Flight and Arrival

So today I finally made it to Japan! My flight left at 1:00 PM from Logan Airport on August 3rd. Mom, Dad, Mike, and Reid all came with me to see me off. After checking my bags, we all got some breakfast. I went through security around noon since the line was very small. We started boarding around 12:30 and I was surprised at how quickly they got everyone on the plane. We were in the air about an hour later.

I was lucky enough to fly on a non-stop Japan Airlines flight. I was flight 007 on the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which was amazing. I sat in the middle of the second to last row and it was a little squished, but I was able to stand up and walk around whenever I needed to. There's a USB port in every seat so you can charge any electronics that charge via USB. Some seats also had outlets, but mine did not. There's a personal TV in the back of all the seats and you can watch anything from Finding Nemo to Game of Thrones. The food was also good as far as airplane food goes and they even have complimentary wine and beer. (I believe they have other alcohols free, too, but I do not know for sure.) All this made for a pretty enjoyable flight!

Once arriving in Narita airport we headed for immigration. We all had stickers on to show we were in the JET Program and when an attendant saw us, he opened up a previously empty immigration room for us to go through. This obviously made going through immigration much faster! Immigration is also where we got out Residency Cards. Japan up until very recently used Alien Registration Cards, similar to a Green Card in the United States. The only probably with the Alien Registration Card was that it took up to a few weeks to process and ship. You need this card to sign up for more permanent things in Japan such as internet or a cell phone. Now, however, when you go through immigration they just check your visa, take your index finger prints, and snap a photo of you. They print out your Residency Card right there on the spot and send you to baggage claim.

After we had all gotten our bags, it was time to go through customs. We had received and filled out our custom form on the plane and there was no line, so we got through rather quickly. Walking into the Narita main terminal we were greeted by many JETs all wearing bright green shirts. We were directed where to go and when we got there, they took our luggage that was getting shipped to our placement and we got on a bus that brought us to our hotel. Once at the hotel we all got name tags, tote bags with various JET material, and our room keys.

I went out for dinner, but am now extremely tired since I didn't sleep much on the plane. Breakfast is at 7:30 tomorrow and then we have orientation all day. We have orientation for most of Tuesday as well. Tuesday night we are free and then early on Wednesday I will be heading to Kitakyushu. I'll be very busy these next few days, but I'll do my best to keep you posted on orientation!

Boston Orientation #1

Saturday, June 22^nd was the first Boston JET orientation. Held at the Children’s Museum, it was run by the New England JET Alumni Association. It was our first time meeting and it was not mandatory, but it was INCREDIBLY helpful.

Our orientation was set up to last all day with a social hour afterward. I got there slightly early and helped set up. Everyone got an insurance book, JET welcome book and general information, and Japanese language and culture book. We also all got a small sticky note that we wrote our name and placement on, then put that note on a map of Japan over our location. The books are beneficial and the map was useful to find other people who are going to be near you.

Over the day we talked about everything. We started by walking through the Kyoto house in the museum and talked about basic living in Japan, then moved to a Japanese library room to talk about money issues and bank accounts. We had lunch upstairs and talked about culture and culture shock. In the afternoon we talked about packing for our flight; emergency services in Japan; buying and bringing お土産 (gifts); technology from cell phones to cars; clothes for work and every day; and teaching strategies. We finished with a quick plug to learn Japanese and then had an open Q&A. All of these talks were about half an hour and were run by JET alumni. It was unbelievably helpful to hear about these topics from people who have been through the program. Everything was pretty informal and relaxed, which made it a very comfortable place to ask any questions. (I will make separate posts of each of these topics once I have gone through them myself and can give a more details.)

Although it was very informative, the acronym for the day was ESID, which stands for ‘each situation is different.’ Many of the questions we have as upcoming JETs depends on where you are, what school(s) you are in, and numerous other factors. To answer these more specific questions you can ask JET alumni from your area, join a Facebook group for JETs in your area, and/or ask your predecessor. Everyone I’ve met so far has been just as excited as me and happy to answer any questions.

Although all the information at the orientation was great, I think the best part was meeting the other JETs in my area. It’s kind of scary going to such a new place without a lot of information. Meeting the people you will be traveling with the first few days is a huge help. Having other people in the exact same situation as you will be more comforting to you than you may realize. The social hour after the orientation was also useful. More JET alumni came and getting to talk to everyone in a more relaxed setting was great.

I will talk more about all of these topics more in depth as I learn more about them and experience them first hand. If you are deciding whether or not to attend a similar orientation, I strongly suggest you do. You will probably have heard much of the information before, but even if you have, meeting the people you will be traveling with and hearing stories from the people who have already gone through the program is invaluable.

News from Kitakyushu

So as I've said before, JET is a long process. I heard a few weeks ago that I was placed in Kitakyushu, but I don't get any details until the Board of Education can give them to me. As new JETs, we have no way of contacting our placement for details (e.g. schedules, cooperating teacher, middle or high school) until we are contacted by them first. I am excited to say I just heard from the JET adviser in Kitakyushu and she will be sending my packet of information sometime this week! I am hoping it arrives next week, although it may take longer. Letters are sent in lieu of e-mails because there is often sensitive information enclosed and official work papers that I will need to fill out and bring with me to Japan.

I will update more when I receive my letter. I will also have a new entry next weekend after my orientation on Saturday!

Application Process

My JET experience stated like everyone else’s, with an application. If you are interested in applying to JET, know that it is a long – but well worth it – process. For my 2013 departure, I had to start my application in the fall of 2012. There are two parts to the application. First is a paper application that includes three copies of up to fourteen documents. My paper application was due in November of 2012. If you pass this initial application, the next step is an interview. My interview was held at the Consulate General of Japan in Boston on a Friday in February 2013. I found out about my status as a short list candidate (accepted, but pre-placement) at the end of April 2013 and I found out my placement on May 21^st, 2013. So the entire application process from the first draft of an essay to leaving for Japan is almost a year, September 2012 to August 2013 in my case.

The paper application is the first step. This part is pretty straight forward. There are fourteen pieces, but depending on which position you’re applying for you won’t necessarily need every part. I only needed eleven out of the fourteen components. The others (Physician’s Form, FBI Criminal Background Check, and Certificate of Health Form) I either didn’t need or filled out after my acceptance to the program. You might not need all of the forms if you have not studied abroad or if you are not a certified teacher. The papers you need to turn in range from self-assessed medical forms to copies of your passport and diploma.

The Statement of Purpose is the only section of the paper application that can be creative with. It is a short essay with very specific margins that must fit on two pages. You need to incorporate relevant experience and motivation in respect to teaching and Japanese (or any) travel as the topics of the essay. Since this is the only chance you have to express your personality before the first round of cuts, it is incredibly important. I stated my essay by talking about an experience I had student teaching. I was teaching math, not Japanese, but could still talk about my teaching style and classroom management. I also wrote about one of my students who was interested in Japanese. I helped teach her some basic Japanese phrases and culture. I also described my time abroad in Japan. Even if you don’t have experience teaching a traditional class you can write about helping a younger sibling, friend, or anyone else. As long as you show some personality, education experience, and interest in Japan you should be good to go.

While the paper application is pretty straight forward and mostly filling out the correct forms, the interview is all about you. Before my interview, I Googled other peoples interview experiences. I read about people being asked everything from talking about geographical and political issues to teaching a mock lesson on the spot. I even read about someone who was asked what they would say if questioned about Americas motivation for dropping the bomb in WWII. I read about interview panels that were so belligerent they were described as a tribunal and panels that were almost too friendly. I prepared answers for everything – remembering dates, people, political parties, island names, and city names. I’ve never been good at memorization and thankfully I wasn’t asked about any of those things.

I had an interview with a panel of three women who were all very nice. The interview lasted about twenty minutes and I was mostly asked about what I would teach and how I would teach it. The questions centered around what I thought was the most important thing to teach the students in Japan about America, how I would keep the students engaged, and how I would deal with disruptive students. I was also asked why I wanted to go to Japan rather than somewhere else. Answering the questions confidently is important, just let your personality come through.

All of the information about the application can be found here on the JET website. The process can change year to year, but the format is always the same and all required documents are usually the same.