Friday, July 24, 2009
H1N1
Well, it seems like h1n1 is going to hang over for quite a while! Just got an email telling us that we will be on semi-quarantine till 19th August. -_-'' But I can also understand their rationale. Oh well, I better bring lotsa stuff to entertain myself!!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Some introduction...
Now that I have given most of my friends and students this blog address, I better highlight some of the acronyms that I will be using often in the blog in case you get confused.
My position is known as ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) and sometimes we are also referred to the JETs (teachers on the Japan Exchange & Teaching Programme). My pred is referring to my predecessor, the very nice and friendly American (Anna) that I am taking over. I am posted to kitakyushu city but people generally just refer to the area as KitaQ (that's the short form).
Hum, can't think of what else to explain for now.
Last Friday I attended the Singapore JETs pre-departure orientation at Japan Embassy and there are altogether 22 of us. 20 ALTs and 2 CIR (coordinators of international relations who do more translation and other jobs that require a high proficiency in the Japanese lanugage). It was interesting to hear from the ex Singapore JETs who shared with us their experiences etc. However, we didn't much chance to interact and Carie-anne, one of the girls has organised a informal gathering next week. Hopefully we will get a chance to interact more since having a network of fellow Singaporean JETs is good for travelling within Japan! On Kyushu island itself, there's 8 new ALTs and according to Weili, one of the JETs currently stationed in Kumamoto, there are also other existing JETs in Kyushu and he's going to organise a reunion gathering during New Year. Looking forward to that!
There's much coincidences for me that really show that the world is very small.
1. I got to know a new ALT, Yvonne wayyy before the interview through the JET forums and turns out she was my VP's ex student.
2. After meeting up with a few ALTs, discover Adrielle and Nicholas just live like, a few streets away for me.
3. I had actually seen Nicholas's car often because he used to pick up my neighbour and friend Liyong for work every morning and they are colleagues in YJC. LOL.
4. Adrielle who heard our conversation about Liyong realised that we know the same Liyong as Liyong is her senior in her secondary school's cca - band.
5. One of the new ALT, Shane, is my sec sch's classmate's husband and he's bringing Eileen along to Japan
6. A friendly guy in Facebook gave me much useful advice as he read that I was posted to Fukuoka and he's there. When I got my exact placement, he was shocked because he never expected to be staying in the same city as him and after I got my exact address, he's even more surprised because I am only staying 20-30 mins away from his apartment. Haha.
7. I chatted with a asian girl in the JET forums and we just found out the day before, that we are going to be neighbours in our new apartment block! She's taking over Dan, my pred's fiancee. It's really amazing!
Anymore surprises? =)
My position is known as ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) and sometimes we are also referred to the JETs (teachers on the Japan Exchange & Teaching Programme). My pred is referring to my predecessor, the very nice and friendly American (Anna) that I am taking over. I am posted to kitakyushu city but people generally just refer to the area as KitaQ (that's the short form).
Hum, can't think of what else to explain for now.
Last Friday I attended the Singapore JETs pre-departure orientation at Japan Embassy and there are altogether 22 of us. 20 ALTs and 2 CIR (coordinators of international relations who do more translation and other jobs that require a high proficiency in the Japanese lanugage). It was interesting to hear from the ex Singapore JETs who shared with us their experiences etc. However, we didn't much chance to interact and Carie-anne, one of the girls has organised a informal gathering next week. Hopefully we will get a chance to interact more since having a network of fellow Singaporean JETs is good for travelling within Japan! On Kyushu island itself, there's 8 new ALTs and according to Weili, one of the JETs currently stationed in Kumamoto, there are also other existing JETs in Kyushu and he's going to organise a reunion gathering during New Year. Looking forward to that!
There's much coincidences for me that really show that the world is very small.
1. I got to know a new ALT, Yvonne wayyy before the interview through the JET forums and turns out she was my VP's ex student.
2. After meeting up with a few ALTs, discover Adrielle and Nicholas just live like, a few streets away for me.
3. I had actually seen Nicholas's car often because he used to pick up my neighbour and friend Liyong for work every morning and they are colleagues in YJC. LOL.
4. Adrielle who heard our conversation about Liyong realised that we know the same Liyong as Liyong is her senior in her secondary school's cca - band.
5. One of the new ALT, Shane, is my sec sch's classmate's husband and he's bringing Eileen along to Japan
6. A friendly guy in Facebook gave me much useful advice as he read that I was posted to Fukuoka and he's there. When I got my exact placement, he was shocked because he never expected to be staying in the same city as him and after I got my exact address, he's even more surprised because I am only staying 20-30 mins away from his apartment. Haha.
7. I chatted with a asian girl in the JET forums and we just found out the day before, that we are going to be neighbours in our new apartment block! She's taking over Dan, my pred's fiancee. It's really amazing!
Anymore surprises? =)
Monday, July 13, 2009
=)
I have gotten my finalised address... seems like it's a pretty good location because it's near my school so there's no need for me to cycle!!! According to Anna, it's juz a 5min walk from my apartment to the school! So we shall see. =) And it's in the middle of 2 train stations and near a big park. =)
Saturday, July 11, 2009
I am a lucky gal!
My predecessor Anna, is a really friendly and nice person! She just told me that since I am taking over her apartment, she's leaving everything for me for free! I have told her to charge me a nominal sum or I will feel bad for taking all her stuff for free!
an extract from Anna's email..
"OK - having said that, here's a list of what is in the apartment:
Twin bed set with bedding (very cute and so comfy!!)
Two tall book shelves
Three small book shelves
Small chest of drawers
Kitchen Table
Kitchen accessories (dishes, pots, pans, etc.)
TV
VCR
DVD player
Small couch and matching chair (with cute covers)
Kotatsu (Table with heater under it)
Toyo heater
Laundry accessories
Microwave and stove"
All these for free! Wow! =)
an extract from Anna's email..
"OK - having said that, here's a list of what is in the apartment:
Twin bed set with bedding (very cute and so comfy!!)
Two tall book shelves
Three small book shelves
Small chest of drawers
Kitchen Table
Kitchen accessories (dishes, pots, pans, etc.)
TV
VCR
DVD player
Small couch and matching chair (with cute covers)
Kotatsu (Table with heater under it)
Toyo heater
Laundry accessories
Microwave and stove"
All these for free! Wow! =)
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Finally got the first contact from my prefecture's board of education!
Extract from Roman's email...
"Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening Everyone,
Welcome to Fukuoka JET!
.....Essentially, my position is intended to be a bridge between the Japanese administrators and you, the JET participants. The PA is always available to answer work related questions/queries/issues, to listen to any personal grievances (we receive training as counselors), to mediate if necessary during difficult situations and to just generally be someone in the upper trenches who is always looking out for you. On any given day, I will be dealing with an array of matters ranging from contractual issues, tax, pension information, conflict resolution, arranging seminars, translation, small questions and any and everything else in between. Basically, if you have a question or a problem that needs some friendly attention, I'll be your first point of contact in most cases. Until the PA system was established- all decisions affecting JETs and the JET Programme were basically made by Japanese Administrators with little regard to ALTs opinions and input. Now you have someone on your side who shares your perspective (or at least understands it) who is representing and working hard for you to hopefully make your lives and over all JET experience better. That's a PA in a nutshell.
The Basics
This summer, we will be welcoming approximately 37 new JETs to Fukuoka. JETs are employed in Japan in one of three positions - Assistant Language Teacher (ALT), Co-ordinator for International Relations (CIR) and Sports Exchange Advisor) SEA.
In Fukuoka, ALTs are assigned to one of four teaching divisions:
Senior High School
Junior High School
Municipal
KitaKyushu City
All of you receiving this email will be Senior High School ALTs and that is pretty awesome in my view. At Senior High, you will be assigned to work at one school throughout your tenure. In some special cases, you may find yourself being asked to teach occasional classes at a nearby school that does not have an ALT.
Senior High ALTs typically enjoy the greatest stability in their situation as they have the opportunity to establish and develop relationships and rapport with students and staff alike because they are working in the same environment throughout the year. This compares against ALTs in other divisions who have to visit any number of schools per month and while they can take satisfaction in their interactions with students, have much less opportunity to lay down some roots than SHS ALTs do.
I should also let you know that once you get to Fukuoka and your new schools, you won't actually start teaching for about 3-4 weeks. This is because you arrive during Summer break and a major Japanese National holiday called Obon. During this time you will be spending alot of down time in the office doing a whole lot of nothing. It is pretty lackluster so think of a project ahead of time that you can focus on to keep busy. Most new ALTs work on their upcoming lesson plans, prepare their self-intro's, go through all the stuff their predecessor's left them, explore the building, or get to know the students (they come to school for morning classes during summer break and then participate in club activities in the afternoon).
Making Contact
No doubt that ever since you received word that you were accepted onto JET, you've been looking to make contact or hear more about what's going on. Don't worry, that's all in process.
Bureaucracy in Japan takes time but we have been working hard on preparing for your arrival. Two weeks ago we finalised the details of your exact placements. Your schools have been notified and they have begun their own preparations to receive you. Your predecessors should be in contact shortly. If you do not hear from your predecessors by July 9th, please let me know asap.
Tokyo and what comes after
I think that very shortly, if not already, you'll receive information about Tokyo Orientation as well as getting a copy of the JET General Information Handbook (GIH). Be sure to have a good read of that - or at least as much as you can manage - before coming to Japan. There's a lot of useful information there and is worth your time to check-out.
Tokyo Orientation is a lot of fun and your first chance to meet up with all the new JETs that are heading to other parts of the country. It may also be the last time you get to see some of the new buddies you make at your pre-departure Orientations so make the most of the few days you have in Tokyo.
There's really nothing else I need to say about Tokyo that the itinerary doesn't already say. If you do have questions about Tokyo though, feel free to ask me.
Once the Orientation concludes, you will be put on a flight bound for Fukuoka. For Group A JETs, that will be on Wednesday July 29th. Group B will be Wednesday August 5th. Both flights will arrive in Fukuoka by lunchtime.
When you arrive at Fukuoka airport, you will be met by at least one representative of your new school. At that point, reality starts to sink in. On that first afternoon, you'll be taken - most likely- to your new work place where you will be introduced to the staff and perhaps have a chance to meet some students.
Fukuoka Prefecture
No matter whereabouts you will end up being placed within Fukuoka, this is one of the best prefectures to be located for a lot of different reasons and we are often the envy of JETs living in other parts of Kyushu. In addition to having the luxury of having access to Fukuoka City's (specifically the Hakata and Tenjin areas) modern shopping arcades and outrageously good food but we also have lots of lush country beauty and are easily within reach of the other prefectures in Kyushu. Additionally, our geographic position makes us a very convenient location for travel to other parts of Asia via our two airports (Fukuoka Airport and New Kitakyushu Airport).
Sports fans can enjoy any number of professional teams with the Softbank Hawks baseball team playing to packed crowds at the 35,000 capacity Yahoo Dome, or, if you rather, the J2 League soccer team Avispa Fukuoka are the team of choice round these parts. We also have a rugby team as well so we are quite spoiled for a prefecture that sits beyond the Kanto and Kansai areas....
Best Regards,
Roman : )
--
Roman Montoya
Prefectural Advisor
Fukuoka Prefectural Board of Education
Senior High School Division
7-7 Higashi-koen, Hakata-ku
Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken 812-8575
Japan"
I am still waiting for my exact placement!
"Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening Everyone,
Welcome to Fukuoka JET!
.....Essentially, my position is intended to be a bridge between the Japanese administrators and you, the JET participants. The PA is always available to answer work related questions/queries/issues, to listen to any personal grievances (we receive training as counselors), to mediate if necessary during difficult situations and to just generally be someone in the upper trenches who is always looking out for you. On any given day, I will be dealing with an array of matters ranging from contractual issues, tax, pension information, conflict resolution, arranging seminars, translation, small questions and any and everything else in between. Basically, if you have a question or a problem that needs some friendly attention, I'll be your first point of contact in most cases. Until the PA system was established- all decisions affecting JETs and the JET Programme were basically made by Japanese Administrators with little regard to ALTs opinions and input. Now you have someone on your side who shares your perspective (or at least understands it) who is representing and working hard for you to hopefully make your lives and over all JET experience better. That's a PA in a nutshell.
The Basics
This summer, we will be welcoming approximately 37 new JETs to Fukuoka. JETs are employed in Japan in one of three positions - Assistant Language Teacher (ALT), Co-ordinator for International Relations (CIR) and Sports Exchange Advisor) SEA.
In Fukuoka, ALTs are assigned to one of four teaching divisions:
Senior High School
Junior High School
Municipal
KitaKyushu City
All of you receiving this email will be Senior High School ALTs and that is pretty awesome in my view. At Senior High, you will be assigned to work at one school throughout your tenure. In some special cases, you may find yourself being asked to teach occasional classes at a nearby school that does not have an ALT.
Senior High ALTs typically enjoy the greatest stability in their situation as they have the opportunity to establish and develop relationships and rapport with students and staff alike because they are working in the same environment throughout the year. This compares against ALTs in other divisions who have to visit any number of schools per month and while they can take satisfaction in their interactions with students, have much less opportunity to lay down some roots than SHS ALTs do.
I should also let you know that once you get to Fukuoka and your new schools, you won't actually start teaching for about 3-4 weeks. This is because you arrive during Summer break and a major Japanese National holiday called Obon. During this time you will be spending alot of down time in the office doing a whole lot of nothing. It is pretty lackluster so think of a project ahead of time that you can focus on to keep busy. Most new ALTs work on their upcoming lesson plans, prepare their self-intro's, go through all the stuff their predecessor's left them, explore the building, or get to know the students (they come to school for morning classes during summer break and then participate in club activities in the afternoon).
Making Contact
No doubt that ever since you received word that you were accepted onto JET, you've been looking to make contact or hear more about what's going on. Don't worry, that's all in process.
Bureaucracy in Japan takes time but we have been working hard on preparing for your arrival. Two weeks ago we finalised the details of your exact placements. Your schools have been notified and they have begun their own preparations to receive you. Your predecessors should be in contact shortly. If you do not hear from your predecessors by July 9th, please let me know asap.
Tokyo and what comes after
I think that very shortly, if not already, you'll receive information about Tokyo Orientation as well as getting a copy of the JET General Information Handbook (GIH). Be sure to have a good read of that - or at least as much as you can manage - before coming to Japan. There's a lot of useful information there and is worth your time to check-out.
Tokyo Orientation is a lot of fun and your first chance to meet up with all the new JETs that are heading to other parts of the country. It may also be the last time you get to see some of the new buddies you make at your pre-departure Orientations so make the most of the few days you have in Tokyo.
There's really nothing else I need to say about Tokyo that the itinerary doesn't already say. If you do have questions about Tokyo though, feel free to ask me.
Once the Orientation concludes, you will be put on a flight bound for Fukuoka. For Group A JETs, that will be on Wednesday July 29th. Group B will be Wednesday August 5th. Both flights will arrive in Fukuoka by lunchtime.
When you arrive at Fukuoka airport, you will be met by at least one representative of your new school. At that point, reality starts to sink in. On that first afternoon, you'll be taken - most likely- to your new work place where you will be introduced to the staff and perhaps have a chance to meet some students.
Fukuoka Prefecture
No matter whereabouts you will end up being placed within Fukuoka, this is one of the best prefectures to be located for a lot of different reasons and we are often the envy of JETs living in other parts of Kyushu. In addition to having the luxury of having access to Fukuoka City's (specifically the Hakata and Tenjin areas) modern shopping arcades and outrageously good food but we also have lots of lush country beauty and are easily within reach of the other prefectures in Kyushu. Additionally, our geographic position makes us a very convenient location for travel to other parts of Asia via our two airports (Fukuoka Airport and New Kitakyushu Airport).
Sports fans can enjoy any number of professional teams with the Softbank Hawks baseball team playing to packed crowds at the 35,000 capacity Yahoo Dome, or, if you rather, the J2 League soccer team Avispa Fukuoka are the team of choice round these parts. We also have a rugby team as well so we are quite spoiled for a prefecture that sits beyond the Kanto and Kansai areas....
Best Regards,
Roman : )
--
Roman Montoya
Prefectural Advisor
Fukuoka Prefectural Board of Education
Senior High School Division
7-7 Higashi-koen, Hakata-ku
Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken 812-8575
Japan"
I am still waiting for my exact placement!
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