Decisions, decisions

A lot has happened over the last few days. My future has become more certain. I WILL finish work on May 31st and I WILL leave Japan for Europe in mid to late June.
I got some very positive feedback from one of the European universities where I'm interested in doing a master’s. But I don't want to jinx it by telling you which one. Nothing will be officially confirmed until June. It could all still fall through.
I hate uncertainty, so I feel very glad to be settling things and finally making plans.
My friend taught me a weird Japanese expression that's used when someone finally makes a big decision: 清水の舞台から飛び下りる (kiyomizu no butai kara tobioriru). Disregarding the metaphor, the literal translation means to jump off the viewing platform of a famous temple set high in the hills of Kyoto! It sure conveys an image of the magnitude of the decision.
This is a culture obsessed with suicide. Just look at the language - "we've" brought you hari-kari (should actually be hara kiri) and kamakazee (should be kami kaze) to name just two misspelled atrocities.
I used to think such a fixation was morbid and unhealthy. I must be assimilating: now I'm more of a mind that death is just as much a part of life as anything else. Maybe choosing your own time to go is another stage of living. Or maybe that just works for the Eskimos! (Get the ref., Dad?)