What Next For The Englishman?

Well, that's pretty much it for An Englishman in Nyu-gun. Since I'm no longer actually in Japan there seems little point in continuing... If you're a new JET or teacher, or you're just thinking of coming to live in Japan, I hope you find this blog useful and interesting. If you're one of the guys and girls who've been reading from the very beginning, I hope you've enjoyed reading my rambling, awkward prose. It's been fun, ne? Of course, there's loads of things I never quite got round to writing about - like the fascinating love/hate relationship Japan seems to have with South Korea. Foreign relations between the two countries could currently be described as "frosty" to say the least, yet the Japanese public just can't get enough of Korean TV drama. This has led to a proliferation of magazines entirely dedicated to Korean celebrities with fantastic names like "Power of Korea", "Rabu Seoul (Love Seoul)" and my personal favourite: "It's Koreal". I never quite got round to writing about my girlfriend Flick's brilliant performance in the Sabae half-marathon either. Not only did she come a respectable 19th in the women's category, she also smashed her time target. I'd like to think her performance was aided by me cycling ahead her on a bicycle, shouting words of encouragement. Having said that, I was a little lacking towards the end - her iPod broke down and so she asked me to talk at her instead to give her something to focus on. All I could think of to talk about was the new series of Doctor Who, which didn't go down too well. She may even have sped up to get away from me. That's just the beginning - there are loads of other things I've been meaning to write about, but, unfortunately, I've simply run out of time. Besides, I've waffled on for long enough already - it's time to say goodbye. Thank you to everyone who's been following the adventures of An Englishman in Nyu-Gun - I never thought there'd be so many of you (over 40,000 hits last time I checked!). Thanks to everyone who's ever left a comment, even (perhaps especially) the weird ones, and huge thanks to everyone who's emailed me with their messages of support. Thank you. Very soon I'll be heading off on a 3-month round-the-world trip via South America, New Zealand, Australia and Bali, but once I'm back in the UK I'll be starting a new adventure - becoming a journalist. (By the way, if you happen to be the editor of a successful newspaper or magazine, feel free to send me an email if you like what you see. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, pleasegivemeajob.) Finally, once I get back from travelling in late November I'll begin my new blog: An Englishman At Large. See you there. Sayonara. For now.