Episode 1: I tried living in an Arab bookstore by saying 'Please let me work here!' (Creative Award Winner)

● The live-action version of "Please let me work here!"

Like everyone has thought at some point, I also suddenly thought, "I want to do something really exciting..." For example, something likebegging to work somewhere in a completely unknown, strange world by saying, "Please let me work here!"

How adventurous and exciting would it be if I could actually do that?

And so, Jordan it is.

If you want to do it, why not start now?, I thought, so I looked into various things...

In a mysterious country called Jordan, surrounded by quite the lineup of Iraq, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia, I foundthe most amazing bookstore.

My heart was completely captured by this shop. And unable to sit still, Iended up saying, "Please let me work here!!!" just like Chihiro.

Who could have predicted it? That request became reality, and instead of just working at a bookstore in Jordan, I ended up living there. Yes,this is a true story of my sudden stay in Jordan.

● It all started with one plan

During my time as a university student, I wandered through about 17 countries. But this time,I wanted to try "staying" somewhere, not just traveling.Now, how could I do that?

The first thing that popped into my head was helping out on a farm. But,I am terrible with bugs.

Another method I thought might be realistic was going as a "babysitter" for a family somewhere. It seemed like there might be demand for that. However, I'm not very good at dealing with small children.For starters, is it really okay to say "High-high, right?" in English for "lifting them up high"?That would lead to confusion with crawling on all fours, and the negative impact on their brain development would be unavoidable.

...That's it!

What if I helped out at a shop that didn't seem to have any bugs or babies, and stayed there?

Heh heh heh. If I do that, I might be able to make an "overseas stay" a reality. But what kind of shop is it, and in which country?

● I searched intently for candidates for countries and shops

Once I decided that, I started searching with bloodshot eyes, thinking, "Is there a 'compelling shop' in some country?". Then, two candidate shops emerged.

(1) The first is a Mexican hostel that exudes a colorful and international atmosphere. Hmm, I could probably make use of my travel experience so far. Imagining days of eating tacos with Latin, cheerful staff and guests sounds really fun.

(2) The other candidate is a bookstore in Jordan, Middle East. I love spending time in bookstores, so the word 'bookstore' really caught my attention. I'm not familiar with the Arab world, but maybe that's exactly why it would be a good experience?

When I looked into Middle Eastern bookstores further, it turned out this shop was truly rugged rock! Sand walls are fine! It was, so to speak, full-on Arab style. In other words, it was clear that it was a super cool bookstore.

W-what is this...

But wait a minute. What is Jordan?

What kind of country is it, and is it a safe place? What do they eat? Is it a safe place? Or rather, where is it?

...

That's why I decided to try attacking a bookstore in Jordan.

● A nervous attack

First, I decided to try sending a message. However, suddenly from such a Far Eastern country,

Sending a light message like that would surely, no, definitely be a no-go. The risk of being ignored with a 'Hmm, a travel-loving Japanese person. Good luck~' is obvious without even needing to read the Quran.

In times like these, aren't enthusiasm and sincerity important...?

Yes. It seemed that heaven had bestowed upon me that 'intuition for manners'.

However, perhaps to balance that out, it did not grant me the ability to speak Arabic.

...What on earth.
Oh well. For now, I'll try sending a long, long love letter in English.

That's a pretty good opening. I continued with the reasons.

Alright. Like this, a "super long" love letter filled with passion and self-promotion was completed. I apologize to the literary community, but it is a masterpiece that puts even the One Thousand and One Nights to shame. I read it over and over again, and when I pressed the send button, my heart was truly pounding.

I waited two days for a reply, but there was no word. However, I was so completely in love with this shop that I couldn't bear the suspense, and I broke the rule that 'sending follow-up messages in love is forbidden' and made a forbidden follow-up.

● Trembling smartphone, trembling heart

Then, after a while, a reply actually came from that Jordan. I still remember it; I was so surprised that I sat down on the floor of the washroom, closed the door even though no one was coming, took a deep breath, and then slowly opened the reply.

Huh? Y-yesssss!

...Alright, alright.

With this, the manager's permission has been granted. This is what it means to feel like you're ascending to heaven. Ah, the days I will spend at that bookstore. Is it really okay!? Whoaaaa, my delusions won't stop...

But..., wait a minute.

Could it be that the reply is too short?

Is that all it takes to seal the deal for a Japanese girl to live there, with just this reply that hardly seems like it was written by someone who runs a bookstore?Don't I need any paperwork or anything?

Should I just go to Jordan as usual and head to the bookstore as usual?

Can I really live there just like that?

...

...

I don't really understand, but just like that, my place of stay became a "fully Arab" bookstore in Jordan.

To be continued

●Next time (Episode 2): I tried having an interview with the manager via video call