Gonna make a lot of money then I'll quit this crazy scene

[owlectomy]

I have decided something. I'm going to try to be out of Raleigh - or at least on my way out - by this time next year.

I have never liked Raleigh. It's one of those cities that sprawl has destroyed, and I thought my impression of it would get better once I had my own car and my own place, but...no.

(1) I don't have a place. In Montreal, I had St. Denis street, the boutiques and the CD stores, I had my anonymous chain bookstore; in Nagasaki, I had the harbor with the glinty sun on the waves, and the big mall there with the Kinokuniya; in Carrboro, I had Weaver Street Market. I need to get out of the house, especially given my lack of furniture--and I spend a lot of time hanging out at Borders, but it's really not mine that way.

(2) I am so sedentary and so dismayed with that, and I try, but there's a part of me that really doesn't like working up a sweat and not getting anywhere. I am so much happier when I can take a walk or ride my bike to where I want to go. I get out of my own head, I get the endorphins and so on.

(3) Even if I try to do things and join things, I'm working on weeknights either until 7:00 or 8:30, which really hurts my ability to do sociable things. That would be solved if I got a job at a different library in the area, but if I'm going to go to the trouble of changing jobs I'm sure not going to stay in Raleigh...

So I am going to:

(1) Throw myself at academic jobs that involve dealing with Japanese, and academic jobs in general that are in a place I'd like to live;

(2) If that doesn't work, throw myself at public library jobs in places I'd like to live;

(3) Research places I'd like to live because yes, I love New York, yes I know that I could maybe afford it if I didn't have my insurance/car payment/gas to pay, but I should keep an open mind.

I just heard the statistic that about 5-10% of Japanese library school grads are managing to find jobs in the field, which is pretty depressing. You'd think there would be some nice bilingual or international library that might want to hire somebody with my skills...

Comments

[danaseilhan.livejournal.com]

Heeheehee, you oughta try coming up this way. There are lots of Japanese in this area and the library system is AWE. SOME.

http://www.columbuslibrary.org

Cost of living's relatively low and *whispers* they have buses.

[firebreatherjen.livejournal.com]

I actually really like Raleigh, but I have family and friends all over the Triangle. The complete lack of decent public transportation is a definite problem. Having to drive to go anywhere can be a real pain in the ass. The other problem is that Montreal and Nagasaki (neither of which I have visited, but would love to) are actual cities in the classic sense. Cities with an urban center and things to do all the time (and public transportation)so you can live and work and play in a relatively small area. Raleigh would like to be a city like that. They are trying to create some of that, but it is a slow process. Have you tried biking or walking on the Raleigh Greenway? The path from Meredith College to the Art Museum is actually very nice.

I really liked living in Chapel Hill, going to class, going to get sushi (mmm Kurama Express), stopping at the used bookstore, then heading back to the dorm before going out with friends, all without getting on a wheeled vehicle. That is all but impossible to do in Raleigh.