Re-contracting

So I have decided to re-contract here on Ojika. That means I`ll now be here until July 27th, 2010. It has taken a lot of thought to come to that decision, and honestly, it's not something I imagined myself doing. Unfortunately, the program makes us decide at the halfway point in the year. That makes it tough to picture how you will feel about your choice 6 months from now.

I guess there are several reasons why I chose to stay. The first is that I dont feel like I will have accomplished everything that I wanted when I came here. One year is just not enough time for me. I feel like I am just getting settled in to things here, and probably have more settling yet to do. I am also working on the language, and the more I understand, the more opportunities can come my way. Being on the island here, my ability to visit some of the places I want to see is also hindered. It takes some time, effort, and money to get places from here, and pretty much requires taking a vacation day or two. That means I have to spread those things out a bit. The positive aspect of that is making strong connections with the people on the island, which leads me to the next reason for staying....

Ojika has been getting a fair amount of attention lately for it's eco/cultural tourism efforts. The island is in the midst of making this type of tourism an important part of the economy. Recently, visiting American high school students voted Ojika the number 1 destination in Japan for the second year in a row. The Asahi beer corporation is also recognizing it as a leading eco-destination, and donated money to the island from beer sold in Kyushu during January. There is also the restoration of an old, traditional style home to be used for long-stay tourists. This project is being supported by Ojika's Island Tourism and author Alex Kerr and his Iori Co. which currently restores and operates traditional style homes for stays in Kyoto.
I feel as though there is a possibility for me to get involved in some of these changes on Ojika, and I want to stick around and see if it is something I am interested in.

There are also any number of volunteer opportunities I'd like to do in nearby countries. Building homes with dalit in India, raising money and helping with community projects while cycling across Cambodia, reading books with children in Nepal... I'd like to do some of these before I leave, and it can be relatively easy to do while in the JET program.

And a final reason, although least important in my eyes, is that I am making pretty good money over here with a very low cost of living. I could return and go to grad school without worrying about loans or trying to scrape by while working myself ragged.

It has been a difficult time weighing these things and considering back and forth, but I think I am making the right decision for myself.