Why I, Who Hated English, Chose a Dual-Base Life Abroad

Hello! I am Yoshii, co-representative of SYNCA Joint Accounting Office.
This is sudden, but I will be moving to Malaysia starting in August!
To be precise, I plan to return to Japan about once a month, so it will be a dual-base life.

Why Malaysia?
Why now, at this timing?
In this post, I would like to write about the reasons and the changes in my mindset that led to this decision.

The trigger was my wife's dream of 'wanting to live abroad'

I first became conscious of living abroad after I met my wife.

My wife had study-abroad experience during her student days and had lived overseas for a period of time. Because of that, she had always had a longing to 'try living abroad again someday.'

As for me, I was the type of person who had an allergic reaction not just to living abroad, but to English itself.

Speaking English was impossible.
Living abroad was even more impossible.

That is what I thought.

However, as I listened to my wife's dream of 'wanting to live abroad,' I think the option of a 'life living abroad' gradually began to form within me as well.

At first, it was really vague.
'It would be nice if we could live like that someday.'
It was just that level of feeling.

The joy of talking with foreigners that I felt in Cebu

After that, when the COVID situation calmed down, I had an opportunity to go to Cebu Island alone to attend a friend's wedding.

That was my first time 'going abroad alone.'

Honestly, I was quite anxious. I couldn't speak English at all. The airport, taxis, hotels, restaurants. Everything was a series of tensions.

However, I had the opportunity to talk with Filipino people at the wedding.

Of course, my English was broken. I think my grammar was a mess, too. Even so, by using gestures, I managed to exchange words.

What I felt at that time was,
'Oh, talking to foreigners is this much fun.'
That was the feeling.

Even though I couldn't speak English, I was able to laugh with the other person.
Even if the language isn't perfect, feelings can be conveyed.

That experience was very significant for me.
And at the same time, I thought, 'If I could speak more English, wouldn't I have been able to communicate more deeply?'
That was the trigger for me to start attending a local English conversation school.
(In the end, I have attended this English conversation school for about three years up to the present.)

I, who had an allergic reaction to English, came to want to learn English on my own. Looking back now, I think that experience in Cebu was an event that changed my values a little.

The Choice of Malaysia

When I started considering living abroad, Malaysia emerged as a candidate.

Malaysia has many international schools. Moreover, compared to Japan and other countries, many schools have relatively affordable tuition fees.

For my children, being able to learn in an English-speaking environment, being exposed to cultures and values different from Japan, and meeting multinational friends—I felt a great appeal in terms of education.

Also, Malaysia has a warm climate and is only one hour behind Japan. This was a very important point for continuing to work in Japan while living there.

Considering interactions with clients, communication with internal team members, and meetings, it would inevitably cause problems in a country with a large time difference.

In that respect, in Malaysia, I can work on almost the same timeline as Japan.

Furthermore, our office had established a telework environment even before COVID-19. The fact that we already had a system for conducting business online gave us the push to realistically consider living in two countries.

A Feeling for a New Challenge That Sprouted in My Late 30s

In my 20s, I was devoted to the tax accountant examination. And in my late 20s, I became independent.

It has been about 10 years since I became independent. Thankfully, supported by many clients and colleagues, I have been able to continue my work until now.

Of course, there is a life where I continue to work as a tax accountant in Japan as it is. That is by no means a bad choice. However, as I approached my late 30s, a feeling gradually sprouted within me: "I want to challenge myself with something new."

At that timing, my wife asked me again, "Why don't we move to Malaysia?" If it had been the old me, I might have dodged it somehow, saying, "Isn't it too early? Let's think about it again in about three years."

But this time it was different. I thought, "This is the only time."

When I considered various conditions such as the children's ages, my own age, the work situation, and the office structure, I felt that if I didn't move now, I probably wouldn't be able to move in the future either.

And around January of this year, I decided to move to Malaysia.

In an Era Where AI Democratizes Skills, What Has Value Is "Experience"

Behind this decision is also the evolution of AI.

The recent evolution of generative AI is truly tremendous, and we have entered an era where simple administrative tasks can be almost entirely completed by AI. Tasks that people used to spend time on, such as writing, document creation, and data organization, are being significantly streamlined by AI.

I think that parts of tax agency work like ours will also be replaced by AI eventually. Perhaps that trend has already begun in some areas. In fact, some of our clients have already started leaving their bookkeeping to AI.

In an era where skills and knowledge are becoming commoditized, what value remains for humans?

I believe it is "experience."

What kind of environment do you place yourself in, who do you meet, what do you struggle with, and what do you challenge yourself with? I believe such experiences are what create depth and interest in a person.

That is precisely why I wanted to gain new experiences myself by living in two countries, including one abroad.

Because you only live once

You only live once.

Of course, it is important to be in a stable place. It is also important not to take risks and to protect your current environment.

However, when I look back on my life,
"I wish I had taken that challenge back then"
is something I do not want to think.

When you change where you live, your environment changes.
When your environment changes, the people you meet change.
When the people you meet change, your way of thinking changes.
When your way of thinking changes, your life itself begins to change.

I believe that.
Continuing my work in Japan as a tax accountant while living abroad.

I don't think it's an easy path.

I also have anxieties. There may be times when I fail. There will surely be many times when things don't go as planned.
Even so, I wanted to try making this choice.

While embodying "challenge," which is a SYNCA value, I want to continue to challenge myself without fearing change.

I will strive to give back the insights and values gained through this experience to my work as a tax accountant, to the organization of SYNCA, and to the services provided to our clients.

I will continue to cherish each and every connection as always, and will keep challenging myself to provide even better value.

Thank you for your continued support!

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