All good things come to an end

When you wish upon a star…
So, it’s my final day at work. It has been such an amazing experience. I remember my dream as a child was to be a popstar. At two years old I was often found dancing and singing to Tina Turner. When I grew up a bit more, I realised it was actually quite hard to be a popstar. As a backup plan I decided I could be a newsreader. It seems that is a job even harder to get.
However, during my tenure working for a Japanese broadcaster as a News Producer over the past few years I had the occasional chance of being a news reporter. A dream come true! Although I was mostly found behind the scenes, doing interviews, researching information, organising travel plans and holding a camera, there were a couple of times where I got to report the news to Japan.
And it was great!
The first time I was in front of the camera, my very kind and patient colleague explained to me how to look right into the middle of the camera and pretend I’m chatting to a friend or family member. And no smiling! The whole thing was made more complicated, as I had to walk and talk in Japanese at the same time and say a phrase I didn’t understand all of the words. We did it again and again and again… and when we got back to the office everyone had a good giggle at how many takes it took me. But since then I have only needed one take. And I have trained others how to do it. It is amazing how quickly we can learn new skills and go on to share this knowledge.
I realised more than anything in this job how much I enjoy journalism. It seems it’s a rare job as things change daily. You never know what you will be doing at the end of the day. Once my day started on the Central Line and finished in Algeria. My suitcase was excitedly waiting under my desk to be picked up in an emergency and taken somewhere new. I loved the travelling and the organising and meeting people who were making a difference, whether in public or behind the scenes.
Now it is time for me to clear my desk (it has taken 2 days… it seems I am a hoarder like no other… ahem). It’s always strange leaving a job, especially one as amazing as this but I often feel like there are signs in my life and previously it was exactly these kind of signs that sent me to Japan and back many times. Now Germany is calling. Going without a job lined up is a little crazy but I am confident we will find something to do that we both love. For now I shall continue writing and pounce on any kind of journalism opportunities that come my way.
And I guess if it doesn’t work out then I’ll go for my other dream… becoming a popstar!