Good evening everyone! In the other day's blog, I took a break from the migration series once and wrote about raw ham.
No matter what I write, I get no response! somebody help. tears
However, this time, I would like to write the long-awaited (?) continuation of why I emigrated. I can't talk without crying, so prepare a handkerchief!
Synopsis up to last time
The author, who became interested in Barcelona and Spain through football and prosciutto, visited Barcelona for the first time in 2009. That's where the clumsy guy, the writer, falls in love with Barcelona.
Well, what kind of development is waiting after this? What is the fate of the writer and Barcelona's love?
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Back in New York from a trip to Barcelona, I felt like I was in a long-distance relationship for a while. Fortunately, I was quite busy due to my occupation, so for the time being I focused on my work and enjoying New York. Actually, I also loved New York (huh? Two-pronged?).
In New York, of course, I bought a whole uncured ham. However, the home appliances in New York were American size, and the refrigerator was huge. Therefore, the whole leg could be stored in the refrigerator. It didn't make the whole house smell like a beast. However, when my friend Y came to my house and suddenly opened the refrigerator, he closed it with an expression that he had seen something unusual. However, I want to tell you with pride that what you saw at that time was not a dismembered body, but just a ham! and.
After that, time passed and it was 2013. A piece of news just came in. Spain created a new visa system to attract foreigners. I won't go into detail here, but if anyone is interested in immigration, I would like to share the information in some way in the future.
The conditions were not easy, but it was a moment when I could see some paths. Will I ever be able to move to Spain? I had a specific goal and decided to work hard towards it.
Meanwhile, in 2013, I returned to Japan from New York, worked there for two years, changed jobs, and returned to New York in 2015. In the so-called garden leave between jobs (the period when you can't work at another company, usually 3 months if you change jobs between financial institutions), I will go to Spain again with my family and see Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo and Valencia. I went around The thought of “I wish I could live in a place like this” grew stronger.
To be honest, around this time I had doubts about working in the financial industry, and it was quite difficult to maintain my motivation. I didn't have any complaints, and it was a worthwhile job. I was under a lot of stress, and even when I was at home I was always staring at my Blackberry (a mobile device that is no longer available), and even when I was spending time with my family, I was always in a daze. Also, at the same time, there was a very sad event that the boss I respected died young. People really don't know what will happen at any time, and I was driven by the feeling that I had to do what I wanted to do while I could. If I had little time left, would I want to stay at a financial institution until the end? The answer was clear.
I don't think there is a more exciting city than New York. In addition to being a work environment where excellent people from all over the world gather, entertainment such as Broadway, night scenes such as clubs and bars, fashion and music events, everything was cool. However, the winter is long and cold! Prices are too high! And there were too many upwardly oriented people, too many calculating people! This is just my personal impression, but there are many people who decide who to associate with based on their own profit and loss account (I think it's just a part of it), and I often get tired of human relationships. I still like New York, but since I had a family around this time, I've started to think that it doesn't have to be here.
In 2016, I went to Barcelona twice. From the perspective of what it would be like to actually live there, we conducted a field survey of the housing situation and various infrastructures. As a result, I found that the infrastructure is well-developed, the security is relatively good, the prices of goods and land are relatively cheap, the level of education is not low, and there does not seem to be much discrimination against Asians. I have come to grasp
In early 2017, I decided to move. I was anxious, but my child was only 4 years old at the time, and I was not yet sensitive to changes. I was still in my late 30s at the time, and even if I made a mistake, I could try again. I was told that Andres Iniesta, who I loved more than anything, would be about to transfer, and I thought that now was the only time to see him live. Above all, I was encouraged by the little Hayashi-sensei inside of me. "When are you going? Right now!"
By the way, I have some favorite Andres Iniesta dolls. This March, I celebrated Hina Matsuri for my 2-year-old daughter, but of course Hina dolls are not available in Spain. I was surprised that my wife had transformed my Iniesta doll into an impromptu emperor without permission. The great Iniesta can also be the emperor.
After that, in April, before full-scale migration, I went to Barcelona again for procedures such as opening a bank account and going to school for my children. After that, I officially left the company. There is no going back. I still don't know if this decision was the right one, but it was the moment when a small dream came true.
Next time, finally to the final episode of migration!