JET Programme Series: A Journey to Yamagata - Lee Charles
2022/1/29
My interest in Japan is by no means a recent development; images and anecdotes of Japan infiltrated my Trinidadian home by way of an intimate source, my father. My father’s first foreign experience came when his profession facilitated a trip to Toyota City, Japan. Since his introduction to Japan, he has single-handedly ignited my interest in the country. An interest that still burns bright till this day. I’m Lee Charles, a thirty-one-year-old who is about to embark on a new thrilling journey to Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. I am a registered teacher here in Trinidad and Tobago and I’ll soon be an Assistant Language Teacher in Japan through the JET Programme.
The Japan Exchange and Language Programme (JET) has continuously been successful in its endeavour to introduce young, impressible Japanese students to Assistant English Teachers (ALTs) from a plethora of English-speaking nations. It shines as one of the most established and effective initiatives. This is what adds to the appeal of the Jet Programme for me along with numerous others. I applied for the Jet Programme because my passion lies in teaching English as a second language. I studied Linguistics with a double minor in Literatures in English and Communication Studies at my alma mater The University of the West Indies.
I was placed in the historic port city of Sagata in Yamagata Prefecture where I’ll be teaching high school students. During the Edo Period, Sakata was a bustling port city that attracted traders and merchants from all over Japan and made it easy for them to acquire products and merchandise via the Mogami River. If you go sightseeing, you’ll see the remnants of this era in the architecture and the museums that dot along the city. I am excited to immerse myself in this charming city where the bewitching nature envelops you and its long history is waiting to be rediscovered by a foreigner like myself.
Japan, “The land of the Rising Sun”, is an island of many opportunities and experiences waiting to be had from climbing the famous Mt. Fuji in Fujinomiya to exploring the bustling city streets of Osaka. There is something there for everyone. I am very grateful for the opportunity to explore the many facets of Japan while also contributing to their education system.
Thanks to the Embassy of Japan for facilitating this program and giving Trinbagonians the chance to join their English-speaking counterparts in the Japanese workforce. My only hope is that the Jet Programme will continue, thus enabling many young and industrious Trinbagonian participants to share their wealth of academic and cultural knowledge to eager and inquisitive young minds. Through mutual exchange both the Trinbagonian teacher and their Japanese students can become better equipped to navigate through this culturally diverse world.
JET Series: A Journey to Yamagata (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives
The Japan Exchange and Language Programme (JET) has continuously been successful in its endeavour to introduce young, impressible Japanese students to Assistant English Teachers (ALTs) from a plethora of English-speaking nations. It shines as one of the most established and effective initiatives. This is what adds to the appeal of the Jet Programme for me along with numerous others. I applied for the Jet Programme because my passion lies in teaching English as a second language. I studied Linguistics with a double minor in Literatures in English and Communication Studies at my alma mater The University of the West Indies.
I was placed in the historic port city of Sagata in Yamagata Prefecture where I’ll be teaching high school students. During the Edo Period, Sakata was a bustling port city that attracted traders and merchants from all over Japan and made it easy for them to acquire products and merchandise via the Mogami River. If you go sightseeing, you’ll see the remnants of this era in the architecture and the museums that dot along the city. I am excited to immerse myself in this charming city where the bewitching nature envelops you and its long history is waiting to be rediscovered by a foreigner like myself.
Japan, “The land of the Rising Sun”, is an island of many opportunities and experiences waiting to be had from climbing the famous Mt. Fuji in Fujinomiya to exploring the bustling city streets of Osaka. There is something there for everyone. I am very grateful for the opportunity to explore the many facets of Japan while also contributing to their education system.
Thanks to the Embassy of Japan for facilitating this program and giving Trinbagonians the chance to join their English-speaking counterparts in the Japanese workforce. My only hope is that the Jet Programme will continue, thus enabling many young and industrious Trinbagonian participants to share their wealth of academic and cultural knowledge to eager and inquisitive young minds. Through mutual exchange both the Trinbagonian teacher and their Japanese students can become better equipped to navigate through this culturally diverse world.
JET Series: A Journey to Yamagata (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives