Work Abroad (After College)

Matters of the heart.... Sorry, I feel like I'm getting too personal. I don't think of it as a mistake. Despite any regrets I might feel, my life has been good.  Had I followed a different path I expect that I'd have other regrets, and my life might be a lot worse and lonely.  I could've gone back to Japan as a married man, but decided not to.  I like having kids -- they bring me a lot of joy.

Perhaps I made a mistake not pursuing a serious relationship with a certain Japanese woman -- then I could've settled in Japan. *erm, just kidding dear* ;) I made my choice. As it is, I married, in Canada, a non-Japanese/ non-Canadian teacher whom I happened to fall in love with that was  a colleague of mine in Japan.  The plan was for us to go back to Japan, but my wife found a job here as an engineer in her field, and for various reasons (partially involving our financial future and her career as well as mine) we stayed here.  I don't much like teaching, anyway, and might have had problems finding and holding onto other work in Japan (though a friend of mine from here managed).  As for kids, we waited quite a few years, and I don't regret having them.  It's not like living in Japan was my only wish in life, even if I hold a sense of regret that some things might have been better had different paths been taken, but who knows?

I don't really regret the life I have even though I have yearned for Japan because it feels like I left big piece of me there, and whenever I go back there for visits, it almost feels like coming home (or like re-connecting with a magical time from my past).   It holds nostalgic value too for me, and as the place where I met my future-wife and had such good times with her, even more-so. That said, if I stayed in Japan I'd probably feel the same way about where I come from.  Sometimes I've felt that the more one travels and lives abroad, the more pieces of oneself one leaves behind.  But it's not just the place I realise, it's "the time" that one leaves behind -- something one might yearn to recapture.  And it's a part of my youth that I wish to recapture.

I was in Japan for a bit a few weeks ago; that was nice.  Incidentally, I don't really think I would particularly like spending the rest of my life in Japan, but would appreciate spending more time living and working there (but not without my wife and kids -- that would not be enjoyable for me).  It is possible to do that with the familly still, and might well do that in a few years (sell off our shares and do what we want).

I'm glad I went, and appreciate the life that followed because I went even though I'd make certain changes if I could.

I'm not American, but I worked abroad before and after college.  Spent time in Australia after high-school, then after college I went to work in Japan as a teacher.  It was a great cultural experience -- my only regret is that I've wanted to go live in Japan ever since (visited a number of times), but my wife's career (I met her in Japan), and now kids, keeps me here.  I left my heart in Kyoto.

Yeah I appreciate it, I feel like the Eu is tightening their immigration polciies; I'm going to have a harder time findinng work there. 

Hey, I was wondering whether any PA forum members did or do work abroad?  Moreover, I seek answers to how to approach work abroad by outlining by current sistation for the all the readers of PA.