#jet program 2016

[sunflowersandsoftcream]

Things I’ve Noticed In My Second Year as a JET

Your second year on JET can be very different than your first year.  Your first is all about adjustment and new things and experiences.  Then you decide one year is not enough, so you sign up for that second year, expecting lots of the same.  But it’s not always that way.  Here are some things I’ve noticed in the few months since I started my second year on JET. - I don’t take as many pictures as I used to.  I’ve never been a big picture taker unless I make it a goal to take pictures of things.  But I did take quite a few pictures during my first year of random things like a meal or something I saw at school.  But I haven’t taken as many I used to.  That actually makes me sad because there are lots of things I want to remember later. - School is much of the same as it was.  The Japanese education system doesn’t change and won’t change until they change it at the base level.  Some new teachers have good ideas for English education but the older teachers are stuck in their ways because it’s comfortable and what they’re used to.  The same could be said for the American education system as well. - The dynamics change within your JET and/or ALT groups.  Now that two people are gone and two more have taken their place, the dynamics have changed, as I’m sure they did when I came in.  It’s not a bad thing or a good thing, but it can cause cognitive dissonance.

- Things like knowing what to do for classes and planning and teaching are easier.  Things like when I plan to leave Japan or taxes or any adult things are much harder.

These are all personal experiences, so take it with a grain of salt, but experiencing the second year will bring about many struggles internally and externally.  Just hold out, and you’ll be okay.

[sunflowersandsoftcream]

Shizuoka!!!

I am actually trying to update this for people who want to read about JET stuff and life in Japan.  Cause things happen but I tend to just be like, “Oh yeah, this happened.”  And people are like, “Why didn’t you get pictures?!”  And I’m like, “Haha yeah, should have done that lolz.”

This time I got pics.

I went to Shizuoka on Saturday with my Wednesday ES teachers.  Let me tell you, they are a crazy bunch of people.  Well, half of them are.  Dubbed by the other half as “the young people.”  I’m included in “the young people.”  Also, apparently kouchou-sensei (instigator of all things sketchy) is also included in “the young people.”

We took a chartered bus from Yamanashi down to Shizuoka.  Immediately, I was made to sit in the back with “the young people” what I consider “the party section” of the bus.  They had arranged the seats so they faced each other and set a table in the middle filled with drinks and snacks.

Yeah, the day-drinking began around 8:00am.

Also, this is totally normal, people who are coming to Japan.  Japanese teachers like to get turnt on these kinds of trips cause it’s one of the few times they can just let loose.

I was made to drink a pear chu-hi at 8:00am.  It was a bad idea, stomach-wise.

We had fun, though.  The “older people” sat up front, mostly consisting of the older ladies that work at school.  I never realized half of my school is older ladies.

We played games on the way there and gambled a bit with 100 yen coins.  And people drank.  The school nurse who is apparently now my new BFF just kept drinking.  She was pretty wasted by the end of the day.  Also, did I mention we’re BFF’s now?  Cause that happened, apparently, lol.

So the whole day consisted of going to different places, eating a ridiculous amount of food, shopping, and just hanging out.  I’ll post some pics in a different entry for anyone who wants to see.  We made our own wasabi pickles at one point.  That was kind of fun, even though I hate wasabi.

Guys, I highly recommend going on trips like these with your teachers.  It’s such a fun way to see people outside of the school environment.  Especially if you’re like me and want to be friends with everyone, it’s a great way to make new BFF’s.  A lot of bonding goes on when you see people relax and when you relax.

10 out of 10 would do again.

[chanteru]

Destination: Yamagata-ken~!

I finally got my placement this week!! I’ll be a prefectural JET in Yamagata-ken! （山形県）！I don’t know too much about that area except that it’s up North, mountainous and very beautiful. I’m a little nervous since it’s so rural which means minimal English, not to mention the local dialect. However, I’m sure in time I’ll get used to it and manage. 

I’m staying optimistic about my placement, I was just hoping for something a little warmer since I’m from such a cold climate as it is :p BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO. I’m sure it’s going to be great anyways. :) I can’t wait to meet the block 2 ALT’s during orientation!

[juniper-moon-blog]

Hey incoming JETs!

If you’ve been placed in or around Kobe and have any questions or are concerned about anything, feel free to send a message. 

[to-carry-it-with-me]

Placement!

I got my placement notification this morning!  I’ll be a “prefectural” ALT in Kobe-shi, which apparently means it’s very likely that I’ll be teaching high school in Kobe.  Couldn’t be more exciting for a great location!

[frecklearchipelago]

Farewells

I knew that the leavers party would be a big emotional deal but I was not prepared for the intensity by a long shot. We have at least 16 people leaving from our prefecture next month, some staying in Japan, most going back to their home countries. It's both a blessing and a curse that alcohol usually loosens the tongue because there were a lot of strong words shared amongst friends and acquaintances alike. I must have told a hundred people that night, leavers and non-leavers alike, that I am happy to have met them and then rained sloppy compliments on them. I feel like this is a moment where things unsaid should be stated, and sometimes that's really great and sometimes not so great. I think we're lucky to have a giant group of really happy drunks, the kind of people who'll buy rounds and offer food or hugs or unprompted pep talks...but it definitely starts to feel really insular and when something kind of shifts in that balance things just kind of feel off-kilter for the rest of the night. A lot of the ways that we try to make those relationships meaningful are worthwhile I think. Sometimes those efforts work out and sometimes they don't. It's been an interesting weekend in terms of learning new things about myself and the people around me--not necessarily good or bad things, but how we're all still learning about each other and that's probably not going to stop any time soon. In other words, I'm glad I have Sunday today to relax because I have the most intense social hangover I have ever experienced.

[jetrabbut]

Alright if you’re Hokkaido feel free to send any questions. I’m the actual North, so if you’re also going to be in the actual North definitely let me know!

[cass-ual]

nagasaki, eyyyyy