A little over 1.5 years ago, I was directly affected by the Great Recession. Then, about 3 weeks after receiving the dreaded pink slip, I accepted a job offer to teach English in Japan.

The decision to leave friends, family and the only country I really knew surprised a lot of people. It seemed haste, like I was jumping headfirst into the unknown. And I guess I was to some extent. But for years I had dreamed of living abroad to get a better sense of the world at large. Before coming to Japan, my only real international exposure had been during a 2-week trip to Nigeria. It opened my eyes a little, but I still couldn't see 20/20. And no matter how much global news I read, I just couldn't really grasp the idea of life outside of the States.

So when the economic downturn handed me lemons, I jumped on it as an opportunity to make green-tea flavored lemonade.

The impact of my decision usually hits through contrasts and comparisons. Talking with people back home, Facebook stalking and following U.S. news all reflect a change in perspective. There's also no better way to learn how much you've assimilated than by having international visitors. It's amazing how quickly you can adjust to the unknown and how fast a previously familiar life can become sort of...foreign.  

This is exactly what I was looking for.

Japan is giving me what Tim Ferris (among many others) refer to as a "real world degree". In a blog post about his Real-World MBA strategy, i.e., jumping into angel-investing instead of going to business school, he also throws out ideas for other real-world alternative degrees (e.g., a "Real World Masters in Creative Writing" and a "Real World Masters in Political Science"). By the time I leave this island nation, I will have something of a Real World degree in International Studies.

Gaining this kind of global knowledge is among one of the benefits of time spent outside of America. There's a trade-off, sure, but in return for my temporary life as an expat, I'm receiving real world education on international relations, cultural identity, government, sociology and a bunch of other related fields.

Kind of cool, huh?