relocating

[*Jess♥]

I know some of you guys have relocated.

this is something that is on my mind recently.

it's n secret that I want to eventually live in Japan, but there are whisperings of things in my life at the moment, I'm not going into it because there is nothing concrete, but just recently I had a serious thought about the idea of relocating.

so I'd like to hear about your experiences.

Up until today I had not had any real concerns about relocating and was happy with the idea of moving to Japan in the future or to any other country, but then today I had some serious thoughts about what is in another country and what is here.

I don't have a lot of friends, I'm not close to my family, but I find that I have come to the realisation that aside from all of that, I am familiar with this area. I know where all the shops are and I know where to go if I need to research. I have lived here for 32 years and it is home. but thinking about going to a completely new place for an extended period, that is interesting because I will know nothing. of course I can learn quickly, so I don't suppose that will be an issue. but all of the people that I am familiar with, it will take time to get that kind of thing again. I mean, any day I am walking about and I might see the hair dresser who used to cut my hair when I was a student. little things like that will not happen in another place.

then there is one thing. I have a buddy here who I have known all my life. I see him every week and we do various things together like watching doctor who and x-factor and a series called 'an idiot abroad', and we share whatever video games we've been playing and maybe now and then share cooking tips etc. now, if I am not here in this town, that will not be possible. we don't generally chat a lot, so talking on the phone would not work in my view. it will be like I've lost a friend. not really of course, I can always come back for visits, but it won't be the same. I'll learn how to deal with that of course. in time I will eventually get good friends. maybe not the type of friend you have known for over 30 years, but you can find people to get on with.

I'm not going to let things get on top of me of course, I'll just work through that stuff, I just wondered if you guys have similar stories and maybe you can talk about it a little bit. share stories.

I mean on the occasion I find myself in another place, I will probably want to share the excitement of it as well.

[river_chaos]

Well, moving to another place is always difficult, even if your just relocating to another house in the same city. Really, I couldn't imagine myself in another country. Me and my family have moved twice in the span of two years since I started college, and I've made it clear to my dad that I don't want to move again any time soon.

When I was younger and my mom had taken me and my brother with her to live with her parents, I had to attend a school for kids that were complete pricks. The teachers weren't the best either, and I never really fitted in there. I remember the library there being completely pathetic as well, even for an elementary school. My grandparents didn't help matters either; we weren't allowed to cry or get a glass of water without permission. It took a while for Dad to get me and my brother out of the habits drilled into our brains.

Still, when you go to some place new you learn something(s) that stick with you for life. I learned to just be myself and not get attatched to someone right away until I know them better.

[durendal]

When relocating, you always have to have a reason as to why you would relocate. Also, if you relocate, will you be able to sustain your livelihood to the place you are going to relocate?

It is never a good experience if you are forced to relocate. But if it is on your own volition, then it is somewhat exciting at first. You get to see new things, get to meet new people and a whole lot of new experience. If you have a strong tie to your original home, then sooner or later, you will feel homesick. Depending on how deep you missed your home, you might be able to get used to it in time.

Personally, relocating due to work is always an exciting part of life. I have friends who relocated and never came back. As long as you get to live the life you wanted and managed to sustain it, I don't see any reason why you should not relocate.

If you get bored easily, or tire of things quickly, then I do not recommend for you to relocate. It will only make you suffer horribly in the long run.

[*Jess♥]

actually, I am thinking about plans for my future career. for some reason I am thinking that if I relocate, my future career plans may be compromised. but it is not logical. there is no reason why I couldn't do the same things in another place.

I mean, things like developing my inventions and also developing my design skills etc, these things can be done anywhere.

sometimes the mind plays tricks on us, doesn't it?

well thanks for sharing your story you guys,

I find it very cool to see such positive views on the idea of relocating.

it's a lot different from a holiday isn't it? I mean, I've been to other places on holiday and it's never an issue. I spent a week in Tokyo, I've spent a bit of time in London, that's 300 miles away, I've spent time on the north Wales coast. but thinking about going somewhere and potentially being there for good. most likely more than a year... well that is tricky.

I'm starting to understand how my university friends felt. but they were within driving distance of their own home so it's a bit different.

River, I used to have nightmares about moving house. OK they weren't nightmares. they felt very weird, but I didn't like it much. I've only ever moved house once, 25 years ago. it was only across town, about a mile. I don't really remember that well.

Durendal, you're right, it is adventurous to go to places voluntarily! I have always enjoyed travelling on my own. I went to London by myself a couple of times. I travelled from France by myself after a horrendous 28 hour coach journey. I've jumped on the bus or train to the coast lines of Wales many times without much planning. it's awesome to travel. usually the best part is being completely in control. I can go home when I want to. that's the difference though isn't it. when home is home. but when home is not home... that's gonna be strange.

Is your current home a very long way from your childhood home?

[durendal]

My childhood home is not really that far away from where I currently live. Probably about 20 kilometers. Though not that far away, it's already in another city. Going to another country to find a career is entirely different than relocating because of a career. I mean, it is very difficult to find a job when you relocate. Unless you have a job waiting there, I advise you to hold it off. Unless you are really confident that you'll be able to land a job immediately, it might prove difficult to wait it out on a foreign land where you have no one to support you.

I tried relocating to a foreign country to look for a job once, pretty much like most of my college friends did. But I had to comeback immediately due to personal reasons. Some of them managed to find jobs in a matter of days, while a few took an entire two months before going back home empty handed. You really need skills and a lot of luck for that.

I'm not discouraging you in any way. I am just saying for you to be ready when reality bites you in the back side. And working in Japan? I'd imagine thousands of westerners having the same goal. You'll be having a lot of competition. check out Dannychoo.com. That guy may have had it made, but he may have inherited his father's entrepreneurial skills (His father is Jimmy Choo, you'd know who he is if you are a girl), not to mention bringing with him lots of contacts from his previous works. Business contacts can make you go long ways. Also, what I don't like about him is giving his readers delusions on how easy it is to relocate to Japan. But I have to admit, I am impressed with what he has done.

[*Jess♥]

That's why I'm not planning on moving to Japan soon. I'll only move to another country when I have a job contract, plane ticket and apartment. It would be incredibly difficult to get that in Japan as you already mentioned. Competition is insane. If I can get good experience and glowing testimonials then I'll apply to a school in Japan. Until then I'll keep working at things.

Who knows, I may end up entering Japan as a game designer and not a teacher. Not so much competition if I am merely transferring within the same company.

[*V Guyver]

Here are my experiences as follows<

I spent the majority of my life moving. Since I was little I would take turns sleeping in my parents homes, First major move was when I was four, mom snuck away with me to the US without my fathers approval. Since living in the US, I have moved over 30 times. Lived in 2 different states, lived in a few cities traveled to 5 states, and been in 3 countries.

I will be frank, i hate moving, and I try to avoid it now. however, since i severed ties from certainly family members, my life as been less hassle and more stable,and involved less moving. i also learned that moving from one region to another, let alone a country is hard. Depending on what kind of person you are, this could be a great experience or a horrid one. For most people, the grass is greener on the other side. When I finally returned to my native Portugal after 11 years, it no longer suited me, by than I was no longer a literate citizen of the country and wouldn't be able to find much work other than a hired hand on a farm. My home had become the USA, specifically in Newark, NJ, and it's Portuguese community. I grew up in it and to me it had and is still the place I call home deep down, along with my birthplace to a degree.

Now, this brings me to another point, a few years ago I moved back in to help my mom and family out, this meant leaving Newark and going to live in Elizabeth. The area was once nice but had degenerated, I longed for Newark again. I was not happy, the people, the crime, most neighbors, and the land lords were all horrible. I didn't want to move there, because it had become crime ridden once the immigrants left. I also briefly lived in Harrison, NJ. It's just a river over Newark nice place, and had 3 very peaceful if somewhat confined life there, but I am considering it a potential place to fall back to someday.

Where I currently live, it's still a Portuguese community, but it's a dying community, the culture has mostly faded. The population went from a 80% Portuguese to a 25% occupied demographic Since that has happened, we've had other immigrants, sure we have Brazilians and other groups here,some who speak Portuguese but it's not the same, it's not a united community, and as a result, crime started to spill over, rent has gone up ridiculously due to development in the areas near by thanks to migrant New York workers. In effect, the place i grew up is now disappearing, so in the near future i to might leave.

So here is what I figured I must weigh in a process of thought, and you as well Ryuki.

*Cost of Move- Is it feasible?

*job security- will you retain or find work?

*social ties- What are you leaving behind in friends and family, or perhaps, enemies?

*environment-is the place safe, productive,clean?

*options- Considered other places more practical

*Regrets- Will you have regrets in any of the above?

*is the Grass greener- Reasons why the place you seek would be better?

* Approval- Will you rethink your decision in the last minute changing your mind while you pay, work, and setup the new local, it's certainly a loss even before you finish the move.

* Emotional Baggage- Are you emotionally equipped for the move?

What ever you choose, do your best to not have any regrets. Personally, I think it's great you are willing to make such a big decision, just don't do it because you didn't consider your options and just did it because your weren't satisfied with what you had. Had friends who moved out and enjoyed their locals, and others who jumped and left, and are now sitting about doing nothing and heading nowhere,and even unprepared.

I've had it from both ends, and when it comes down to it, it's "what you want" vs "what you need" vs "what you already have".

[*Jess♥]

V Guyver, thanks, that's really helpful.

I can answer most of your questions with a positive.

at the moment, let us say that since I started this website, I have not worked. I was in university, but after that, I went into a really poor job market.

I've tried looking at things many way, looking for a way to change my situation, but I am still for all intents and purposes, stuck.

now I have an opportunity. I know deep down that it will work well and will be beneficial for me. But it is pretty huge. I definitely need to do it right.

actually, I know what my concern was and it was misplaced. I was judging my future by today's standards. I was thinking about how I felt at that moment and applying it to my 'forecast' of the future. When I thought about it carefully, I realised that my future has so much potential if I keep true.

I'll share more about it later.

wonderful to read about it, thank you!

[*YoungGuyver]

I grew up in my home town. It was filled with rednecks, and I always felt like an outcast. I had wanted to move for at least a little while for such a long time. I knew I wanted to film, and could do that anywhere, but still. Then a voice director told me there were 4 places in N America to do animation. So I went to Vancouver.

The film and gaming industry is huge here. And I fit in as an artist. The competition is huge though, and the odds of making it are 1 in 5000. But I am no longer an outcast. I had a few core friends in my hometown that I deeply miss. Those that I would watch movies with, and share experiences. I want to take them with me, and I really want to visit them. The few visits I've had always seemed rushed.

I do fit into my new town, but it sure is expensive. And I can blatantly see the corruption in the politics (which in turn explains some of the expense). There is always a down side.

The plus side is that this is where I met my wife, and this is where we are raising our son. I am showing him things that I would never be able to back home (this summer I'm taking him to the aquarium).

I'll go back home one day, but for now this is my home. This is something I need to do with my life. And besides, NO SNOW! (hehe)

[*Jess♥]

that is of course a huge blessing. meeting your wife and having a child.

who knows, the same may happen to me. well I sure as hell am not meting anyone here!