“I Want to Make It Home Alive.” That Was My Only Wish.
When COVID-19 swept across the world, I found myself standing at one of the most important crossroads of my life.
I was in New York, preparing to graduate and begin my professional career.
What should have been a season of excitement and possibility suddenly became a period of uncertainty, fear, and survival.
The city that had inspired millions seemed to stop breathing.
And for a while, so did many of our dreams.
Yet what I discovered during that time would change my understanding of success, resilience, and the true meaning of Quality of Life.
｜ Job Hunting During the Pandemic Became My Greatest Challenge
Of all the challenges I faced while living in America, job hunting was the most difficult.
As COVID-19 spread rapidly, New York entered lockdown.
Job opportunities disappeared almost overnight.
Even more devastating, government agencies, universities, and businesses slowed down or temporarily stopped functioning as they struggled to transition to remote operations.
For international students, time is never unlimited.
Every visa, work authorization, and immigration document comes with strict deadlines.
A delay of a few weeks can change the course of an entire future.
｜Watching Other International Students Lose Their Dreams
After graduation, international students in the United States may apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT), which allows them to work legally in positions related to their field of study.
However, OPT requires approval through immigration processes.
The students who graduated one semester before me were hit especially hard.
OPT applications stalled.
Visa processing slowed dramatically.
Career fairs were canceled.
Graduation ceremonies disappeared.
Many students quietly packed their belongings and returned home.
No one was at fault.
Yet it was heartbreaking to watch years of hard work and sacrifice vanish because of circumstances beyond anyone’s control.
｜When Even Graduation Was No Longer Guaranteed
My business degree program required an internship during the final semester.
Originally, I had hoped that even if I could not secure long-term employment in the United States, I would at least gain valuable American work experience.
Then the pandemic arrived.
Suddenly, even graduation itself seemed uncertain.
My academic program included CPT (Curricular Practical Training), which allowed students to complete internships while enrolled in school.
The university did not arrange internships for us.
We had to find employers, apply, interview, and earn the opportunity ourselves.
Some students postponed graduation to delay their internship requirements.
For international students, however, every additional semester means higher tuition, additional living expenses, and increased visa pressure.
Those of us who already had professional careers before returning to school understood exactly how risky the situation had become.
I was one of them.
｜Choosing Certainty Over Ambition
Deep down, I wanted to challenge myself in an American company.
My previous professional experience in New York had been with a Japanese company, and I wanted to step beyond what was familiar and see how far I could go in a completely different environment.
But reality forced me to make a different decision.
I shifted my focus toward Japanese companies operating in New York.
The reason was simple.
I was running out of time.
Immigration deadlines do not pause for global emergencies.
Applications.
Interviews.
Hiring decisions.
Additional paperwork.
Any delay could cost me my internship, my graduation, and my future work authorization.
Living abroad taught me an important lesson:
Always prepare for the worst-case scenario.
During my years in America, I developed patience, adaptability, and the ability to navigate uncertainty.
Those skills would prove far more valuable than any classroom lesson.
｜Discovering the Strength of Japan Through Distance
Living overseas taught me something unexpected.
Sometimes you do not fully understand your own culture until you leave it.
As I compared different systems and workplaces, I developed a deeper appreciation for the strengths of Japan and its people.
The speed of response.
The reliability of execution.
The sense of responsibility individuals bring to their work.
These qualities may seem ordinary inside Japan.
Outside Japan, they stand out.
The durability of Japanese products.
The attention to detail.
The high standards of healthcare.
The trust people place in professional responsibility.
These achievements are not accidents.
They are the result of generations of dedication and discipline.
Ironically, it was New York that helped me better understand Japan.
｜Securing an Internship at the Last Possible Moment
One week before the submission deadline, I finally received an offer.
The university’s internship approval documents arrived shortly after 1:00 a.m. on the very day my internship was scheduled to begin.
Everything came together at the last possible moment.
I joined the New York branch of one of Japan’s largest retail companies.
The office was located in Rockefeller Center.
Directly across from us stood the iconic building used as the headquarters of Runway Magazine in the film The Devil Wears Prada.
For years, New York had existed as a dream in my imagination.
Now I was living inside it.
I successfully completed my internship, graduated, and later worked for another Japanese company through OPT.
For a brief period, it felt as though the future was finally opening up.
｜ Omicron and Another Encounter With Mortality
Then came the Omicron surge.
Between late 2021 and early 2022, New York experienced another explosive wave of COVID-19 infections.
I became one of the many who caught the virus.
I did not experience a dangerously high fever.
But what followed was far from mild.
Persistent low-grade fever.
Relentless coughing.
Loss of taste.
Ringing in my ears.
Severe joint pain.
Some days, simply getting out of bed felt like climbing a mountain.
People often describe COVID as “just a cold.”
For me, it was not.
And once again, I found myself confronting something I knew all too well:
The fragility of life.
At twenty-five, I had faced cancer.
Now, years later, I was once again reminded that tomorrow is never guaranteed.
｜ The Day I Chose Life Over Dreams
My visa still had time remaining.
My return to Japan came earlier than planned.
Yet I had no regrets.
I had done everything I could.
I had given New York my best.
And I believed that if something was truly meant for me, another opportunity would come someday.
By then, I understood something I had not fully understood before.
There are things more important than career success.
More important than visas.
More important than professional titles.
Nearly ten years of my life had been woven between New York and Japan.
I had survived cancer.
I had crossed oceans to pursue an education.
I had lived through one of the most turbulent chapters in modern history.
And through it all, I learned something no degree, visa, or job title could ever teach me.
Success means very little if you are not alive to experience it.
What truly matters is not where you work, what title you hold, or which country you live in.
What matters is being alive.
And during those difficult days, only one thought remained in my mind:
“I want to make it home alive.”
Looking back now, that was not the end of a dream.
It was the beginning of a new definition of Quality of Life.
｜Reflections on Quality of Life
1. There Is No Success Greater Than Being Alive
Every dream depends on one fundamental condition: life itself.
Without health and life, success loses its meaning.
2. Crisis Reveals What Truly Matters
When the world stopped, I discovered what I was most determined to protect.
It was not my career.
It was my life.
Moments of crisis reveal our deepest values.
3. You Often Discover the Value of Home by Leaving It
Living abroad taught me to appreciate the strengths of Japan in ways I never could before.
Responsibility.
Precision.
Respect for others.
These are qualities worth preserving and sharing with the world.
And they remain an important part of my own Quality of Life journey.
