The JET Program

I'm taking some time to briefly explain why I'm in Japan, and the process it took to get here.

After studying abroad in Tokyo for a month last year, I really felt I had left a part of myself on this giant metropolis. Soon after returning from arguably the best summer adventure I've had in college, I quickly reconnected with the friends I had made, and was into all the blogs and websites- Tokyo news, Underground Tokyo, etc. I was still captivated by this city, and by Japan itself.

That's when I found out about the JET Program. I saw a posting on an online Japanese blog where the author mentioned how a lot of his readers were interested in it. For a couple of hours, I did some research and decided that this may be something to consider as part of my post-grad plans. I mean, even after three years at UCLA, I still didn't really know what I wanted to do afterward...

The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program takes post-grad students of all levels and sends them to Japan, where they work as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) to teach English. It is the largest exchange program of its kind in the world, and one of the most respected.

I decided in September 2009 to take a shot and apply for the program. It was a pretty tedious, tiresome and annoying process that is enough to have anybody go crazy. After submitting my application in November and waiting for months to see if I got an interview, I became more and more interested in the program, and knew I wanted it.

By the time the interview came in February, I was hopeful that it would come through for me. The biggest pain about applying for this program was that the wait is incredibly long and draining. When April came and the results were revealed, I found out I had been chosen as an alternate, which meant I would be offered a job if someone else drops out between April and December of this year. I was pretty depressed about it... but nothing a little bit of Vegas couldn't help to cure.

I only saw two possibilities for myself as a post-grad: JET or ARD. When my chance at being an ARD fell through, I relied so hard on JET... so when that also didn't go through, I was pretty much a goner. Having applied through the LA Consulate, I knew my chances at being hired were slim to none, but I was hopeful. I decided to become a Summer RA in order to buy time.

Luckily, things happen for a reason. I get a call in the middle of July, two days after I had finally accepted "no, Andy. You're not getting in," saying that I had been upgraded to the shortlist. I cried and accepted the position, and could not believe the timing of it all.

I think this was meant to be because:

1. If I had been hired initially, I would have left in July, and wouldn't have seen my family in China.

2. My summer was actually pretty fucking amazing.

3. I was placed in beautiful Sendai city.

So now my journey in life continues in Japan. I am contracted to be in Japan for one year, with the possibility of extending that term for a few more years. I'm not sure where life will take me yet, but for now, I'm taking it slow.

I know it comes to a shock to many people when I tell them I'm doing this. Many of you probably didn't know I applied for JET. I only told a few individuals in order to keep me sane, because when I started the process... I told myself that if I did not get in, I would not talk about this again. Please don't take it personally if I didn't tell you. It was my way of coping with the year long process of getting to Japan.

But now that I'm here, it's time to make the most of it!

Thanks for reading! I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences with all of you.