Tag: JET Program

8 Days to Liftoff

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Much progress has been made my friends. The narrow gap between myself and Japan is quickly closing.

Omiyage have been bought. Boxes are filled with clothes and shoes and jewelry I can let go because of this move. My cat has successfully assimilated into my parents’ household and is working his way into the hearts of their own two cats. My suitcases lay half-packed with much cat hair amassed in them. There’s still a few things on my to-do list, but I even closed a couple of US bank accounts I had yesterday — which was remarkably easy — and cutting up cards has never felt so great. ^__^ I’m also digitizing a lot of docs I’ll need while abroad and storing them in the cloud so that they won’t take up space in my luggage. One notable part of this digitization process is recipes, of the Texan/Southern/Tex-Mex variety. So yeah, I’m trying to be prepared in any case. I’m also apparently trying to eat as much good food as possible before departing. I don’t know if I’m a good cook, but I am definitely a good eater. That is the truth.

Basically, the only thing left at this point is to linger and enjoy the presence of my family for a week, go to Pre-Departure Orientation at the Consul-General’s, pack, and then catch a plane 8 days from now. That day, in the words of a very good friend, I will have to wake up “at the butt crack of dawn” to facilitate group check-in and catch the flight, but I think I’ll enjoy every minute of it.

Last week, Wednesday-Sunday, I completed a circuit of where I grew up and where I’ve spent the majority of my “grownup” life. It was pretty great to see some friends and family that I haven’t seen in a while. But it was also humbling for me to be there again. The overall effect though was positive, and it put me in the right state of mind to move forward confidently!

This past week I had some Honest Tea – you know of it I’m sure. Well this is the quote I discovered inside of my lid:

“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” – T.S. Eliot

This seems to be very true. And I can’t wait!

So Much to Do, So Little Time

islandanomaly4 Comments

Whoa guys! Hey! It’s three weeks until I’m leaving for Japan!!

How did that happen so quickly…. LOL. Never has this crappy saying been so apt.

The other day I suddenly had the thought.. WTF am I doing?! But not a second later I was like… Nah, this is totally necessary.

What’s really been the challenge lately, and what’s been making me fall behind on blogging and everything else, is the preparation required to get all your banking/finance, medical, and pre-emptive shopping out of the way. I’ve still got a TON of stuff to do and about two weeks to do it in (because I’m visiting some extended family and friends this week before leaving and I will likely get nothing done during that time).

Anyhow, been hanging out with my parents and the cats as much as possible, and I’ve taken to bicycling a bit because I know I’ll be doing quite a bit of that in Hondo. I’m still not 100% sure of my car situation, just because a lot of my Japanese friends have warned me off of getting a car that is 10+ years old because of the required (expensive) inspections every other year, and this is mostly what I’ve been seeing people advertise on the Facebook groups for the area. So maybe I’ll be looking for a scooter? And navigating the bus schedule would really require my Japanese to improve so… hell, I’m gonna wing it and just wait until I get there!

Also had a really fun and productive Skype chat with my pred!! We shall call him… L-san.  He gave me the scoop on what it’ll be like working in our schools, which is incredibly helpful. I’m excited I’ll actually get to meet my pred IN REAL LIFE once I get there. I don’t think many people get to do this so hooray! He can show me the ropes.

He also approves of my omiyage ideas. Basically, food-type items go over well, so I thought: candy, pecans, bbq? And this was based off of research! So I hope to bring pecans and make Pecan Sandies – southern cookies. (But mostly southern just because of the pecans.) Heh heh. I may also bring some knick knacks and candy of course, but over time I think my big thing will be making southern food of just about any kind. I think there’s another Texan headed in the Amakusa direction, so we could have a legitimate Texan-style BBQ/cookout thing. (Non-normative Texan here – I know absolutely nothing about preparing barbecued foods.)

So other than worrying about being a poo Texan, and worrying about getting my nuts through customs, and making sure I get my medication, all is well. I think I’ll go do some dusk-time biking now. :)

Pre-Departure Updates!

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Hey guys —
A couple of updates. I moved this past weekend, which as you’re all aware is quite exhausting, but there were two bright spots that perked up the experience! I received contact from my predecessor Friday and he is super helpful and awesome!! I of course emailed him back immediately and received another correspondence on Monday full of useful/awesome/crucial info.

Also received a package from Japan! From my BoE :). I’m so excited! The most exciting bits are the Amakusa brochures, full of awesome info like bus schedules and maps and the like. The rest is info about the possibility of a homestay upon arrival, terms and conditions of employment, and more details about my address and exact placement, WHICH IS AMAZING! I can’t wait to be one of the more central ALT’s in the area and am getting more excited to socialize because I won’t have to go too far to get home! Here’s a look at the materials:

BoE packet

So yes, looking forward to being in the largest city in Amakusa. This now begs the question of car, bike, scooter… I like them all for different reasons… Can I haz all three? So many things to ask, so little time.. Good thing the Houston Q&A Session is this weekend! :) More on that later. For now, I gotta sign off. Til next time!

私のJETタイムライン：My JET Timeline

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Hey all, hope it’s going well!

It has occurred to me to post a tidy timeline for prospective JET applicants applying this year, just to get an idea of what they’ll be going through as the process unfolds. Unlike some timelines I’ve seen, I wanted to include quite a few of the major paperwork timelines for those who make it to the shortlist, so that they might be able to get an idea of the timeline for sending off documents,  mainly because I wasn’t given as much direction in that area (aside from “follow the instructions”).

Initial Stages
水　11.07.2012 4:56PM Submitted online application
火　11.13.2012 Sent off paper applications copies
木　11.15.2012 Paper application copies with supplemental materials received at Embassy
火　01.29.2013 4:01PM 1st stage results: Interview Granted
水　02.20.2013 2:00PM Interview at Houston Consulate {Interviews Conducted on 20, 21, 22}
水　04.03.2013 5:32PM 2nd stage results: Shortlisted

Post-shortlist Requirements & Events
木　04.04.2013 Got fingerprints taken at college police station
金　04.05.2013 Sent off FBI & IRS Requests
水　04.08.2013 FBI & IRS Requests arrived at destinations
木　04.09.2013 IRS ran payment
水・金　04.08/10.2013 Got Medical Certificate of Health completed
金　04.10.2013 Reply Form and Paperwork Delivered to Consulate
金　04.19.2013 Health Certificate arrived at Consulate
木　05.09.2013 FBI Record Request payment processed
木　05.16.2013 FBI Background Check arrived at Consulate
月　05.20.2013 Received my form 6166 certificates via mail
火　05.21.2013 5:10PM Received Placement Info: 天草市、熊本県 Amakusa, Kumamoto
金    06.21.2013 Predecessor Contact
土　06.29.2013 General Q&A Session
金　07.26.2013 Pre-Departure Orientation
土　07.27.2013 Leave for Japan
日　07.28.2013 Arrive in Japan
月・火・水　07.29-31.2013 Tokyo Orientation
水　07.31.2013　Arrive in Kumamoto, then Amakusa

As is always the case, comment if you have any questions when this year’s application process rolls around! :) I know I ended up browsing a lot of blogs for unofficial details even though I knew it was just each person’s individual experience. But even without the details what it helped me do was get in a state of mind to compete and fight for a position! And though unofficial it was still incredibly helpful information, so I want to pay that forward.  And as far as posts go, I want to address my app and interview experiences as well, so look out for more information on my own application experience in the near future!

The Future’s in Motion

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57 days to go and I’ll be in Japan. That’s just under two months!

I still can’t believe it. But the things I’ve done in the past week have sure put things in motion.

Last Friday I signed an early lease termination at my apartment complex, paid the fee, and agreed to get out in 30 days. Then today I handed in my notice at work so I’ll be working for a couple of weeks more, then I’ll be moving from Dallas to my parents so that I can spend some quality time with them and the cats before I leave.

It’ll be really good preparation because they live on an island of sorts as well. Perfect weather and locale prep!

Before that though comes the last minute get-together’s with friends. I’ve already got some people penciled in on the ol’ agenda but I really need to get on that!

Next is changing a bunch of mailing addresses too. And Yakkan Shoumei. And International Driving Permit….

Just thinking about it is making me crazy so I think I’m going to go work on that right now!