I've always admired such people. They possess what I don't. Guts. It ain't easy making that move. Dumping everything you have and accustomed to, head over to strange land (with people who speaks in foreign language no less).
All in hope that they can live a fulfilling life. A life without regrets. A life they can reflect grinningly upon on their rocking chair when they are old.
A life that you only live once...
Would you want to be where you are now, or rather somewhere else?
THIS engineering graduate said sayonara to his job here to be an English teacher in Japan.
By Veena Bharwani 20 July 2006 THIS engineering graduate said sayonara to his job here to be an English teacher in Japan.
Mr Yap Teng Wui (above) said the only way to really improve his command of the Japanese language is to immerse himself in the culture.
So he quit his job as a sales executive to go on a one-year attachment programme in Japan.
ADVENTURE CALLED
Mr Yap will be teaching English to Japanese students under the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme, one of 23 Singaporeans going to Japan this year to do so.
'If I don't do it now, I never will. I'm not getting any younger,' said the 28-year-old.
Mr Yap started out like many Singaporeans, opting for the safe choice of studying engineering in Santa Clara University in California.
He said: 'When we were younger, we didn't really know what to do. So after my O levels, I chose the course that would earn me a decent salary.'
He said he fell in love with Japanese culture after he served as an international student orientation advisor at the university.
'A group of students from Japan had come to California for a year on an exchange programme (and) I had been in charge of taking them around. So I got to know them and learnt more about their culture,' he said.
After graduating in 1998, he got a $2,000-a-month job selling electrical instruments, but his heart wasn't in it.
'I was always so responsible. I always saved money and did the 'right' thing. But I became very jaded.
'I saw people around me doing what they really wanted to. Life became a drag as I was doing a job for the money and not because I enjoyed it.'
In 2001, he had a stable but staid job as an engineer but his love for Japanese culture led to him seeking out adventure.
So, in 2003, after two years of work, he quit his job and took a year off to devote himself full-time to his passion - learning Japanese.
JAPANESE LESSONS
Mr Yap had already been taking language lessons at the JCS Japanese Language School, but he found it hard to concentrate when he was working full-time.
And he was not satisfied with his proficiency in the language, although he had been studying Japanese since he was 18.
He said that there are four levels in the Japanese Language Proficiency test, 4 being for the lowest proficiency and 1 for the highest.
Mr Yap said that he is 'somewhere between 3 and 2'.
He said his command of the Japanese language hasn't improved because there is little opportunity to speak the language here, adding: 'I do not hang out with the Japanese community in Singapore.'
So for him, the JET programme was a good opportunity to immerse himself in the language he loves.
'It's a one-year programme and I'll be there among Japanese-speaking people the whole day - that is the best way to learn how to speak the language.'
It is also a way to break free from an ordinary life, he said.
THIRD TIME LUCKY
Getting into the programme was tough - he had tried twice before and failed.
Applicants do not have to be trained teachers, but they have to be graduates under 35 years old and have to pass a written English test at the Japanese embassy.
They also have to go through an interview with a four-member panel, which includes one native speaker. Being able to speak Japanese is not a prerequisite, but is an advantage.
While teaching students how to speak English, he will also play ambassador to Japanese students, to introduce Singapore culture to the Japanese.
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