As of January 2022, I have been in the Philippines for 8 years.
In this article, I'd want to tell you why I decided to migrate to Philippines.
In 2007, I returned from the United States and began working in Akita, roughly an hour and a half's drive from my hometown.
Because my mother didn't want me to travel far, I looked for a career close to home, yet some of my college acquaintances got jobs after graduation in the United States, Europe, and South America. I fantasized about working abroad every time I heard about those buddies.
I was pessimistic about my future in Japan after three years of working there, and I began to seriously consider relocating abroad, so I read related materials and made plans.
After reading numerous books, watching TV, and watching YouTube videos, I began to question, "Can I travel overseas and apply to that country in my old age?"
I also found that many retirees relocated overseas or to the countryside, but were unable to form meaningful relationships and thus felt isolated.
Even if you have lived in Japan for decades and have developed interpersonal contacts, you must continue to do so. I'm not a particularly gregarious person, so it's been difficult for me to move as I've become older.
Also, I realized in the United States, where I spent my undergraduate years, that the language barrier is significant, and that learning English is difficult unless you've studied it since you were a child. And people's perspectives differed dramatically depending on the country, color, religion, culture, and environment in which they were born and raised.
Will I be able to adapt to a new nation as I become older? Is it feasible to form new personal connections there? I was concerned.
And which country should I move in?
I also read books about Thailand and Australia, but in the end, I couldn't decide where.
When I was in the United States, I had friends of various races, including whites, blacks, Asians, and Latinos, but I think I was often hang out with Asians who have a habit of eating rice and similar culture.
That's why I thought that Asian countries would be better if I move in, but when it came to cheap living cost, the answer was Southeast Asia, but I was born and raised in a snowy country and can live in Southeast Asia in the everlasting summer?
After thinking a lot, I made a decision when I was 29 years old.
First of all, try living abroad, and although you can adapt, try it. Then, I decided to go on a journey to find out the best country to migrate to.