Friends and Family FAQ

Here are a list of questions you may have about my upcoming employment on JET and their answers:

Q1. What is JET? Why are you going to Japan?

• A1. JET stands for Japan Exchange and Teaching, and is a program run by the Japanese government to hire native English speakers to be Assistant Language Teachers in Japanese elementary, middle, and high schools. (For candidates fluent in Japanese, a different position, Coordinator for International Affairs, may be offered.)  

Q2. Where in Japan are you going?

• Edited 6/28: I'll be going to Kagoshima prefecture! It's located on the southern-most tip of Japan. Where in the prefecture, you ask? On Amami Oshima island, about 200 miles south of the coast of the prefecture mainland. I will live and work on the southern end of the island in a town called Setouchi. See this blog post for more: Island Life, here I come!

Q3. When are you leaving?

• A3. The flight to Japan leaves July 23rd. [Added 5/20: We will arrive in Tokyo on the 24th (due to the time difference) where we will attend the JET Orientation for on the 25th and 26th. On the 27th, I will fly out to Kagoshima.]

Q4. How long are you staying in Japan?

• A4. JET employment contracts are one year long, and may be renewed if both the JET and their school agree to it. I will be in Japan for at least one year (July 2016-July 2017)

Q5. Can I visit you in Japan?

• A5. Yes! I will be in a small apartment in the middle of town, so you will probably need to book the local hotel (super cheap, don't worry). Also, in order for me to spend time with you when you visit, I may need to ask for vacation days, so please tell me as soon as possible if and when you plan to visit.

Q6. Can you speak Japanese?

• A6. I can currently speak a little -- my working vocabulary is about 50 words. Thanks to some friends of mine who lent me their old Japanese textbooks, I hope to teach myself enough Japanese by July to survive in Japan. 

Q7. Are you going to bring your cello with you?

• A7. No. Japan's weather is a lot different from the nice weather in SoCal, and 1) I don't want to subject my instrument to those conditions, and 2) transporting my cello is logistically very difficult. I will likely rent a cello while in Japan, and recruit a cellist friend to babysit my instrument here at home, play on it every once in a while, and keep it in good working order so it's ready when I return.

Interview Results: Short-listed!!

The interview results are in, and I've been short-listed (i.e. officially accepted) for JET 2016!

(I don't yet know where in Japan I'll be going. Placements will be announced in May/June.)

During the weeks leading up to the email announcement on March 30, I honestly had made peace with getting rejected. I would have been happy to be an alternate (i.e. waitlist) candidate. Since I'm currently finishing up a degree, I had a few backup options to pursue (research fellowship applications, science programs, etc.) if JET didn't happen. Luckily for me, I can do JET now and worry about those later (haha).

When I received the acceptance email on Tuesday, I didn't have time to celebrate because I was busy working on a research paper due the next day, but now that the paper's done and it's the weekend, I can finally celebrate by spending the day doing ... JET paperwork!

I've never been more excited to fill out forms in my life, but there deadlines to meet, so slacking off now isn't an option. Short-listed JETs must:

• Send a form indicating acceptance of the position
• Submit a passport photocopy
• Get fingerprinted for an FBI background check
• Have a doctor fill out a Certificate of Health
• Apply for Japanese tax exemption
• Apply for an international driver's permit
• Submit a special JET insurance form
• Supply proof of graduation upon degree conferral
• ...among other things.

In the meantime, besides filling out paperwork I'll be studying Japanese as fast as I can to ease the transition when I arrive. Some friends have generously given me a bunch of their old Japanese textbooks and workbooks (the Yookoso! series, whose online resources I found out today are now free of charge). Thanks Karen and Christina!

The fact that I'm actually going to go to Japan hasn't really sunk in for me yet... I'm sure it will soon enough.

Many thanks to everyone who helped me get this far. Special shout-outs to my loving family for their endless support, my iaido classmates for their faith in me, my research advisor Dr. Warrior and my karate instructor Mr. Barker for writing references, my University's writing center and Study Abroad office staff for looking over my initial Statement of Purpose drafts, my friends Melody, Dave, Vince, and Michael for providing more critical feedback on my SoP, and again to Michael for helping me prepare for the interview. I wouldn't be here without all of you!! <3