JET Programme Series: The Chaos of New Beginnings - Tisha Alexander
2024/3/12
JET Programme Series: The Chaos of New Beginnings - Tisha Alexander
The past months spent in Japan have been a whirlwind of new experiences and challenges. Imagine achieving your childhood goal, landing in the country you had dreamed about for years upon years….only to realize that the food didn’t agree with you! #JesusTakeTheWheel
Anyone who knows me will tell you I like meh belly. Food has always been a source of joy for me and so upon my discovery I was quite saddened. I am, however, my mother’s daughter and I was happy to learn that cooking came effortlessly to me. Back home, me being in the kitchen meant one thing: mac and cheese. Here in Japan, I’ve been making stew chicken, curry chicken, sada and aloo, saltfish buljol (Yes! I found saltfish!) quesadillas, you name it. The kitchen has become a place of relaxation for me as I meal prep for my upcoming week with a glass of red wine and old school soca playing in the background. It’s always rewarding when my teachers crowd around asking what I made for the day commenting on how good it looks/smells. I take great pride in sharing Trinidadian cuisine with my schools.
Speaking about my schools…they are 100% my greatest source of happiness in Japan. Every morning I experience the joy of hearing my students scream “Teeeesssssssshhhhhaaaa” as they run and jump on me giving me high fives and hugs. These kids have made me realize just how much I made the best career choice. From Elementary School all the way up to Junior High School, the sheer excitement on their faces when they see me makes me strive even more to be an amazing educator. I’ve never been afraid to make a fool of myself and I would say it’s coming in handy here. From Halloween costumes, Santa suits, BTS dance breaks, Cha Cha slide etc. I always manage to keep them laughing, especially with my dramatic re-enactments of the various bugs I’ve been chased by since reaching Japan, the many falls I’ve had and even the many times I’ve accidently broken traffic lights (WHILE WALKING!). In the end my goal is accomplished though as they are left clutching their bellies laughing, comfortable around me and willing to use the English they know to communicate with me.
Outside of school, I have an amazing host family who I have a lot of fun with. I went to various Autumn festivals with my host mother where my love for games and very intense competitiveness quickly became apparent. Now she laughs every time she sees games because she knows I am surely going to play and I am going to stay there until I win a prize I like. At one festival we got the opportunity to wear happi coats and that was the first time I felt like an actual member of my community. Just surrounded by everyone in their coats, chanting and chugging beer at 10a.m receiving random hugs and having random babies thrust into my arms to hold… it was a truly lovely experience. We also went to see the “Yabus” perform with my host dad. (kind of like the Japanese version of blue devil…except they carry big bamboo sticks wrapped in cloth) They kept asking if I was scared of the Yabu and each time the memory of a blue devil grabbing me and running when I was younger came to mind and I would laugh at how adorable they were in comparison. What was not adorable however was accidentally getting a bamboo to the shoulder …..but if you don’t have a scar did it really happen though? Another really fun experience I had was making mochi at my host family’s house. I can proudly say that the pure shock on the men’s faces when they saw my strength made the pain of the following day worth it. After mochi, we made pizza in an okonomiyaki machine using wonton wrappers while listening to parang. (The beauty of cultural exchange) Definitely another great and memorable day spent in Japan. There have been so many amazing moments these past few months that if I tried to talk about all of them you’d be reading for a while. Some honorable mentions though would be 1) getting the opportunity to write about Trini food which was then translated and published 2) judging the English Speech contest with two of my friends 3) an amazing Halloween party with new friends and 4) Christmas party with some really amazing kids.
Entangled with all these amazing moments have been challenges like the language barrier, food, cultural differences and homesickness just to name a few but “Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew”-Cicely Tyson. Some of the challenges I’ve faced have been mere skipping stones however some have left me in tears on the phone bawling to my big sister the same way I did when I was sixteen. The thing that I always remember to do however is brush myself off and take the next step. The level of development I’ve seen in myself both personally and professionally these past few months has made me quite excited for the coming year. I’ve never shied away from challenges but now I can definitely say I approach them head on eager to see what I’m made of. The beauty is even though I’m alone, I’m not lonely. The support and love I have behind me continues to be my driving force. Family and friends continuously let me know how proud they are of me and they’re rooting for me. I have definitely been blessed with my placement to be surrounded by the most caring and considerate people who have quickly become my second family.
I came to Japan with a purpose and each day I wake up able to share my gift and the thing I love with my little best friends. My little best friends who make me laugh, make me yell, tease me and have me running around the hallways screaming “DAME!!!!! ABUNAI!!!!”(No!!!!! Dangerous!!!!) like a crazy person. To tell you the truth though, I wouldn't change a minute of it.
JET Series: The Chaos of New Beginings (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives
Anyone who knows me will tell you I like meh belly. Food has always been a source of joy for me and so upon my discovery I was quite saddened. I am, however, my mother’s daughter and I was happy to learn that cooking came effortlessly to me. Back home, me being in the kitchen meant one thing: mac and cheese. Here in Japan, I’ve been making stew chicken, curry chicken, sada and aloo, saltfish buljol (Yes! I found saltfish!) quesadillas, you name it. The kitchen has become a place of relaxation for me as I meal prep for my upcoming week with a glass of red wine and old school soca playing in the background. It’s always rewarding when my teachers crowd around asking what I made for the day commenting on how good it looks/smells. I take great pride in sharing Trinidadian cuisine with my schools.
Speaking about my schools…they are 100% my greatest source of happiness in Japan. Every morning I experience the joy of hearing my students scream “Teeeesssssssshhhhhaaaa” as they run and jump on me giving me high fives and hugs. These kids have made me realize just how much I made the best career choice. From Elementary School all the way up to Junior High School, the sheer excitement on their faces when they see me makes me strive even more to be an amazing educator. I’ve never been afraid to make a fool of myself and I would say it’s coming in handy here. From Halloween costumes, Santa suits, BTS dance breaks, Cha Cha slide etc. I always manage to keep them laughing, especially with my dramatic re-enactments of the various bugs I’ve been chased by since reaching Japan, the many falls I’ve had and even the many times I’ve accidently broken traffic lights (WHILE WALKING!). In the end my goal is accomplished though as they are left clutching their bellies laughing, comfortable around me and willing to use the English they know to communicate with me.
Outside of school, I have an amazing host family who I have a lot of fun with. I went to various Autumn festivals with my host mother where my love for games and very intense competitiveness quickly became apparent. Now she laughs every time she sees games because she knows I am surely going to play and I am going to stay there until I win a prize I like. At one festival we got the opportunity to wear happi coats and that was the first time I felt like an actual member of my community. Just surrounded by everyone in their coats, chanting and chugging beer at 10a.m receiving random hugs and having random babies thrust into my arms to hold… it was a truly lovely experience. We also went to see the “Yabus” perform with my host dad. (kind of like the Japanese version of blue devil…except they carry big bamboo sticks wrapped in cloth) They kept asking if I was scared of the Yabu and each time the memory of a blue devil grabbing me and running when I was younger came to mind and I would laugh at how adorable they were in comparison. What was not adorable however was accidentally getting a bamboo to the shoulder …..but if you don’t have a scar did it really happen though? Another really fun experience I had was making mochi at my host family’s house. I can proudly say that the pure shock on the men’s faces when they saw my strength made the pain of the following day worth it. After mochi, we made pizza in an okonomiyaki machine using wonton wrappers while listening to parang. (The beauty of cultural exchange) Definitely another great and memorable day spent in Japan. There have been so many amazing moments these past few months that if I tried to talk about all of them you’d be reading for a while. Some honorable mentions though would be 1) getting the opportunity to write about Trini food which was then translated and published 2) judging the English Speech contest with two of my friends 3) an amazing Halloween party with new friends and 4) Christmas party with some really amazing kids.
Entangled with all these amazing moments have been challenges like the language barrier, food, cultural differences and homesickness just to name a few but “Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew”-Cicely Tyson. Some of the challenges I’ve faced have been mere skipping stones however some have left me in tears on the phone bawling to my big sister the same way I did when I was sixteen. The thing that I always remember to do however is brush myself off and take the next step. The level of development I’ve seen in myself both personally and professionally these past few months has made me quite excited for the coming year. I’ve never shied away from challenges but now I can definitely say I approach them head on eager to see what I’m made of. The beauty is even though I’m alone, I’m not lonely. The support and love I have behind me continues to be my driving force. Family and friends continuously let me know how proud they are of me and they’re rooting for me. I have definitely been blessed with my placement to be surrounded by the most caring and considerate people who have quickly become my second family.
I came to Japan with a purpose and each day I wake up able to share my gift and the thing I love with my little best friends. My little best friends who make me laugh, make me yell, tease me and have me running around the hallways screaming “DAME!!!!! ABUNAI!!!!”(No!!!!! Dangerous!!!!) like a crazy person. To tell you the truth though, I wouldn't change a minute of it.
JET Series: The Chaos of New Beginings (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives