Voice of Will: Should we go to Tokyo?

2006-04-07 - 10:05 a.m.
So while criss was away at the TESOL confrence in Tampa Bay she was offered a job to teach in tokyo.
In a way I am torn, do I want to stay here, or go to tokyo. At SIAS I knwo what to expect. It's the Devil I know. Simple work, large housing (albeit cold in the winter, but that is where the weather stripping comes in handy, and caulk too!!) Criss gets a incredible salary by chinese standards, and I get a very NICE chinese salary. WE can pay off student loans, and see china. I know all the foreign teachers and like about 25 of them enough to hang out with. WE have a gaming group and most of them will be back next year, and I don't have to see the people I don't like.
Now on the ohter hand there is TOKYO!!! OMG!! I would love to live there. In fact it was first on our list, but there were no jobs there that paid as well as here so we came to china. The unofficial job offer has 2x her salary, with housing included for less hours. Sounds great. but this is TOKYO and it is sooooo expensive, crissy didn't tell them about the family.
1. so housing included may only be a 1br flat. then what do we do? If we have to pay for a place, it will cost over 1/2 of her salary then we actually lose money to go there.
2. we also don't know about the kids schooling. Here we have hired a private teacher who teaches each kid for 2 hours a day (in english, our materials, all subjects) for 2000rmb a month ($250) out of my salary (which is 3600 rmb a month). NOt sure about the schools. Have heard horror stories, and have heard lots of praise. NOt the expat schools (we can't afford those) but local japanese public schools.
3. we have a cat named Jonas. Well in order to get a cat into japan you need writ from GOD basically. They need an ID chip implanted into them, they need about 6 different shot series 3 months before you want to go. Not so hard in America, but in ZZ china? this may be impossible to get. Not sure.
4. Hurricanes (typhoons) and earthquakes are very common in tokyo. Not sure I like that.