Culture & Education
2019/10/21
The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme
Irish JET Reports
"Home Away From Home" - Niall Moore (ALT, Akita Prefecture, 2017-2019)
As I sit and reflect on my two years on the JET Programme while sipping coffee from my Daiso mug, emblazoned with a sheep design and a typically peculiar English message, on this occasion “While away the time, Sheep”, I find myself struggling to figure out how to start writing this report. So much has happened over the past two years that it’s hard to know how to begin summarising it all into a nice neat essay. I suppose I should start at the beginning. I left Ireland for Japan in July 2017, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and extremely excited for the adventure that awaited me. I was headed to a place called Odate City, in the prefecture of Akita in northern Japan. I had never heard of it either. A quick Google search had yielded only pictures of snow-covered rice fields and statues of the famous faithful dog, Hachiko, who was born in Odate before spending his life in Tokyo. Any worries I had before arriving in Odate were quickly alleviated when I got here and received an extremely warm welcome from my Supervisor, colleagues, and fellow ALTs. Perhaps it was the initial euphoria of exploring a new place, the ‘honeymoon period’ if you will, but that first month in Odate was extremely special. Meeting new people, welcome parties, barbeques, countless lunch outings, and best of all, fabulous festivals, all while enjoying a gorgeous hot summer, made for a wonderful introduction to my new home.
September rolled around pretty quickly and with that, my first day of school. In typically suave fashion, I made a wonderful first impression when in the first minute of my first class, my nose decided to bleed profusely and I had to rush out to the bathroom to tend to it. I walked back to the classroom fearing that I would be ridiculed and forever labelled Nosebleed-sensei, but the students couldn’t have been nicer, giving me tissues and making sure I was alright. We had a good laugh about it. This kindness and good nature set a precedent for what I was to experience for the next two years.
I’ve been splitting my time over the past two years between two junior high schools; one with 500 students, and one with only 50. This has allowed me to experience the best of both worlds, the hectic yet fun atmosphere of a big school and the more laidback tight-knit atmosphere of a small school. The many students and teachers that I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the past two years have all contributed immensely to my time in Japan. The language barrier can seem insurmountable at times, despite my students’ and teachers’ efforts to learn English and my efforts to learn Japanese, but I have learned that even with only a few words and a smile, it is possible to communicate and have a laugh with one another. These interactions, no matter how trivial, have never failed to put a smile on my face. When living in a foreign country, especially a country as “foreign” as Japan, it can be lonely at times and so these interactions can mean a lot. I’ve learned that when you put yourself out there, when you present yourself as approachable and keen to chat, people will respond in kind. A smile can go a long way.
As well as visiting my junior high schools, I have also paid countless visits to elementary schools, kindergartens, and special needs schools. Whether it’s been dressing up and playing Halloween games with the kids, singing Christmas songs, or simply teaching them colours in English, these experiences have been extremely fun and fulfilling.
Outside of school, I’ve been building what I like to call my Nice Little Life. In my Nice Little Life, I have my nice little apartment, my nice little car, my job that I enjoy, my friends, my community, my hobbies, my favourite restaurants and shops, my town. What I have here is my second home. It’s a home that will always hold a special place in my heart, even long after I have left. I’ve grown so much from my time here. I’ve picked up new hobbies, namely taiko, calligraphy, and study of the Japanese language. I’ve also kept up hobbies that I had from home, playing indoor football and trying my best to communicate in Japanese with my teammates. I’ve learned to look after myself in a place very far from home, awkwardly stumbling my way through what would be the most trivial situations at home (like sending a package at the post office, or taking the train) but getting through nonetheless. I’ve met people from all over the world, not only Japanese people but other ALTs from many different countries, and so I have learned a lot about the world and the people in it. I have learned to be more curious about the world and about people. Living abroad certainly does broaden your mind. It makes you realise how vast the world is, but also how small it is.
As I take a sip out of my Daiso water bottle, the message displayed on the side catches my eye. “Tasty, Decorate your Day.” While I’m not sure exactly what is meant by this, I’m going to read it as “Seize the Day.” To anyone thinking of applying for the JET Programme, I would say: do it. At the very least you will get to spend a year in an endlessly riveting country, and who knows, the experience might just change your life. One thing I can tell you for sure is that you will learn from the experience. As I begin to mentally prepare myself to leave Odate, I cannot help but feel sad when I think that this time I am leaving for good. However, I am reassured in knowing that I will always think of Odate as my home away from home. Until we meet again, genki de ne!
As I sit and reflect on my two years on the JET Programme while sipping coffee from my Daiso mug, emblazoned with a sheep design and a typically peculiar English message, on this occasion “While away the time, Sheep”, I find myself struggling to figure out how to start writing this report. So much has happened over the past two years that it’s hard to know how to begin summarising it all into a nice neat essay. I suppose I should start at the beginning. I left Ireland for Japan in July 2017, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and extremely excited for the adventure that awaited me. I was headed to a place called Odate City, in the prefecture of Akita in northern Japan. I had never heard of it either. A quick Google search had yielded only pictures of snow-covered rice fields and statues of the famous faithful dog, Hachiko, who was born in Odate before spending his life in Tokyo. Any worries I had before arriving in Odate were quickly alleviated when I got here and received an extremely warm welcome from my Supervisor, colleagues, and fellow ALTs. Perhaps it was the initial euphoria of exploring a new place, the ‘honeymoon period’ if you will, but that first month in Odate was extremely special. Meeting new people, welcome parties, barbeques, countless lunch outings, and best of all, fabulous festivals, all while enjoying a gorgeous hot summer, made for a wonderful introduction to my new home.
September rolled around pretty quickly and with that, my first day of school. In typically suave fashion, I made a wonderful first impression when in the first minute of my first class, my nose decided to bleed profusely and I had to rush out to the bathroom to tend to it. I walked back to the classroom fearing that I would be ridiculed and forever labelled Nosebleed-sensei, but the students couldn’t have been nicer, giving me tissues and making sure I was alright. We had a good laugh about it. This kindness and good nature set a precedent for what I was to experience for the next two years.
I’ve been splitting my time over the past two years between two junior high schools; one with 500 students, and one with only 50. This has allowed me to experience the best of both worlds, the hectic yet fun atmosphere of a big school and the more laidback tight-knit atmosphere of a small school. The many students and teachers that I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the past two years have all contributed immensely to my time in Japan. The language barrier can seem insurmountable at times, despite my students’ and teachers’ efforts to learn English and my efforts to learn Japanese, but I have learned that even with only a few words and a smile, it is possible to communicate and have a laugh with one another. These interactions, no matter how trivial, have never failed to put a smile on my face. When living in a foreign country, especially a country as “foreign” as Japan, it can be lonely at times and so these interactions can mean a lot. I’ve learned that when you put yourself out there, when you present yourself as approachable and keen to chat, people will respond in kind. A smile can go a long way.
As well as visiting my junior high schools, I have also paid countless visits to elementary schools, kindergartens, and special needs schools. Whether it’s been dressing up and playing Halloween games with the kids, singing Christmas songs, or simply teaching them colours in English, these experiences have been extremely fun and fulfilling.
Outside of school, I’ve been building what I like to call my Nice Little Life. In my Nice Little Life, I have my nice little apartment, my nice little car, my job that I enjoy, my friends, my community, my hobbies, my favourite restaurants and shops, my town. What I have here is my second home. It’s a home that will always hold a special place in my heart, even long after I have left. I’ve grown so much from my time here. I’ve picked up new hobbies, namely taiko, calligraphy, and study of the Japanese language. I’ve also kept up hobbies that I had from home, playing indoor football and trying my best to communicate in Japanese with my teammates. I’ve learned to look after myself in a place very far from home, awkwardly stumbling my way through what would be the most trivial situations at home (like sending a package at the post office, or taking the train) but getting through nonetheless. I’ve met people from all over the world, not only Japanese people but other ALTs from many different countries, and so I have learned a lot about the world and the people in it. I have learned to be more curious about the world and about people. Living abroad certainly does broaden your mind. It makes you realise how vast the world is, but also how small it is.
As I take a sip out of my Daiso water bottle, the message displayed on the side catches my eye. “Tasty, Decorate your Day.” While I’m not sure exactly what is meant by this, I’m going to read it as “Seize the Day.” To anyone thinking of applying for the JET Programme, I would say: do it. At the very least you will get to spend a year in an endlessly riveting country, and who knows, the experience might just change your life. One thing I can tell you for sure is that you will learn from the experience. As I begin to mentally prepare myself to leave Odate, I cannot help but feel sad when I think that this time I am leaving for good. However, I am reassured in knowing that I will always think of Odate as my home away from home. Until we meet again, genki de ne!