JET Programme Series: My Experience! - Knikkoliev Seebaran

My name is Knikkoliev Seebaran and I was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago. In 2017, I signed up for the Japanese Exchange Teaching (JET) Programme and was successful. After the selection process, I am proud to say that I am a JET working in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku. I would consider this city as the “quiet lifestyle of Japan” or as the Japanese people would call it, Inaka. Let me tell you about my experience with the JET Programme in Imabrai which is filled with “Inaka”, “Nick-Sensi”, “kawaii desu ne”, curiosity, awe and adventure.
 

Imabari City Board of Education in Asakura provided me with a really nice apartment, a bicycle as well as a large amount of documents to review. Turns out Imabari was everything that I wanted to experience in Japan with its great weather and little to no traffic even during business hours. This oasis is so quiet all around, especially on weekends. Looking out from my apartment, I can see large rice fields next to a highway. For someone like me coming from a country with a “partying lifestyle” on weekends it is so different but it is worth it because I can ride my bicycle without worrying about theft or traffic and I get my daily exercise. I get the feel for Japan in a real way. I’m also part of the Imabari JET group which helped me settle into the Japanese lifestyle and have become such amazing friends. In the duration of 3 weeks and with the help and compassion of my JET group, I’ve experienced more than I thought I would have done within 6 months. There are so many types of restaurants, bars, stores, temples, beaches and attractions, it’s MIND-BLOWING. So far it has been a wild and active experience.
 

What really stands out for me in Japan is the food. Ramen, gyoza, karaage, sushi, shabushabu and many other things. It’s just so delicious! I feel like I’m in food heaven. There are Ramen shops and different types of restaurant at every corner. My favourite would be Tonkatsu. Crispy, tender and juicy. I’ve been to the world famous Kokusai hotel sky lounge, Top Hat, with such an amazing view and ambience. It’s considered the tallest building in Imabari. For fun and recreation, Banbees is the best. It has a wide range of recreational activities, such as, pool tables, darts, karaoke, manga/comics, and a drink bar with snacks, cinema and internet. In Ehime Prefecture, there is a major city, which is right next to Imabari, that is, Matsuyama City. This city hosts many shopping arcades and the most famous, Okaido Shopping Street with miles and miles of shops and restaurants as far as the eyes could see.
 

Sharing the culture of my homeland is always on my mind. I was able to share a bit of the history of Trinidad and Tobago with the Japanese people I met and with my fellow co-workers and students. And I love it! The more I interact with Japanese people, the more I realize what I can share. Trinidad and Tobago is culturally diverse because of the multiple type of people that have visited, been in charge of, and lived on the islands over the years. With the French, Spanish, English, Africans and Indians settlers all leaving an influence on Trinidad and Tobago, the food, dialect and lifestyle are unique compared to any other country. Sharing this bit of knowledge, sparks an interest in the listener and encourages them to want to visit my country. The smile across their faces fill me with pride and encourages me to want to share more. I was able to bring along with me my country’s “Slang Dictionary” – Cote Se Cote La. The few Japanese people that were interested in English, and my JET companions, were very intrigued by the way Trinbagonians speak. They wanted me to talk to them more to hear my accent and particular words and phrases. This mix of Spanish, French, African, Indian and English way of speaking that my country has concocted, has given me a very unique characteristic that I would have never thought to be an amazing trait.
 

The schools took my breath away. When school started, it was time for me to get serious about what I came here to do. To assist the English teachers in the Asakura Elementary and Secondary School and the Shimizu Elementary School. From the first day that I stepped into these schools, it has been an amazing adventure and ‘curiosity’ pretty much sums up my experience of meeting everyone. I am constantly being admired by the students and my fellow teachers are always asking me about my opinion on teaching topics and everything relevant to teaching English. The students are extremely KA-WA-IIII!!!! When I see their faces, I have no choice but to smile and say hello. They are always happy to see me and I am constantly greeted with “NICK-SENSEI!!!” To hear my name being screamed across the school is a delight and sometimes shocking. When the other teachers hear it, they just smile and say “kawaii desu ne”. This gives an idea how my classes are conducted. Students are always quick to answer questions and quicker to ask me questions. My very little knowledge of Japanese helps from time to time but most times, I just smile and hope they don’t realize that I have no idea what they are saying and that the English teacher is my life line. The teachers are very interesting to me. There are some that know English but don’t speak it, some that speaks it and don’t know much, and the rest that don’t know any English but are welcoming nonetheless. Interacting with them is sometimes strange and difficult. It’s strange because I’m not sure what to talk to them about but I still try to find commonalities between us. It’s difficult because my Japanese is below subpar but I want to communicate with them. Even with below elementary level Japanese it’s amazing that I’m still able to use charades and my little knowledge of vocabulary to construct my ideas and get the message across. Some may laugh, others are amazed but I’m just happy that they figure out what I was trying to say.
 

I have been able to explain my country to the students and to the teachers and assist the teachers in making English fun. With the use of my well-crafted presentation, and I mean “perfectly crafted”, I was able to show them where Trinidad and Tobago is located, the different type of people that live there, the national musical instrument and of course, Trinbagonian food. Every day, I show the students something new about my country to keep their interest alive. To most people in Imabari, Trinidad and Tobago doesn’t exist in their consciousness. I’m constantly being compared to Americans, Africans or Jamaicans. When I do my presentation, the sparkle in their eyes gives me such joy. Especially when I tell them about “curry crab”, “roti” and “doubles”.
 

I look forward to sharing more about myself and my country with everyone that I meet and hope to make lasting friendships, to share cross-cultural information, to spike interest in travel to distant lands, to open minds to new experiences and to make everyone back home proud.



JET Series: My Experience! (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)


JET Programme Series Archives