JET Programme Series: Ibaraki JET - Kassie Hernandez

I`m a new JET and was placed in Ibaraki, Japan, which is a neighbouring prefecture to Tokyo. If you ask me, I think I hit the jackpot with that placement since I get to enjoy the best of both worlds, my area in Ibaraki is not a metropolitan like Tokyo but is relatively urban. I get to enjoy a lower rent without having to compromise on a convenient location as I can hop on a train and get to Tokyo in just about one hour.
 

I have been absolutely floored by the kindness and warmth of the Japanese people, they have been very welcoming, albeit the many stares I receive daily, but that`s just because so many Japanese people are curious about this gaijin lol. The teachers at my schools have all gone above and beyond to ensure that I feel right at home. I really feel that I have been blessed with angels in the form of teachers, they have made my settling in experience much better.
 

I have been in Japan for almost two months, during that time I have made sure to take advantage of the English tours that are provided by the sempai (senior) JETS in the prefecture. I went on a tour of Oarai city, this is a coastal marine city located along the Pacific coast of northern Ibaraki. It was gorgeous! Just being by the ocean was calming, I visited the famous Isosaki shrine there as well and also the very popular Aqua World Aquarium (which possibly has the biggest crabs I have ever seen, they are actually called spider crabs.....yikes!).
 

A few weekends ago I visited Mount Tsukuba which so far is one of my favorites, imagine being up thousands and thousands of feet to the top of one of Japan`s tallest mountains, it was a sight to behold! On the way, there were many shrines and temples to visit, it was my best Japanese experience yet.
 

What has been an equally good experience is the time spent with my students in and out of the classroom, I have been flying the Trinbagonian flag high, my students all know about pelau, roti, steelpan and soca music!
In my self-introduction classes I showed them a video of steepan bands and a soca music video by Kes` song called `Incredible` and I have seen some students dance in their seats, they love soca and that makes me really happy
 

I am extremely happy for this great opportunity to be an English teacher in Japan and a proud ambassador for my country. While there are many English teaching programmes, JET remains one of the most respected and reputable ones because of its diligent organization of the programme, the support they provide in Japan and its strong alumni association. I highly recommend this programme to anyone who wants to teach, be an ambassador for your country and ofcourse have a love for Japanese culture!



JET Series: Ibaraki JET (Japanese Embassy Facebook)


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