Friends of Japan Series: One Life, One Encounter - Anastasia Ramjag

One life, One Encounter
 

The Japanese have a saying that goes “一期一会”. Its English equivalent is along the lines of “One life, one encounter”. It means that one should always treat each experience as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that should be valued as if it were to never occur again. Japan is an irreplaceable treasure to me, one that I hold very close to my heart and a country that I feel very honoured to have called home. I never took any moment for granted, and lived each day to the fullest.
 

My first physical encounter with Japan was in 2011 through the world-broadening Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. I was placed in Kobe City, the centre of Japan, and I stayed there for two magnificent years. As an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT), I worked in two schools: my main one was a junior high school, and my secondary one was an elementary school once a week. I worked alongside a team of other Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs), and occasionally lead workshops at Kobe City’s Board of Education.
 

School life was never mundane. I was actively involved with all departments at both of my schools; apart from my own duties, I liked to see what other teachers or extra-curricular clubs were up to, so I often stayed after working hours to participate in sports or art activities. In my free time, I loved sight-seeing or pursuing my own hobbies, such as dance or scuba diving. The area I lived in, Gakuentoshi, was a university town, and I sometimes worked as a volunteer with a conversation club at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, where I made some wonderful friendships.
 

After JET, I went on to do my Master’s, then returned to Trinidad. I later decided to return to Japan to work. This experience was vastly different as I worked with the private sector and I lived in quite a rural area in Nakatsu City, Oita. The first time around on JET, as a starry-eyed, enamoured young adult, I had no idea what I was in for, but I grew: grew not only in professional and personal experiences, but also in wisdom and spirit.
 

There is a saying among the JET alumni - they say that the reasons you stay are not the same as the reasons you go… and they’re absolutely right. The programme forces you to look within yourself and decide who you are from an individual and work perspective. Moreover, your patriotism and identity will play an important part in your everyday life. You will be presented with many challenges, and far away from the eyes of your home culture and language, it is up to you and you alone how and if you will overcome them. For any aspiring young professional, it is a tremendous opportunity for growth.

Friends of Japan Series: One Life, One Encounter (Japanese Embassy Facebook)


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