Where to begin? Well, if you have found this blog you would already know that late last year I applied for an exchange teaching program called JET (Japanese Exchange and Teaching programme). As a part of this programme, I will be working as an ALT (assistant language teacher) in the Japanese English classroom for a minimum of 12 months. The application process was long and extensive, but I am sure it will be worth every tree I’ve killed during the completion of paperwork!
Before I knew it, my departure date had arrived. After saying a tearful farewell and a surprise Fruchoc party, I was on board the plane in Adelaide heading toward Tokyo, Japan. Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing! With our flight from Adelaide being delayed an hour, we had a very ‘Amazing Race- style’ connection in Sydney! It’s a scary feeling hearing your name called out over the airport terminal speakers as you sprint from customs to your gate!! Needless to say, we must have made quite an impression on all the other Australian JETs as we boarded that plane with seconds to spare!
We eventually made it to our hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Excitement was buzzing amongst all the JETs – meanwhile I was totally exhausted and ready to collapse! I also had my first opportunity to converse in Japanese while at the post office. Using a mixture of English and Japanese (or what I like to refer as Japlish), I was able to successfully communicate with the attendant – SUCCESS!
During our stay in Shinjuku, we participated in a two-day orientation in regards to what to expect while we work in Japan, as well as how to effectively teach and team-teach ESL lessons. I’ll skip over the boring details, but this was the perfect opportunity to catch up with other JETs from around the world and share our fears and anticipations. I met some awesome people, including a group of lovely Americans. The mixture of accents was so cool!
Tomorrow is the day I finally head to my hometown – Soja City (pronounced so-u-jya shi). Although I am excited to meet my supervisor and vice principal, I can’t help but feel anxious too! Fingers crossed all goes well!!
Jya-ne! (See you soon)
