Laura Pollacco's original plan was to teach in Japan for two years; plans change.
Provided by Laura Pollacco
At 22, heartbroken, depressed, and unsure about my future, I craved novelty and adventure, so I packed up my life in England and moved to Japan.Now, 31, living in Tokyo, and more secure than I've ever felt in my adult life, I can't help but feel that creeping depression, pushing me to pack my bags once more.In my early 20s, upending my life felt exciting. Now, in my 30s, it just feels indecisive.In 2016, I'd graduated with a degree in fashion photography and was working three part-time jobs in my university town to scrape by while simultaneously trying (and failing) to get over intense heartbreak. I was struggling. Hobbies like theater and kung fu had lost their shine, my future felt vast and uncertain. I wanted a fresh slate.During my personally elected studies into Japanese fashion and aesthetics, I fell in love with Japan. My dissertation was titled "The rise of gender neutrality and its origins in Japanese design." I even visited a friend studying abroad there in 2015, and that brief but fantastic sojourn left me thinking — somewhat naively — "I could live here."A year later, in my depressed state, that thought resurfaced. Then it became all I could focus on.
