JET Programme Series: I Wonder If You Know, How They Live in Tokyo - Cassie Joseph

2024/9/27
JET Programme Series: I Wonder If You Know, How They Live in Tokyo - Cassie Joseph
JET Programme Series: I Wonder If You Know, How They Live in Tokyo - Cassie Joseph
JET Programme Series: I Wonder If You Know, How They Live in Tokyo - Cassie Joseph

JET Programme Series: I Wonder If You Know, How They Live in Tokyo - Cassie Joseph

JET Programme Series: I Wonder If You Know, How They Live in Tokyo - Cassie Joseph
It was the year 2016, and I was sitting at my desk at work, watching my graduation ceremony online, one that I could not attend because I was in Trinidad and my school was in Bradford, England. I was reminiscing about my university life abroad. My personal growth, my friends, my adventures, my present, and my future were all tangled up in my thoughts.
 
I thought to myself that I had studied for many years to get the job that I had at that time, so why was I thinking about leaving my career behind as a pharmacist to go to Japan, to be an ALT?
 
While in the UK, I met people from all over the world and would always talk about the beauty of Trinidad and Tobago while also learning about their diverse cultures. Curiosity about my Japanese friends led to multiple YouTube searches about Japan, which brought me to the JET programme. Discovering the JET programme and the amazing, life-changing opportunity that it provides felt like the right path for me. I reconnected with my very annoying green friend, Duo (Duolingo), changed my study language from Spanish to Japanese, and started learning from the beginning, repeating “mizu” (water), “Gohan” (cooked rice), and “ocha” (green tea). Those were the first words I learned on my journey.
 
Fast forward to 2023, after years of doubts, I applied. Like I do with my exam papers, I spent all the time from the opening of applications in October, all the way to the closing of applications in December. Everything was quadruple checked daily to ensure my application would impress the reader at first glance. Alhamdulillah (All praise is due to God), my hours spent re-reading the same lines over and over, looking for errors that the computer could not identify, paid off. I got the long-awaited call one morning while packing shelves at my workplace that I was selected for an interview. The joy and excitement could not be described. This was quickly followed by anxiety because I still had to overcome a few more hurdles before my final acceptance.
 
The JET program was my goal, and I was not going to let my guard down now. I will spare you the details of the process, the anxieties, the imposter syndrome, and the fear because my excitement was greater than any of those emotions when I found out that I had been placed in one of the biggest cities in the world, Tokyo. My friends would joke with me, saying I was meant to live in a big city, and my prayers were finally answered.
 
In July 2024, I left sweet T&T. I feel at ease knowing that I am ready to be an ALT and an ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago, while absorbing all that Japan has to offer. I am trusting the process. I am gaining a new experience, but it’s sad to leave my family, especially my nephews, behind, though they will most likely be “sick of me” from all the pictures and videos I will be sending.
 
I am beyond grateful for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to meet my students and my fellow co-workers. I am excited to try all the snacks in Seven Eleven and Family Mart. Yes, the Konbinis (Convenience stores) are on my tourist list
 
Thank you to the team at the Japanese embassy, CLAIR, the Tokyo Board of Education, JETAA, CLL, my fellow ALTs, and my family for their support. I can’t wait to put my wonder aside and actually experience how they live in Tokyo.
 

JET Series: I wonder if you know, how they live in Tokyo (Japanese Embassy's Facebook) 

JET Programme Series Archives