JET Programme Series: 9 Months Later - Patricia Lewis
2022/9/27
JET Programme Series: 9 Months Later - Patricia Lewis
What are your preconceived ideas about what living and working in Japan is really like? Is it that all cars are fast and furious and that robots are common? What about what the people are like? Did you know that in Japan garbage is first sorted in anywhere from as little as 4 categories to up to 7-8 categories, placed into different garbage bags, and then disposed off? And oversized items such as beds and washing machines require that you pay a fee of 1000¥ to get rid of it. It’s a lot of work but well worth the comfort and clean esthetic. Many of the things I thought about Japan are not as I imagined. To be honest most things are better and some things surprised me.
I moved to Uchiko in mid December, 2021. Since then, I have experienced two other seasons that I have never experienced before. These are spring and summer and now we are quickly moving into autumn. Spring was amazing, not only was it a pleasing, moderate temperature but also immensely beautiful as nature started to come back to life and the Sakura bloomed. Summer on the other hand was brutal. In Trinidad, the temperature gets very high and I thought that that would have prepared me for Japanese summertime. But boy was I wrong, I think what made Japanese summertime so difficult was the humidity. Not only were beads of sweat streaming down my back by 6am when I woke up, but I was extremely exhausted to the point where I couldn’t stay awake past 5pm, even though I had slept a full night the night before. It was a sobering experience that alerted me to the realities of Japanese summertime. There’s even a name for the feeling of being exhausted by the extreme summer weather it’s called “natsubate” which directly translates to “summer fatigue”.
The good news was that a multitude of fun and exciting activities accompanied the summer season, many of which I had the opportunity to try. I think that because Japan is so rich in culture and is so well known for a plethora of reasons the quality and beauty of their beaches have been over looked. So far I have been to Kashima Island and Ozu beach and at both of these beaches the waters were crystal clear, the sand was white and the waves were so calm. If I am being transparent beaches in Japan are more stunning than any beach in Trinidad and some can even rival those in Tobago. I went camping on Kashima Island and had so much fun. My friends from Trinidad who both live on the island of Kyushu came to visit me and we went camping. It was amazing catching up and we had so much fun just being a bunch of Trinbagonians, singing Soca around the camp fire.
We also went zip lining at a height of 410 feet. My heart fluttered with anxiety but I didn’t regret doing it. It’s an outstanding memory that I now treasure. That was a Tobemori Zoo, where I saw Elephants, Polar Bears, Penguins and even Rhinos for the first time.
The most recent adventure I went on took me to Ozu where I went sea kayaking and swimming with moon jellyfish. I cannot swim so initially I was a bit nervous. But after I settled in and found my balance I was almost an Olympic grade rower, not really but I felt very confident in my rowing.
The summer came to an end and now I am back at school. This month is the school sports, which is a huge deal just like in Trinidad. Do you remember zonal sports and how as a child it felt like the Olympics to us? Well, the sport event here seems to be an even more emphasized affair. The kids practice every day and even on weekends to try and do their best. Something I have noticed is how the qualities of integrity and work ethic are built into the school system here. There is so much effort put into everything that is done, even if an event lasts a short period like 10 minutes there is so much order in the execution. I think this almost always guaranties a seamless implementation in actually achieving what was set out to be achieved. Compared to in our schooling by the time we organize ourselves the time has already expired. I think that they excel at this because it was something that has been taught to them since they were all in kindergarten.
This experience is not only about a job but heavily centered on cultural exchange as well. With that being said, as someone who wants to have children someday I have to say that the way I see myself raising my children and even running my class room has changed immensely. There are so many refined and improved ways of doing things that I have learnt here that I think will help myself as well as the future generations. I have become conscious that children don’t always remember what you try to teach them, but they remember who you are. So as a person and as a teacher I have realized that setting the example is the best way to get children to become better people too.
Now, as the leaves have started to change color and fall, I look forward to whatever new and fascinating things this new season will bring. Until next time, good bye from Uchiko.
JET Series: 9 Months Later (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives
I moved to Uchiko in mid December, 2021. Since then, I have experienced two other seasons that I have never experienced before. These are spring and summer and now we are quickly moving into autumn. Spring was amazing, not only was it a pleasing, moderate temperature but also immensely beautiful as nature started to come back to life and the Sakura bloomed. Summer on the other hand was brutal. In Trinidad, the temperature gets very high and I thought that that would have prepared me for Japanese summertime. But boy was I wrong, I think what made Japanese summertime so difficult was the humidity. Not only were beads of sweat streaming down my back by 6am when I woke up, but I was extremely exhausted to the point where I couldn’t stay awake past 5pm, even though I had slept a full night the night before. It was a sobering experience that alerted me to the realities of Japanese summertime. There’s even a name for the feeling of being exhausted by the extreme summer weather it’s called “natsubate” which directly translates to “summer fatigue”.
The good news was that a multitude of fun and exciting activities accompanied the summer season, many of which I had the opportunity to try. I think that because Japan is so rich in culture and is so well known for a plethora of reasons the quality and beauty of their beaches have been over looked. So far I have been to Kashima Island and Ozu beach and at both of these beaches the waters were crystal clear, the sand was white and the waves were so calm. If I am being transparent beaches in Japan are more stunning than any beach in Trinidad and some can even rival those in Tobago. I went camping on Kashima Island and had so much fun. My friends from Trinidad who both live on the island of Kyushu came to visit me and we went camping. It was amazing catching up and we had so much fun just being a bunch of Trinbagonians, singing Soca around the camp fire.
We also went zip lining at a height of 410 feet. My heart fluttered with anxiety but I didn’t regret doing it. It’s an outstanding memory that I now treasure. That was a Tobemori Zoo, where I saw Elephants, Polar Bears, Penguins and even Rhinos for the first time.
The most recent adventure I went on took me to Ozu where I went sea kayaking and swimming with moon jellyfish. I cannot swim so initially I was a bit nervous. But after I settled in and found my balance I was almost an Olympic grade rower, not really but I felt very confident in my rowing.
The summer came to an end and now I am back at school. This month is the school sports, which is a huge deal just like in Trinidad. Do you remember zonal sports and how as a child it felt like the Olympics to us? Well, the sport event here seems to be an even more emphasized affair. The kids practice every day and even on weekends to try and do their best. Something I have noticed is how the qualities of integrity and work ethic are built into the school system here. There is so much effort put into everything that is done, even if an event lasts a short period like 10 minutes there is so much order in the execution. I think this almost always guaranties a seamless implementation in actually achieving what was set out to be achieved. Compared to in our schooling by the time we organize ourselves the time has already expired. I think that they excel at this because it was something that has been taught to them since they were all in kindergarten.
This experience is not only about a job but heavily centered on cultural exchange as well. With that being said, as someone who wants to have children someday I have to say that the way I see myself raising my children and even running my class room has changed immensely. There are so many refined and improved ways of doing things that I have learnt here that I think will help myself as well as the future generations. I have become conscious that children don’t always remember what you try to teach them, but they remember who you are. So as a person and as a teacher I have realized that setting the example is the best way to get children to become better people too.
Now, as the leaves have started to change color and fall, I look forward to whatever new and fascinating things this new season will bring. Until next time, good bye from Uchiko.
JET Series: 9 Months Later (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives