Helen Reed is a former teacher in the Pullman School District. She also worked as an ALT here in the early 1990s. I substituted for her when I first got my certificate. She is an excellent teacher and a lot of fun to be around. She has visited Japan several times since she worked here and continues to maintain contact with her friends and co-workers.
After Christina and I went to Kyoto, we went to Helen’s farewell party in a little bar just off the JR line close to the Mukogawa River.
Helen’s friends had reserved the bar for her party. Most of the people at the party were her Japanese friend, but there were also some of her former co-workers from the early 1990s, people who were working as language instructors back then and have returned to Japan to work. It is interesting to talk with the ex-patriots. Living and working outside of the United States has been something that Christina and I have frequently talked about. This year in Japan is the first step that we have taken towards fulfilling our dream of living abroad. Speaking with the ex-pats simply reveals how many opportunities there are for people to live and work outside of the United States.
Working overseas is something that I highly recommend. It is a wonderful opportunity for students fresh out of college, for someone who is biding their time waiting for new opportunities or in between jobs, and it is great for someone who wants some adventure mid-career or early in retirement.
Last night, we talked about teaching in Thailand, New Zealand and even more teaching in Japan. One of the teachers has earned 5 months of vacation each year. The more time we spend over here, the more I am tempted to travel further. Life is just too short to do it all. While we plan to return to our little farm for several years after this year, I am finding myself with two dreams; living at home on the Palouse and living wherever my wife will accompany me.
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