PNWJETAA Orientation: Acronym Bonanza and So Much More!

As I coasted along the scenic Highway 99 driving by the towering skyscrapers of downtown Seattle, I gleefully realized I am on vacation. Friday was my final day at Snap Fitness bringing my longest job yet to an end. Truly it's an end of an era, an era which lasted almost seven years (six years and eleven months to be exact). I won't be employed again until I arrive in Japan on July 24th.

Of course with vacation comes great responsibility. I must pack and prepare for Japan. To help with my preparations, this weekend I attended the Pacific Northwest Japan Exchange and Teaching Alumni Association's (PNWJETAA) orientation at Seattle University. I am still stunned by the amount of information I learned, the incredible help and support of the JET alumni, and the networks in place to help me succeed in Japan. The JET alumni--some of who taught in Japan for five years--are wizards. They know about Japanese language and culture, social norms, and the duties and responsibilities expected of assistant language teachers (ALTs). They also told us about JET support organizations we can join like the Association of JET (AJET), which networks active JETs or JETAA, which networks alumni. Sprinkled amidst their vast reservoirs of wisdom were useful anecdotes and humorous stories. I sensed their enthusiasm and excitement for us; it is as if they could foretell our future and are simply awaiting for us to experience it. I greatly appreciated their support, kindness, and careful instruction. They were honest with us newbies: we are going to have a blast but there will be challenges, necessary adjustments, and periods of utter confusion. I embrace that.

We were told we could experience culture shock, homesickness, and utter moments of confusion. To illustrate that, we played a card game with the alumni. Each of us were dealt four cards and given instructions on pieces of paper which were evidently all different. No verbal communication was permitted. Thus you had four people trying to confusedly play four different games. The game is analogous to cross-cultural communication: there are times which despite one's best intentions result in miscommunication and misunderstanding. Language is humbling: it requires patience, adaptability, and constant practice.

One of the alumni present sat on my interview board several months ago. When he saw me, he shook my hand and congratulated me on passing. He said the board was impressed with my interview and he hoped I would get into JET. I was grateful for his words. All the alumni were equally generous and kind. They understand what new JETs are undertaking: I do not doubt they will cheer us on with the greatest encouragement when we are successful, nor do I doubt they will be empathetic to our plight when we struggle. Today I realized I joined a community perhaps even a family. At home my friends also encourage me telling me to "take care" and "be safe" while abroad. I am thankful for those sentiments but I'm confident I will be absolutely fine. Not only is Japan very safe (minus the red light district of Tokyo) but systems exist to help me teach clearly, interact positively with students and my co-workers, and to be a respectable cultural ambassador in my community.

While I realized I will be a cultural ambassador to the the people of Gotō, I think I underestimated its importance relative to the English competency of my students. One concern I had even before I applied to JET was how well-versed I needed to be in English grammar. Sure I write and speak English well enough but explaining how that works is another matter, one which requires study. I am relieved to learn that being able to explain American culture and helping students to understand cultural similarities and differences is as important as language study. This is in keeping with my values such as a strong belief in internationalism and an appreciation for cultural diversity. And yet though we are all different and unique, we have similarities. In many cases we share similar beliefs, goals and dreams, hopes and desires. Though our languages and cultures be different, we share the same breath and inhabit this island sanctuary of a planet floating in the vast ocean of the cosmos. Yes, JET is right up my alley!

MAGNETISM

I enjoy philosophical conversations with my brother. One topic we discuss frequently is the idea of magnetism. According to some philosophers, it is a cosmic law: it explains how and why individuals relate to one another, why good or bad luck seems to follow us, among other things. A unique incident occurred Friday which I attribute to magnetism:

On my last day of work two days ago, while I tried to clean and get other things done, I said my goodbyes to longtime members. A gentleman, Norm, and his wife were members since the gym opened in 2010-2011. We were always cordial to one another when he exercised but had never had any long, substantial conversations. Friday however he pulled me aside asking about my future plans to which I responded that I intended to teach English in Japan. He remarked that he took a few trips to Japan as a Boeing jet foil safety inspector.

Jet foil: I recalled that word from the Gotō welcome packet and some other resources I read about travel between the islands and Kyushu. I didn't know what it was only that it was twice as fast as a ferry. Norm explained that the ship rested on skates of sorts which allowed it to skate over the water rather than getting hammered by every individual wave. Due to the expensive costs incurred in producing these ships, Boeing sold the manufacturing rights to the Japanese who in turn used them to produce jet foils for islands up and down the country including Gotō. I said goodbye to Norm after our fascinating conversation but he returned twice: once with a simple blueprint of the ship, the second time with a picture of a jet foil in action (similar to the one below). Was this a lucky coincidence or was this a result of magnetism? I tend to believe the latter.