JET Programme Series: New Chapter of My Life - Gabrielle Ghany
2021/12/3
JET Programme Series: New Chapter of My Life - Gabrielle Ghany
Hello! My name is Gabrielle Ghany and my story begins at 30 years old living in Arima, heading off to Japan or as many refer to it ,the land of the rising Sun and eager to start colouring the pages of this new chapter in my life. As a student , I attended The University of West Indies where I completed an undergraduate degree in International Relations with a minor in Political Science and then moved on to complete a Masters in Global Studies. Similar to most people that study international relations, I had hopes of securing a career as a Foreign Service Officer with the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs but as God would have it, that did not happen. In fact, he had planned something for me that He knew would be much more exciting, tremendously stretching and inevitably life changing. Enter, stage right , the JET Programme!
My decision to apply for the JET programme as I would tell many, was quite easy. I was at a point in my life where I was ready to take on something that would stretch the limits of my life experiences and my personal and professional growth. The more I read about the JET programme and the opportunity it provided to become an educator of language and culture in Japan , the more I was convinced that this was what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be . Being strong in my faith, and as a member of Congress WBN I gave God full control to open the doors to the opportunities that He knew I would be able to make the greatest impact and the doors to the JET programme flew wide open! The JET programme offers something so much more than a job, it offers a truly life changing experience to live , work and make a truly meaningful contribution in a country where you can learn as much as you can teach, and where those teaching and learning moments are endless.
Upon receiving my placement notice to Aomori prefecture ,I immediately fired up my google search engine to find out everything I possibly could about my soon to be new home.
I had no idea where the Aomori prefecture was or what to expect, yet I was overcome with excitement and quickly discovered it was going to be incredibly cold and insanely beautiful. Do any search on Aomori Japan and like me ,you will be met with snowy scenic images, dreamy pictures of cherry blossom trees and proud sitting majestic castles and you just know it will be an experience unlike any other.
What am I most excited about they ask? Simple. Anything and everything!
From meeting my new students, colleagues and neighbours to my first-time experience in a Japanese Onsen. From seeing the famous and breathtaking cherry blossoms in spring to seeing the snow transform the town into a winter wonderland in winter season. From picking the famous Aomori apples to attending my first Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, their famous summer festival. That’s the thing about the Japanese culture, its filled with endless things to get excited about, many of which make for having simply unforgettable experiences.
As someone who worked in education for many years, I know much your life changes when you take on the role as a teacher or student. The JET programme, will undeniably create a truly unique space for me to develop my competencies as a teacher, for me to learn how to be creative and dynamic, how to motivate my students to develop a passion and excitement for learning, not only English but just simply learning. On the flip side, it will also allow me to take on the role of a student, as I find my way in a new country , and stay open to learning and quickly adapting to new spaces, open to making mistakes and learning from them, open to taking challenges head on, and trusting the process whatever it may be.
While my family , friends and church are my biggest support systems and cheerleaders I know that no one but God could have seen my life taking this turn. To those considering taking this opportunity , understand that life is not a straight road nor does it always turn out the way you planned , sometimes it just turns out better !
JET Series: New Chapter of My Life (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives
My decision to apply for the JET programme as I would tell many, was quite easy. I was at a point in my life where I was ready to take on something that would stretch the limits of my life experiences and my personal and professional growth. The more I read about the JET programme and the opportunity it provided to become an educator of language and culture in Japan , the more I was convinced that this was what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be . Being strong in my faith, and as a member of Congress WBN I gave God full control to open the doors to the opportunities that He knew I would be able to make the greatest impact and the doors to the JET programme flew wide open! The JET programme offers something so much more than a job, it offers a truly life changing experience to live , work and make a truly meaningful contribution in a country where you can learn as much as you can teach, and where those teaching and learning moments are endless.
Upon receiving my placement notice to Aomori prefecture ,I immediately fired up my google search engine to find out everything I possibly could about my soon to be new home.
I had no idea where the Aomori prefecture was or what to expect, yet I was overcome with excitement and quickly discovered it was going to be incredibly cold and insanely beautiful. Do any search on Aomori Japan and like me ,you will be met with snowy scenic images, dreamy pictures of cherry blossom trees and proud sitting majestic castles and you just know it will be an experience unlike any other.
What am I most excited about they ask? Simple. Anything and everything!
From meeting my new students, colleagues and neighbours to my first-time experience in a Japanese Onsen. From seeing the famous and breathtaking cherry blossoms in spring to seeing the snow transform the town into a winter wonderland in winter season. From picking the famous Aomori apples to attending my first Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, their famous summer festival. That’s the thing about the Japanese culture, its filled with endless things to get excited about, many of which make for having simply unforgettable experiences.
As someone who worked in education for many years, I know much your life changes when you take on the role as a teacher or student. The JET programme, will undeniably create a truly unique space for me to develop my competencies as a teacher, for me to learn how to be creative and dynamic, how to motivate my students to develop a passion and excitement for learning, not only English but just simply learning. On the flip side, it will also allow me to take on the role of a student, as I find my way in a new country , and stay open to learning and quickly adapting to new spaces, open to making mistakes and learning from them, open to taking challenges head on, and trusting the process whatever it may be.
While my family , friends and church are my biggest support systems and cheerleaders I know that no one but God could have seen my life taking this turn. To those considering taking this opportunity , understand that life is not a straight road nor does it always turn out the way you planned , sometimes it just turns out better !
JET Series: New Chapter of My Life (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives