Why am I still here ?

Living abroad in a country that does not speak my native tongue has helped in many ways. One it helped get out of my shell and experience a country which has a very different culture from my own but it also gave me that chance to study a foreign language and learn how to use it in a daily setting. 

This year will mark my 8th year anniversary of arriving in Japan. During these last eight years I have experienced the best and the worst of speaking and learning a foreign language. Upon arriving in Japan I only knew a couple of phrases to get my by daily such as hello and itadakimasu(which is a phrase that should be said before you eat.) None the less, Japanese was a difficult language to learn. As many might know I came to Japan back in 2005 as a Japanese language student. My original goal was to come to Japan for a year and study Japanese and then head back stateside to attend university but I am still here in Japan. Many ask 

"Lawrence why are you still here?"

 "Don`t you miss America?"

To tell you the truth, I am a bit afraid of going back for many reasons. The first being I am afraid that I will forget all the Japanese which I have worked so hard to learn. Moreover, I feel that my skills are not so useful back in the states. How many companies do you know hire Japanese speaking Americans? ... That`s right not very many. 

I also have a lot left to experience here in Japan. Although I have lived the last eight years in Tokyo, I have yet to climb Mt. Fuji. Also to tell the truth I feel at home here in Japan. I basically grew into adulthood here and I plan on staying here as long as I can.