Jet Programme Series: Life in Snowy Akita - Sheanelle Pariag
2022/5/31
Jet Programme Series: Life in Snowy Akita - Sheanelle Pariag
Hello to all the readers out there curious about what it’s been like moving my whole Caribbean self across the world to Japan…especially as we are now into a 3rd year living with the threat of the Covid19 virus.
After spending 2 weeks in quarantine we finally dispersed from our newly made “Trini-Jet” friends and headed off to our prefectures and homes for the foreseeable future. My arrival in the Akita prefecture was both warm and cold. My plane almost had to turn back to Tokyo due to a blizzard that was taking place in Akita! Fortunately, we landed safely but the weather outside was frightful (I know you sang that line :D). Despite the weather, I was warmly greeted by two representatives from my Board of Education. They took me for lunch, grocery shopping and to purchase some basic household items I would need to get started living on my own.
I arrived in Akita on a Monday and it was an overwhelming week. After shopping, I saw my apartment for the first time. It’s the perfect size for someone living alone, the only thing that filled me with apprehension was the lack of heating. I did my research so theoretically I was prepared but physically, with the last of the Caribbean sun leaking from my body, I wrapped myself up like a ‘dhalpourie’ and quickly fell asleep. My apartment was mostly empty but at least I had a bed and the following day, I experienced the novelty of filling my newly bought heater with kerosene. Again, I’d already done my research but the ‘doing’ still blew my mind.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take a phone plan during my quarantine period so I was without internet for a few days and when I got my mobile internet sorted, the data plan was so small, I couldn’t video call my family without draining my month’s data in a matter of minutes. This was probably my lowest point. I sat on my airbed, eating a bowl of instant ramen feeling exactly like Naruto…quite alone and cold. I reflected on how much the internet and the convenience of communication have really impacted our daily lives, so much so that when I was without it, I felt untethered. Like when there’s no current except there’s no family around to liven up the atmosphere with stories as we in Trinidad and Tobago are used to. Once I was connected to the world again my outlook was more positive.
By the end of the week I had completed official business, distributed ‘omiyage’ (snacks brought from Trinidad for my coworkers and neighbours) and visited my two schools. On Friday I had my first official day at school and so commenced ‘jikoshokai’ or self-introductions to all eight of my classes. The teachers and students had no idea where Trinidad and Tobago was located and so they enjoyed learning about carnival, listening to pan and seeing what our money and beaches look like. Lucky for me, a week later, school closed and I was able to take a breath and slowly adapt myself to life in Yuzawa City. The snow continued to get heavier though and I experienced new things like shoveling snow and scraping several inches of it off of my car each morning, separating my trash and finding the nearest “trash cage”. Scariest of all was the driving. The worst is something that’s called ‘whiteout’ where you can barely see anything in front of you. Fortunately I took my time, said a prayer or 10 and remained safe throughout the winter.
Covid19 also put a damper on things as we were strongly advised by our BOE not to leave our prefectures during the winter break and, to be honest, I was too afraid to go exploring all by myself in all the snow anyway. Luckily, some of the other ALT’s in my city felt the same and we made a plan to do a group trip to visit a ‘ryokan’ or traditional Japanese inn in Yuzawa. I had my first onsen experience and ate until I couldn’t imagine ever eating a single bite again. Everything was ‘OISHII’ (delicious). Sitting in a hot onsen for over 10 minutes can make you feel very dizzy (I learned the hard way) so be careful if you ever get the chance to experience it. Before the dizziness set in and after the cold and naked trip from the change room and into the onsen, I did feel very relaxed though.
The trip was an opportunity to get to know the other ALT’s in my city and we are all now good friends who try to meet up at least once a month for a meal and to commiserate on our experiences teaching so far. ‘Yakiniku’ was quite the experience. If you love grilled meat, it’s a must try!
One such adventure happened this past February. Most of the winter festivals were cancelled due to Covid19 but I had really wanted to see the kamakura festival in Yokote city which is just about 30 minutes away. Due to rising case numbers we were advised to try not to leave our city unless absolutely necessary but the Kamakura trip seemed safe enough since the festival itself was cancelled and there wouldn’t be any large crowds. Since these festivals take place during the week, a few ALT’s and myself packed into the car after work and made the trip to Yokote. This time I drove, emboldened but the great weather we had over the weekend (the sun peeped out a few times) but as the day went on at school I became dismayed by the heavy snow fall I saw through the windows. Since I had company however, I was less scared than I would have been if I were alone. I didn’t get to see the sea of kamakura I hoped for but we were lucky enough to find a church that had some small, lit kamakura lining their stairway and entrance. It was beautiful!
I haven’t been able to experience a whole lot so far but the people I’ve met make up for a bunch. Everyone is extremely nice, from my fellow teachers to Board of Education colleagues, students, neighbours (the sweet old lady across the road who gave me apples and once helped me to break up the ice in front of my car to make shoveling easier), kind store workers and fellow ALT’s. My neighbours and coworkers constantly try to feed me and I truly wonder how they all maintain their figures. My students are all very polite and kind and we are enjoying getting to know each other.
Teaching so far has been a wonderful experience and I especially love when students have those “aha!” moments when they finally understand something in English. I also had the opportunity to coach students for the English language proficiency interview exam. They both passed! I felt just like a proud mommy. The school year has recently come to an end and I must admit that even though I had only been with the students for a short time I was very sad to see them go. I didn’t know what the valedictorian was saying but she had the entire room in tears. One thing is for certain, these students worked hard but also thoroughly enjoyed their time at school with their teachers and friends. I had also took the time to make the graduating student a little present.
I consider myself very lucky to be surrounded with such kind people that make all the snow and cold bearable (that and an electric blanket! Such a life changer!). Slowly my apartment has been coming together and I eagerly look forward to the coming spring season, seeing cherry blossoms, enjoying the nature scenes that Yuzawa city and Akita prefecture are known for and finally not having to find my car under a bunch of snow.
JET Series: Life in Snowy Akita (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives
After spending 2 weeks in quarantine we finally dispersed from our newly made “Trini-Jet” friends and headed off to our prefectures and homes for the foreseeable future. My arrival in the Akita prefecture was both warm and cold. My plane almost had to turn back to Tokyo due to a blizzard that was taking place in Akita! Fortunately, we landed safely but the weather outside was frightful (I know you sang that line :D). Despite the weather, I was warmly greeted by two representatives from my Board of Education. They took me for lunch, grocery shopping and to purchase some basic household items I would need to get started living on my own.
I arrived in Akita on a Monday and it was an overwhelming week. After shopping, I saw my apartment for the first time. It’s the perfect size for someone living alone, the only thing that filled me with apprehension was the lack of heating. I did my research so theoretically I was prepared but physically, with the last of the Caribbean sun leaking from my body, I wrapped myself up like a ‘dhalpourie’ and quickly fell asleep. My apartment was mostly empty but at least I had a bed and the following day, I experienced the novelty of filling my newly bought heater with kerosene. Again, I’d already done my research but the ‘doing’ still blew my mind.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take a phone plan during my quarantine period so I was without internet for a few days and when I got my mobile internet sorted, the data plan was so small, I couldn’t video call my family without draining my month’s data in a matter of minutes. This was probably my lowest point. I sat on my airbed, eating a bowl of instant ramen feeling exactly like Naruto…quite alone and cold. I reflected on how much the internet and the convenience of communication have really impacted our daily lives, so much so that when I was without it, I felt untethered. Like when there’s no current except there’s no family around to liven up the atmosphere with stories as we in Trinidad and Tobago are used to. Once I was connected to the world again my outlook was more positive.
By the end of the week I had completed official business, distributed ‘omiyage’ (snacks brought from Trinidad for my coworkers and neighbours) and visited my two schools. On Friday I had my first official day at school and so commenced ‘jikoshokai’ or self-introductions to all eight of my classes. The teachers and students had no idea where Trinidad and Tobago was located and so they enjoyed learning about carnival, listening to pan and seeing what our money and beaches look like. Lucky for me, a week later, school closed and I was able to take a breath and slowly adapt myself to life in Yuzawa City. The snow continued to get heavier though and I experienced new things like shoveling snow and scraping several inches of it off of my car each morning, separating my trash and finding the nearest “trash cage”. Scariest of all was the driving. The worst is something that’s called ‘whiteout’ where you can barely see anything in front of you. Fortunately I took my time, said a prayer or 10 and remained safe throughout the winter.
Covid19 also put a damper on things as we were strongly advised by our BOE not to leave our prefectures during the winter break and, to be honest, I was too afraid to go exploring all by myself in all the snow anyway. Luckily, some of the other ALT’s in my city felt the same and we made a plan to do a group trip to visit a ‘ryokan’ or traditional Japanese inn in Yuzawa. I had my first onsen experience and ate until I couldn’t imagine ever eating a single bite again. Everything was ‘OISHII’ (delicious). Sitting in a hot onsen for over 10 minutes can make you feel very dizzy (I learned the hard way) so be careful if you ever get the chance to experience it. Before the dizziness set in and after the cold and naked trip from the change room and into the onsen, I did feel very relaxed though.
The trip was an opportunity to get to know the other ALT’s in my city and we are all now good friends who try to meet up at least once a month for a meal and to commiserate on our experiences teaching so far. ‘Yakiniku’ was quite the experience. If you love grilled meat, it’s a must try!
One such adventure happened this past February. Most of the winter festivals were cancelled due to Covid19 but I had really wanted to see the kamakura festival in Yokote city which is just about 30 minutes away. Due to rising case numbers we were advised to try not to leave our city unless absolutely necessary but the Kamakura trip seemed safe enough since the festival itself was cancelled and there wouldn’t be any large crowds. Since these festivals take place during the week, a few ALT’s and myself packed into the car after work and made the trip to Yokote. This time I drove, emboldened but the great weather we had over the weekend (the sun peeped out a few times) but as the day went on at school I became dismayed by the heavy snow fall I saw through the windows. Since I had company however, I was less scared than I would have been if I were alone. I didn’t get to see the sea of kamakura I hoped for but we were lucky enough to find a church that had some small, lit kamakura lining their stairway and entrance. It was beautiful!
I haven’t been able to experience a whole lot so far but the people I’ve met make up for a bunch. Everyone is extremely nice, from my fellow teachers to Board of Education colleagues, students, neighbours (the sweet old lady across the road who gave me apples and once helped me to break up the ice in front of my car to make shoveling easier), kind store workers and fellow ALT’s. My neighbours and coworkers constantly try to feed me and I truly wonder how they all maintain their figures. My students are all very polite and kind and we are enjoying getting to know each other.
Teaching so far has been a wonderful experience and I especially love when students have those “aha!” moments when they finally understand something in English. I also had the opportunity to coach students for the English language proficiency interview exam. They both passed! I felt just like a proud mommy. The school year has recently come to an end and I must admit that even though I had only been with the students for a short time I was very sad to see them go. I didn’t know what the valedictorian was saying but she had the entire room in tears. One thing is for certain, these students worked hard but also thoroughly enjoyed their time at school with their teachers and friends. I had also took the time to make the graduating student a little present.
I consider myself very lucky to be surrounded with such kind people that make all the snow and cold bearable (that and an electric blanket! Such a life changer!). Slowly my apartment has been coming together and I eagerly look forward to the coming spring season, seeing cherry blossoms, enjoying the nature scenes that Yuzawa city and Akita prefecture are known for and finally not having to find my car under a bunch of snow.
JET Series: Life in Snowy Akita (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives