Hello, London! An Adventure of a Translator in the UK_5; The Beginning of A New Chapter in 2025

Hello everyone, I’m Chayun.
How have you been in the new month of 2025? January is almost gone without realising. I know it’s too late to say, but happy new year!

In London, people don’t have the New Year’s holidays like the ones in Japan. Everything was back to normal even on the 2nd of January.  Having said that, the new year is one of the big events, which I’d like to mention in the first article of this year.

As a Japanese, the new year is a precious time when people spend time with their family and their beloved people. Because of that, I stayed with my special friend, who is like a mother and a big sister. I made soba for my friend by using soba given by my Japanese friend, who had become friends in a second and lived in London before, as eating soba on New Year’s Eve is a tradition in Japan. I casually touched upon Japanese culture. There are special TV programmes on New Year’s Eve in Japan, and similar ones are on TV in the UK. We were watching them when it reached midnight. At that moment, a lot of fireworks set off as much as I felt a little terrified. I watched the most famous fireworks at the London Eye on TV at a warm home. I felt it was just good, whereas I might like to see it in person next year (...already this year!). I had a lovely time in the new year.     

This is how the short New Year holidays finished, and many things resumed, for instance, the recruitment process. I have received replies from some companies, including the one I applied for last year, and have done trials and have applied for other companies. Although I couldn’t pass a trial of a company where I was eager to work, opportunities were gradually sneaking up on me as if the silence I had experienced up to last December seemed like a lie. I thankfully received some offers, for example, a US company whose trial I failed last year offered me a job after an easy assessment. By chance, I found a job opening that perfectly matched my experience… I am feeling confused and panicked! I will try to get rid of the rules of Japan and comply with the norms in the society of the UK. I will do my best to reach my biggest goal with the priceless words of my friend who spent the new year with me.

'You can change your mind for the sake of your goal. Follow your heart.'

This looks like a good ending to this article, but let me leave my goals for this year here.

Goals of 2025
・Earn pounds by interpreting/ translation
・Read one or two books a month (each in English and Japanese)
・Practise simultaneous interpreting to reach the 1st grade of the test of business interpreting skills
・Speak German more than self-introduction
・Resume to play badminton
・Actively join various events

I want to try many things while always looking on the bright side of life in 2025! Let's look forward to seeing what happens to us this year :)

Enjoy my articles again whenever you feel like it. 
Thank you very much, lovely readers.

See you soon!