JET Programme Series: Flying Into The Unknown - Amanda Arjoon

2024/11/21
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JET Programme Series: Flying Into The Unknown - Amanda Arjoon

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I am Amanda Arjoon, a 25-year-old Trini girl from the quiet village of Barrackpore, South Trinidad. As a child, I’ve always been infatuated with our world and so I developed an incurable urge to explore it. During my teen years, while attending my alma mater, Naparima Girls’ High School, this urge to explore deepened after falling in love with the subject matter of History. I distinctly remember my history teacher introducing me to immaculate, lost civilizations of the world. I wanted to be able to stand on the same steps as the ancestors; to be able to exist in the same spaces they once did. Thus, this prompted me to join my school’s language and cultural club and to pursue History as my main area of study. It was here that I formed within my core, a long-lasting interest in Japan. Its history, food, people, language, culture and so much more held a special place in my heart well into my adulthood.

After graduating from the University of the West Indies with my Bachelor’s degree in History during the worldwide pandemic, I wanted to play my part and realize my purpose in the world. I thus discovered that the service of teaching is where I wanted to give back. However, it was quite difficult to ascertain a teaching career in Trinidad at the time due to a plethora of socio-economic issues plaguing our twin island paradise. Perhaps it was fate or the mere fact that everything truly happens for a reason but the very year I graduated, I was usurped to become a Teacher’s Aide to a countryside primary school in Williamsville, Trinidad. Here I honed my skills and sharpened my mind, tricks of the trade and learned so much under the most talented educators. It was where I also stumbled upon the JET Programme and after taking a leap of faith, I applied!

I applied, tucking that application to the very back of my mind, not ever once dreaming to think that a couple months from that moment, I’ll be saying goodbye to my friends and family to move half way across the world. Many of my friends and family all had but one question to ask when they heard the news and that was… “Why? Why did you apply for the programme?” My answer was simple. I wanted to positively impact the lives of children not only in Trinidad but the wider world. Like my classes of children in my Trinidadian primary school, I wanted to share with the children of Japan, the beauty of Trinidad and Tobago also by extension, the Caribbean. To ultimately show them that this world has so much to offer than meets the eye.

After a thorough process of selection, I was placed at Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture of Japan. Kobe City falls in the Kansai region of central Japan and is particularly known for its quality beef! I was nothing but elated when I found out where I was assigned but mostly shocked because Kobe City was my first choice of placement. I am beyond excited to start this new season in my life notwithstanding the fact that I will be moving thousands of miles, totally away from my family, fiancé and comfort zone. However, nothing worth having has ever been achieved through the easy way now has it? So here I am, flying into the unknown to take everything Japan and JET has to offer and I couldn’t be more thrilled and excited.

My time as an ALT in Japan will definitely be one of my most cherished and treasured experiences for a lifetime. I would sincerely like to thank the ambassador and the hardworking staff of the Japanese Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago as well as the Kobe City Board of Education and CLAIR for making the process and transition to Japan the smoothest they possibly can. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this life changing opportunity.

JET Series: Flying Into The Unknown (Japanese Embassy's Facebook) 

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