of utopian fun.

Well, rest assured, at the moment I clearly don’t see that happening. I’ve learned so much in the last few years, particularly about budget and change.

Change.

I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is how to cope with change. Most people talk about how they embrace change and how ‘change can be a good thing’, but in reality most people don’t like change. They become attached to certain places or things, and they become upset when things are different.

This isn’t always a bad thing, but in my situation, I have to always be prepared to accept change and I can never truly get ‘too comfortable’.

But change is always what gives me hope. A few years ago, I thought it was impossible for me to move to Tokyo. But then a few years later, my situation changed, and I was able to go.

So now, I’m trying to find a way to get a job in Japan. But if it’s not possible right now, then I have to find a way to change my situation.

Budget.

I thought I had learned how to budget pretty strictly before I got to Tokyo. I had managed to scrounge up enough cash to pay off all my debts and get over here, and have enough money to live quite comfortably for a few months. But these days I am only making a fraction of the money I made in Toronto, and I’m living in what I’m told is one of the most expensive cities in the world (although I personally disagree with that somewhat), yet still I am able to get by.

Even worse than having less income is the fact that my income is incredibly unstable. I live entirely off private students. When students have holidays or have to work late, they cancel. And when they cancel, I don’t get paid. This summer was especially brutal, as holidays and festivals caused many cancellations. Without a careful budget, I’d easily be either on the street or in a big load of debt right now.

I believe that, if I use these two skills effectively, I can find a way to come back to Tokyo, long-term.

Return of the Heartbreaker

Well, as much as I hate to do it, sometimes I need to pass on the bad news as well as the good news. Everyone loves a happy ending, but sadly real life doesn't always work that way.

My new employer, G-Communications, does not want to sponsor my visa. They are concerned that it might be rejected by the government, and that this would somehow damage their reputation. Basically they don't want to sponsor my visa unless they are 100% sure it will be accepted. Even though I got a letter from my college, saying that my programs are of university status, they complained that the letter is 'not specific enough' so they won't accept it.

And just like that, I watched my dream crumble in front of my eyes. This actually happened a few days ago, but it's taken time for me to come to grips with it.

In a way I feel like they lied to me. I was very honest about my academic credentials in my job interview, and at that time I was told "Well I guess we can send it to immigration and see what they say". And when they asked me for a letter from my college, they told me that even if I can't get the letter, they'll still sponsor me and apply for the visa. But now suddenly they're whistling a different tune.

So, my visa is up on Sept 15th. I'll try and extend it from inside Japan, and if that fails it's another visa run to Taipei. And I guess I'll keep trying to get a job here.

But to be honest, fatigue is starting to set in. For five months, I've been fighting the system, trying to find a way in, and trying to get help and advice for my situation. And after five months, I'm really not any closer to landing a job than I was when I first arrived. The money I saved is all gone, and time is no longer on my side.

In short, on the line between hope and despair, now I'm clearly on the side of despair.

Sometimes I feel homesick. I think about my friends in Toronto, and I want to see them. Sometimes I think about how much I've learned, being here, and how I could apply it to a life in Toronto. Maybe I could learn to be happy there.

And sometimes I think about returning to Toronto, and doing some work to prepare for another trip to Asia. I could get a job, then take a class and get my MCSE. Or I could try to complete my university degree. I read that my degree is worth 60 credits (two full years) at an online university in Calgary. If I did 3 courses per term part-time, I could finish maybe in seven terms.

But when I think about Toronto, it reminds me of all reasons I left. I don't know if I can explain it well, but in Toronto I just don't feel like I fit in well. Here in Tokyo, I can just relax and be myself. In Tokyo, things like eating omelette rice, brushing your teeth in front of the TV, and listening to Ayumi Hamasaki aren't considered weird or eccentric, they're actually pretty normal. And my 'Canadian' habits, like showering in the morning, or speaking very casually to someone I just met, are just kind of expected, since I'm a foreigner.

So even though I feel homesick sometimes, I can't say I really want to go back to Toronto long-term. But I might not have a choice.

I've been trying to decide what options I have... but I decided that if I can't get some kind of legal status by the end of my next visa extension, which will probably be in December, then I will move.. somewhere. And wherever I go, I want to be able to work legally.

Sometimes when the simple things are taken away from us, we learn to truly appreciate them.

Am I Really Shrinking?

I've received many comments from people recently saying "You've lost weight!" I especially hear this from people I haven't seen in a couple months. I know my shirts feel looser than before, but have I really lost? Since I haven't weighed myself in ages, I thought I'd use pictures to tell the whole tale.

So here are three pictures, one from two years ago, one from March 2008 when I first arrived here, and one from this month. Tell me, do you think I've gotten smaller? And if so, where do you notice the biggest change? If there is noticeable weight loss, I wonder if it's due to my new Japanese lifestyle, or if it's just a natural occurrence from some other reason. Please either comment here or on my Facebook wall.

I have my own opinion, but I won't share it yet, just to see what others think first. But I will say one thing, holy crap I've tanned a lot! Look at that pasty white boy in the middle! I guess walking around in the sun for five months will do that to you ^_^

Wealth

I wanted to say 'thank you' to all the messages I've received on Facebook regarding my recent blog posts. So to say 'thank you' I wrote this little bit. It's a bit cliché but that doesn't mean it isn't true. Besides, this is how I really feel.

My wealth is not measured in dollars or in yen. My wealth is not measured by the size of my house or the speed of my car. My wealth is not measured in fancy clothes or elaborate nights on the town. My wealth is measured by the friends and family that surround and support me. Therefore, every day, I feel like a very wealthy man.

Thanks for reading!

In The Business of Chasing Dreams (part 3)

Last Friday was not an easy day. The issue of my visa status was still weighing heavily on my mind. Also, the night before I had stayed up until about 12:30am to try and pack up my stuff for moving, but I didn’t finish so I woke up again at 4am to continue to pack some more.

Yuji, the manager of the old guesthouse helped me move my stuff to the new one. It was my first time to enter the new place, and what a great place it is! I’ll try and do a blog later with pictures so you can see it. I was supposed to meet Nagisa, the manager of the new guesthouse downstairs at 11:40am, so I set my alarm for 11:38am and proceeded to unpack my stuff.

Well, the alarm went off, so I went to go downstairs, but as I tried to lock my door, I couldn’t find the key! I’d feel so stupid, to lose the key just minutes after it was given to me. I knew I had put it in my wallet, so I hastily ran into my room and cleaned out some cards and stuff, and also put away most of my money except for 2000 yen. Once I had ‘streamlined’ my wallet, I was able to find my key. So I met Nagisa, and together we walked back with me to my old place so I could finish cleaning it up.

Once I officially signed out of the old place, I tried to walk back to the new place. It’s only about a ten-minute walk between the two places, but it’s in a very residential area and the roads wind and twist and don’t really follow a logical sequence. So I got lost, I got very lost.

What should have been a ten-minute walk turned into a nearly hour-long head-scratching event full of wrong turns and plenty of backtracking. All in the scorching-hot, hazy, humid Tokyo summer. The whole time I was on my way back, my mind was racing. Why am I even bothering to move? I probably will have to go back in mid-September anyway, when my visa runs out. I should have just stayed at the old place.

My feet are prone to blistering, especially in the hot weather. And by the time I arrived at my new place once again, I had two blisters about half the size of a loonie, on each of the balls of my feet. And then another blister about the size of a quarter on the heel of my right foot. They were all excruciatingly painful.

So when I got back to my new place, I really wanted to take a very long sleep. I noticed someone had called my cellphone but I didn’t recognize the number, so I just ignored it. I set my alarm and then had a short two-hour nap before I had to get up to go see a student. I had a student at 4:30pm in Machiya.

So, I left early to walk to Kichijoji station, because I was worried I would get lost again. It was not easy to walk with blisters, and it was not easy to walk in the intolerable heat and humidity, but I told myself that I have to pay the bills somehow. So I hobbled my way to Kichijoji station. While I did take a wrong turn, I didn’t get TOO lost. And in a way, the detour was a very good thing, because I discovered a great restaurant for pancakes. I’ll put more about that in a separate blog as well.

So since I had some extra time, I decided to eat at the pancake restaurant. I noticed that same person from before had called me a second time, so I decided to call the number and see who it was. It was Yuri (pronounced like “Julie” but with a Y), my student from Machiya. She said she had a cold and she can’t come to the lesson.

So I walked all the way to Kichijoji for nothing, and I could have just slept at home for many more hours, if she had only left a message when she originally called. “Oh, that’s OK” I said in pleasant voice, in Japanese. “I can see you next week”. I wanted to scream.

So now what should I do? I thought. I don’t wanna walk all the way back to my place, with my blistered feet. But I have lots of time to kill. So I limped over to the hyakuen store to buy some stuff for my new place. I got a pot, a pan, two bowls, two sets of chopsticks, some plastic wrap, some dish soap and sponges, a tupperware container, and some other stuff... and when I took it all to the counter, they rang it in as 1470 yen.

Then I realized that because I had cleaned out my wallet earlier, and because I spent 600 yen at the pancake place, now I only had 1400 yen. Oops! So I took back one pair of chopsticks and paid the 1365 yen. And now I had 35 yen on me.

I still had a lot of time to kill, and my feet felt like they were gonna explode, so I decided to go to the coffee shop inside the station, because there I can use my Suica card. A Suica card is a kind of ‘smart card’ to simplify quick transactions of a small monetary amount. You just swipe it on your way into the subway station and it will automatically deduct the fare. You don’t even need to take it out of your wallet or purse or whatever, you can just hold it up there like a CHUBB security card. You can also use it in some vending machines, stores and restaurants, often at ones inside the train station.

So I ordered an iced coffee and a matcha-vanilla “twist” (soft ice-cream). I whipped out my wallet to pay with my Suica card, but there was no ‘beep’ to signify a payment was made. So I tried again. And again. And then I reached inside to try and find the card, and that’s when I realized. I must have taken out my Suica card when I cleaned out my wallet earlier, at my new place.

So after some profound apologies, I left the coffee shop and came to the realization that I had no choice, I had to go back to my place. No Suica card and no money means no way to take the train to my next student. So I embarked on the long, agonizing road back. By the time I got to my room, I was exhausted from the heat, and the excruciating pain of my feet. I set my alarm to wake me for the next student, cranked the air conditioner, drank 1 liter of water and then collapsed on my bed, in a pool of my own sweat.

When the alarm went off, I really didn’t feel well at all. I wanted to just crawl under the covers and forget all about the day. It doesn’t matter if I piss off my students, I thought. Because soon I’ll have to go back to Canada anyway. Maybe it’s for the best.

But then I realized that I can’t give up. If I give up, then years from now when I look back, I’ll think to myself that the reason I couldn’t stay in Tokyo is because I gave up. Even if I have to go back to Canada, at the very least I want to look back and say “I did everything I could.”

So I jammed my blistered, now-swollen feet into my shoes, and slowly and painfully made my way to Inokashirakoen station. And I noticed that, while it was still incredibly hot and humid outside, it was now getting into the evening, and the killer sun wasn’t quite as intense as before. And then my phone rang.

It was Mr. Fleming, from G-Communications. He offered me a teaching position at an eikaiwa school. He said that his company will sponsor my visa.

“I happily accept” I said. And any trace of exhaustion/frustration was gone from my voice. I sounded as fresh as a spring morning after a gentle rain. He said that I will get an e-mail from one of their staff on how to proceed with my visa application.

After I hung up the phone, I looked up and I saw my dream reassemble, right there in front of my eyes. A visa means a long-term stay. A job means a steady salary. And the chance for a much better job in the future. This is it. This is the key I’ve been hunting for, literally for years. This is my ticket in.

I said aloud “Holy Shit!” I just couldn’t think of anything else to say, so I said it many times, again and again. “Holy Shit!” “Holy Shit!” “Holy Shit!” A Japanese guy rode by on his bicycle, clearly baffled by my behavior. But I didn’t care about that. I didn’t care about the heat, my blisters, or anything like that. I just merrily continued on my way to the station.

I’m still not completely out of the woods. There’s a chance that G-Communications’ HR department will look at my diploma and complain that it’s not enough to apply for the visa. Or there’s a small chance that the government will reject my visa application as well.

But for now, on that line between hope and despair, I’m firmly planted on the side of ‘hope’. And that is a great feeling.

My dream is alive. I can see it right in front of me. I can’t touch it yet, but I can look it in the eye and say “Just wait right there, I’m on my way.”

In The Business of Chasing Dreams (part 2)

Last week was just like this week, weather-wise. Hot and humid. Back in May and June, I used to sometimes forget that I was in Tokyo. I’d be lost in my train of thought or something, and for a moment I'd think about how I hadn’t seen such-and-such a person for a while, and that I should call them and see if they want to hang out.

And then I’d remember “Oh yeah, I’m halfway around the world.” In a way it’s a very good thing. It means that I feel so comfortable here. And it means that for a brief moment, I had mentally taken a ‘vacation’ from Tokyo and mentally, I was back home in Canada.

But that doesn’t happen often these days. When it’s 36C and the humidex is around 40C, I don’t feel like I’m in Canada at all. I walk 15 minutes to the subway station, and already my T-shirt is literally soaked in sweat. The constant, unrelenting funk of the Tokyo summer serves as a clear and constant reminder that yes, I am in a foreign country and I have to learn to deal with that.

Sure I can and do use the air conditioning when I’m inside, but the kind of cold, canned air that comes out of those things is no substitute for a beautiful warm summer day with lots of fresh air. My friend told me that this intolerable weather will last until October. I sincerely hope she is wrong.

To make me sweat even more, I had two job interviews last week. Going to a job interview means wearing a suit. In my case, a black wool suit. And just to make sure I’m extra comfortable, I have to squeeze into my new size ten business shoes. (My old business shoes wore out. I’m actually a size eleven or twelve, but size ten was the largest size I could find that was affordable).

One job interview was with a company called IES, for a position in as an ALT (assistant language teacher) in an elementary school. The other was for G-Communications, for a position as an English teacher at an eikaiwa (English conversation) school. Either job would be great for me, because either job would enable me to get the sponsored visa I so desperately need right now.

On Tuesday of last week, I had the IES interview, and I charmed the pants off those guys. Both the manager and the company president loved me, and thought I’d be perfect for the ALT position. So I had a good feeling about it.

(Side note: Also on Tuesday, for those that know her, I met my friend Masami who was visiting from Calgary. She seems like she’s doing very well.)

Then on Thursday of last week, I had my interview with G-Communications. It didn’t go quite as well as the one with IES, but still I think I could present myself in a positive light and show them how I’d be an effective language teacher for them.

But still I worried. For both of the positions, “bachelor’s degree” was clearly stated as a requirement for the position. For the interview with IES, I danced around the subject of my schooling with a finesse that would make Fred Astaire blush. As for the interview with G-Communications, he asked me if my diploma would be enough for immigration, and I told him straight up “These things are determined on a case-by-case basis, but because I have a three-year diploma, I should be OK”. But I realized that there wasn’t much else I could have done. I need that work visa, and if I shy away from every position that says they require a degree, I’ll never get anywhere.

So on Thursday night I got a call from IES. The guy said “I really want to hire you” but he asked again about my school. He said unless I have a university degree it’s “impossible” to get a visa. I tried to explain to him that what I have is perfectly fine for immigration, but he wasn’t convinced at all.

And I realized that now it wasn’t just about the degree. Now he doesn’t trust me, because he feels that I lied to him about my credentials. If I lied about my credentials, what else could I have lied about? So I can’t blame him for being angry.

This call came about 5 min before I was supposed to see a student. So needless to say I was a bit rattled when I was trying to give the lesson. I was watching my dream fall apart again before my eyes. No visa means no long-term stay, no steady job, and no chance to do anything I had planned to do. I began to despair. In the middle of September, when my visa runs out, should I just pack up and go home? If IES won’t hire me, after having such an amazing interview with them, what chance would I have anywhere else? My mind went on and on with this, so when I got home on Thursday night I was no mood to pack. That’s right, Friday I moved to my new place.

(to be continued)

In The Business of Chasing Dreams

This is my daruma.

I got it last Christmas from Pam Laycock, the COO of Torstar Digital, in a “Secret Santa” exchange.

I painted one eye of the daruma. If and when my wish comes true, I will paint the other eye.

Of course, I had to make a wish at that time. But what to wish for? Well, that was easy. My wish and my dream are the same: to get a job in Japan.

Actually my dream is a bit more than that. My dream is actually to live and work in Japan, and to have my own apartment. And in the apartment I will have a kotatsu, a Japanese-style kettle, and a ‘shower toilet’. And then from there, I can pursue success in love, career, and Japanese language, as I live out my days in the land of the rising sun.

But nothing like that can really start until I get a job. No job means no money, no stability, and no permission for long-term stay. Come September I will have already used up two consecutive 90-day tourist visas, and to be honest I’m a bit nervous about what suspicious immigration officials might say, if I attempt to enter a third consecutive time.

I didn’t really know exactly what would happen once I arrived here, but I had a basic plan. Rent a room in a guest house, then get my resume out to as many recruiters as possible, in order to land some kind of IT job, likely with a foreign company where English-speakers are needed. I didn’t know if my plan would work or not, but I knew I had to come here and give it a try.

But after 2-3 months of living here, it became apparent that this plan was not working as well as I’d hoped. There are many things working against me. My Japanese is not “business level” (at least not yet). I have no technical certifications, only ten years' work experience. And the one thing that has worked against me the most is that I do not have a proper work visa - only a tourist visa.

I knew this would be an obstacle when I arrived here, but I had no idea just how much of an obstacle it would be. Many times I’ve come so very close to landing a job here. Some of them great jobs that pay way more than what I was making in Toronto. But in the end, things always fall apart in the end over one thing: the visa. Companies don’t want to wait 1-2 months for the visa to process. When they are hiring someone, they want someone right away. So instead of hiring someone like me, with ten years’ experience, they’re more than happy to hire a guy who is less experienced but can start right away.

To be honest, emotionally these past few months have been quite a roller-coaster ride for me, as I continually weave back and forth across the line between hope and despair. So many times I’ve seen my dream within my grasp, only to watch it fall apart right in front of my eyes.

But dreams have a habit of not dying, even in dire circumstances. I’ve been doing everything I can to stay here, in hopes that somehow a solution to my problem would present itself. I discussed my problem with Boris and Mark, two friends I made at the guest house, and I’ve done my best to follow their advice.

What they recommended to me is that I get a job with an English school, thus enabling me to get a work visa. Once I have the visa, then I can continue my search for a meaningful IT job.

Now those of you who are reading this, you might wonder why I didn’t consider this option before. But there were two perceived facts that prevented me from pursuing this course of action in the past:

1. To get a work visa, a bachelor’s degree from a university is required. I do not have a university degree, I have a three-year college diploma.

2. If I got a job as an English teacher, my visa would be a ‘humanities’ visa, which is not the kind of visa required for IT work. IT work requires an ‘engineer’ visa.

But after spending time here, I have learned that not everything you read and hear is actually true, and that some commonly-accepted truths are actually not entirely accurate. Since arriving here, I have learned that:

1. There are many college graduates, even from two-year programs, who are holding sponsored work visas. Many of these are from Canada.

2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs website in Japan (MOFA) makes no mention of “bachelor degree” when speaking of the requirements for a humanities visa. It merely says “college graduate”.

3. Although the ‘engineer’ visa is the most commonly-used visa for IT work, in the realm of English-language IT support, a humanities visa can also be used (I learned this from a recruiter).
Even in the cases where an Engineer visa is required, the time it takes to change from one work visa to another is considerably shorter than it is to get a new work visa from scratch.

So, armed with this new information, I took it upon myself to look for an job at an English school. And that’s where our story, my story of last week, begins.

(to be continued)