Saturday, January 26, 2008

Decisions

I have a job interview on Wednesday.
My company says they will find out about this year's contracts in February or March.
Duke's East Asian studies program encouraged me to apply.

Here are the factors I am weighing:

I really love my job, the Mikuni part of it anyway. The Mikuni teachers have called the Osaka Board of Ed. and requested that I come back. The contract is odd though and doesn't start until June. The good part of that is that I could go home for April-May, which would be nice. I already know the teachers and students and I really enjoy the work.

The new job, if I got it, would start at the end of March. I could go home for the month of March. It seems like a more stable contract and I have the opportunity of working at a high school, which I am interested in. I think it is also for Osaka prefecture which is more economically sound. I don't really feel like starting over, however.

I would really like to go to grad school. I think I could get in. I have no idea how I would begin to pay for it but Jake and several other people have said that, if you get in, grad schools will find a way for you to pay for it. Through the nose probably. I would like to do that though. I would like to go to Duke. I am anxious to work on something.

The thing about staying here in Kyoto is that I am rather exited about starting training at Purebred-even though I am trying very hard to skip right now. I would like to work on moving up and getting a belt-which, if you didn't know, is really, really hard in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It takes years. Which means I might get stuck here. But there are many nice things about living here.

What to do, what to do.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

is you crazy? you go to duke, get your master's, knock out your teaching certificate while you're at it, in two years you're back in japan and doing whatever the hell you want. i'm working full-time and in school full-time - two years will fly by, trust. you'll be back eating that bilge pump soup before you know it.

dude, it's duke. WOJO!!!

Jennifer B said...

um Wes, I'd have to agree with the very eloquent Summer. if you are looking for a grad school to attend you could do worse than Duke; their East Asian studies program is excellent. I considered applying there myself. Get the masters and then go back to japan if you must. honestly, i think it would be good for you to get out of Japan for a while. see how things are back state-side for some perspective or whatever. Japan (and teaching) will still be there you know.

Anonymous said...

COME HOME!!! Listen to Summertime.

Anonymous said...

get the master's dear. everyone's doing it. join us...

attempting to silence the voices in my head.