Alas, after 4 years, I’m ready to not resign. I try, but the language barrier is still a real issue. And I really don’t have any friends here. I just kind of go to work, go home, and rinse/repeat that cycle every single day…and kinda have for years now (rural jet so hard to travel and the yen exchange rate has made saving/spending money almost impossible anyway)
So just leave, right? The problem? Nothing waiting for me back home. I originally did jet program in the first place because I really didn’t have any reason not to. No close loved ones. Some close friends, sure. But alas friends who had other friends besides me so I wasn’t really irreplaceable to them or anything. As time has passed, I’ve lost contact with most of them. They’ve all moved on with their lives. Got married, had families, stuff like that.
But I also feel financial pressure because I don’t have anywhere to go if I return to my home country and no car or license anymore either so that’s pretty daunting. But I make so little here (especially after paying bills every month both here and back in my home country) It’s just really disheartening and adds to the confusion of what to do next. (I have until Tuesday to decide about staying or not)
I just feel sort of cornered. I’m not happy here, but I don’t really feel like I have the ability or security net needed to return to my home country either. It’s a little emotional to think about, if I’m being completely honest. Have any other longtime jets found themselves in this kind of complicated jet program limbo before? Where theoretically you have lots of options to choose but also really none at all? Staying means more loneliness and sadness, but even if you found a job in your home country, you really don’t have the necessary tools to get resettled. I don’t know. I know there’s probably no real advice out there, but would be nice to know if others have faced these kinds of circumstances while part of this program before and what they did as a result.