I think it's obvious to anyone that knows me and Sean as a couple that Sean is extraordinarily tolerant and flexible when it comes to the type of work that he does to earn money. Although English teaching is not his favorite thing, he does it because it's an easy way to get a visa and work while we're abroad together. In addition to English teaching, he's always on the lookout for contract, temporary jobs for extra money to fund frisbee tournaments and camping gear purchases. He's found forums and job postings aimed at foreigners interested in exactly these kind of opportunities and so far the gigs he's found are pretty unique, to put it mildly.

While in Japan, Sean's odd jobs have included everything from being interviewed about his experiences as a foreigner in Japan to editing stories in English and everything in between. He has done a lot of voice recordings for GPS companies and also app developers who are preparing translation material ahead of the 2020 olympics. He's also worked on writing/speaking possible questions for new robots that will be stationed at popular metro stops during the Olympics to help tourists with different problems. One job involved writing essays in English on assigned topics for research by a linguistics foundation studying the difference in grammar and vocabulary of monolinguals and bilinguals.

Burger King's new "Snow Cheese" Whopper - Sean's first meal after the medical testing experience

Sean's most recent gig was medical testing which involved spending five days and four nights in a clinic with nine other caucasian men and ten Japanese men. The study was Phase I of a human trial for a new type of antibody. Before committing, he attended the informational session and we researched the drug in question. It's already been approved in the States, Canada and Europe so he felt fine participating in the study but it was definitely a strange experience. Because the compensation is so incredible (upwards of 3,000 USD), the competition to get into these medical trials in Tokyo is quite competitive for foreigners and Sean watched his diet, alcohol and caffeine intake for weeks so he could (just barely) make the cut.

He was released from the clinic today and was more than happy to go for a run, eat fast food and crack open a beer after days of strict eating requirements and being confined indoors. Sean recently found out that he'll be leading backcountry hiking expeditions in Alaska for the summer, which he's really excited about, but between now and then who knows what job he'll do next?

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