It should be understood, that anyone seeking an opportunity to live and work abroad is genuinely passionate about either the culture of the country, the rewards of teaching; or ideally both. This is something that I have thoroughly considered. Clearly, one of the greatest benefits of living and working in Japan is an opportunity to learn the language and culture. Secondly, the intangible rewards of teaching offer a noble entry into a foreign culture while making a contribution to the community. To begin, my curiosity of learning about other languages and cultures evolved as I matured after college. I was raised in a traditional caring family located in a high quality community of Louisville, KY. The standard of living was high. Perhaps the relatively comfortable and stable environment suppressed any awareness of lacking cultural diversity. I stayed local for college too. However, it was not until I moved to Boston for a job opportunity in my late twenties that I realized how little cultural diversity I was exposed to while growing up in Louisville.

The appreciation I have for living in cosmopolitan cities such as Boston and San Francisco is the exposure of meeting global people and learning about their cultures.

My interest in Japanese culture became keen while living in San Francisco. I worked as a manager for an upscale Japanese hotel company, Hotel Nikko. Additionally, I enrolled in Japanese language lessons. Eventually, I participated in history classes, economic workshops as well as a class on the tea ceremony rituals, all which were offered by the Japan Society of Northern California. My two visits to Japan in the past three years helped verify how my personal values align well with adapting to the society. I have a zest for learning. The opportunity to live and work in Japan offers an experience to constructively immerse myself in the culture and learn the language. Secondly, the challenge of teaching offers an emotional reward. By integrating with other teachers among the educational setting, the teaching role offers an opportunity to evoke a passion to learn.

My decision to teach in Japan aligns with my authentic self-­‐understanding. The definitive strengths and personal traits that I have consistently exhibited among a variety of circumstances throughout my life are: wisdom,