 | "JET" by Konstantin
(2006-02-07) |
Ever since I got hooked on Japan and all things Japanese through the gateway drug of anime, I have entertained plans of taking a year or two to truly immerse myself in the country in hopes of getting closer to grokking the greater culture and gaining some manner of fluency in the language while at it. Unfortunately, being the born slacker that I am I took way too long to graduate from CMU, making a semester abroad unfeasible time-wise. The
JET programme, which seems to be the most common way for English-speaking foreigners to get their feet in the door of Japanese employment, also never really panned out for me, partly due to the fact that in my 17 years of living in America I never managed to completely ditch my Russian accent and partly because I can't stand kids. Still, I've been getting a bit of a vicarious thrill following the writings of the people who went ahead and took the plunge.
While there are quite a few people blogging in English about life in Japan, including Clay of Sexy Losers (18+) fame, I've yet to read anything that's as informative or entertaining as Azrael's I am a Japanese School Teacher journal. It details the trials and tribulations of an American assistant English teacher working in Kyoto middle schools through the JET, told with great wit and whimsical style. It should probably be considered mandatory reading for anyone seriously considering joining the JET or a similar English teaching exchange program, since among all the stories of amusing Engrish and kancho dodging there are actually quite a few insights into both the positives and the negatives of being a foreigner living in Japan, which are pretty consistent with what I've heard from friends who worked and studied there.
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