A little background: my mother is Japanese and I lived in Japan for a chunk of my childhood, so Japanese was actually my first language. But I moved to America when I was nine and I’ve lived here for twenty years now. I’m still fluent in Japanese at a conversational level. Reading and writing wise, I would say I’m at about a third grade level.
In my childhood, I had the stereotypical hafu experience of feeling like a foreigner in the country I grew up in because I was generally perceived as a foreigner. I had a sense of alienation because I looked different from everyone else.
I’ve been speaking to my mother about moving back to Japan due to her health problems, and my grandparents being elderly. I’m in the process of renewing my passport at the moment. My primary concern is what kind of job opportunities there will be for someone like me.
My mom said there are a lot of opportunities available because there aren’t enough workers, but I have concerns. I’ve heard that many of the jobs employing foreigners are lower wage and they are not treated well. Another thing is my education and experience: I have some college education but I left before getting my associates degree. I’ve worked mainly in warehouses. I don’t know if it’s worth it to at least get my associates or just go there and look for warehouse or other blue collar jobs.
Another concern is if I can make friends there as someone of my background. I haven’t stayed in touch with any of the friends I had when I was younger, maybe a few I can get in touch with. There are supposedly more foreigners there now but how would I meet them? How do immigrants socialize and make friends, through work? I think I’ll get depressed pretty quickly if I’m stuck home with my mom and grandparents all the time lol
Thanks to anyone who took the time to read through my mess of a post, any advice will be appreciated!
by Blue_Dreamer8