Jet Programme Series: From one port city to another - Aidan Roberts
2021/12/18
Jet Programme Series: From one port city to another - Aidan Roberts
There’s a real loss of control a lot of people in their early twenties like myself have felt. Despite that I have been determined to keep working towards my personal goals. The past two years in the interim for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme have been a mix of excitement, learning and growing along with many exercises in patience and gratitude. After the long wait, I’m excited to finally embark on this journey to Japan.
My name is Aidan Roberts. I am 23 years old. In May 2019 I completed my bachelor’s degree programme in International Relations with a minor in Communication Studies at the University of the West Indies. During my studies I also decided to start learning Japanese at the UWI’s language institute, the Centre for Language Learning. Learning Japanese has proven to be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences. My senseis at the CLL also told me that even more fulfilling experience would be to go to Japan and immerse myself in Japanese culture. Two of my former senseis were JET Programme participants who returned and one of my former senseis is a native Japanese speaker who taught many students who would go on to participate in the programme. Immersion is always lauded as the best way to truly acquire language and I wanted to challenge myself! My experience going a short term exchange programme, with the support of the Association for Promotion of International Cooperation (APIC), to Sophia University in Tokyo in early 2019 also cemented my desire to experience true immersion by living in Japan. So I decided to apply to the JET programme in late 2019.
I am placed in Kobe city, Hyogo prefecture. Kobe is a port city in the Southern region of the main island of Honshu, famous for its marbled beef. Although Kobe city is in Hyogo prefecture, it operates independently and like a prefecture itself due to its large population. Their population is actually just slightly bigger than that of Trinidad and Tobago’s, at 1.5 million citizens! That could be incredibly daunting. However, I’m looking forward to experiencing city life. Plus, I don’t think it will be too foreign for me as a convent girl who spent 11 years commuting in and out of our capital port city, Port of Spain. Kobe’s vibrance is easy to feel through blog posts, YouTube videos as well as accounts from past and present JETs. It has a unique mix of everything in its landscape, being a city that has neighbourhoods nestled in between the sea and mountains. It is also very cosmopolitan with a lively expatriate population and cuisine from all over the world just a stone's throw away. It is not lost on me how lucky I am to have gotten such a wonderful placement that feels both familiar and not. I look forward to exploring my new city!
In the past two years I have hit many milestones in my Japanese language journey. I have also had amazing opportunities to work with film crews covering Trinidad and Tobago’s culture when I worked for the NHK and TBS through the media coordinating company Island Buddy. These invaluable experiences challenged and enriched me. They also further heightened my commitment to connecting Trinidad & Tobago and Japan. While I dedicate myself to teaching in Kobe city, I intend to cultivate my already immense interest in Japan. But my true goal is to show people the beauty of Trinidad and Tobago. This programme gives me an opportunity to strengthen the ties between the two nations. In the future I would love to continue this strengthening of ties professionally. I’m not sure exactly how. But one thing I’ve learned in during this pandemic is that not knowing exactly how something will unfold is okay.
Words cannot express how grateful I am to everyone who has supported me up until this point. To his excellency Ambassador Hirayama and the wonderful team at the Embassy of Japan, thank you so much for your dedication and support! To my teachers at the CLL, 私を応援してくれて本当にありがとうございました.To the APIC, thank you for investing in my academic and linguistic development as well as your continued emotional support. To my mother, words cannot express how much I love you and how much your support means to me. There are many, many, others to thank but I promise to show my gratitude by doing my absolute best.
JET Series: From one port city to another (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives
My name is Aidan Roberts. I am 23 years old. In May 2019 I completed my bachelor’s degree programme in International Relations with a minor in Communication Studies at the University of the West Indies. During my studies I also decided to start learning Japanese at the UWI’s language institute, the Centre for Language Learning. Learning Japanese has proven to be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences. My senseis at the CLL also told me that even more fulfilling experience would be to go to Japan and immerse myself in Japanese culture. Two of my former senseis were JET Programme participants who returned and one of my former senseis is a native Japanese speaker who taught many students who would go on to participate in the programme. Immersion is always lauded as the best way to truly acquire language and I wanted to challenge myself! My experience going a short term exchange programme, with the support of the Association for Promotion of International Cooperation (APIC), to Sophia University in Tokyo in early 2019 also cemented my desire to experience true immersion by living in Japan. So I decided to apply to the JET programme in late 2019.
I am placed in Kobe city, Hyogo prefecture. Kobe is a port city in the Southern region of the main island of Honshu, famous for its marbled beef. Although Kobe city is in Hyogo prefecture, it operates independently and like a prefecture itself due to its large population. Their population is actually just slightly bigger than that of Trinidad and Tobago’s, at 1.5 million citizens! That could be incredibly daunting. However, I’m looking forward to experiencing city life. Plus, I don’t think it will be too foreign for me as a convent girl who spent 11 years commuting in and out of our capital port city, Port of Spain. Kobe’s vibrance is easy to feel through blog posts, YouTube videos as well as accounts from past and present JETs. It has a unique mix of everything in its landscape, being a city that has neighbourhoods nestled in between the sea and mountains. It is also very cosmopolitan with a lively expatriate population and cuisine from all over the world just a stone's throw away. It is not lost on me how lucky I am to have gotten such a wonderful placement that feels both familiar and not. I look forward to exploring my new city!
In the past two years I have hit many milestones in my Japanese language journey. I have also had amazing opportunities to work with film crews covering Trinidad and Tobago’s culture when I worked for the NHK and TBS through the media coordinating company Island Buddy. These invaluable experiences challenged and enriched me. They also further heightened my commitment to connecting Trinidad & Tobago and Japan. While I dedicate myself to teaching in Kobe city, I intend to cultivate my already immense interest in Japan. But my true goal is to show people the beauty of Trinidad and Tobago. This programme gives me an opportunity to strengthen the ties between the two nations. In the future I would love to continue this strengthening of ties professionally. I’m not sure exactly how. But one thing I’ve learned in during this pandemic is that not knowing exactly how something will unfold is okay.
Words cannot express how grateful I am to everyone who has supported me up until this point. To his excellency Ambassador Hirayama and the wonderful team at the Embassy of Japan, thank you so much for your dedication and support! To my teachers at the CLL, 私を応援してくれて本当にありがとうございました.To the APIC, thank you for investing in my academic and linguistic development as well as your continued emotional support. To my mother, words cannot express how much I love you and how much your support means to me. There are many, many, others to thank but I promise to show my gratitude by doing my absolute best.
JET Series: From one port city to another (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives