JET Programme Series: Into the Unknown - T'marah Forbes
2025/1/15



JET Programme Series: Into the Unknown - T'marah Forbes

Konnichiwa, hajimemashite!
We’ve come to the conclusion of all the Japanese I know, so how is it that in approximately three weeks, I’ll be moving to Japan?
My name is T’marah Forbes, and I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from the University of the West Indies. I learnt about Japan through my studies, using the country as a case study with both physical and human Geography. Like so many others, after university, I applied to the On-the-Job training programme and was placed in a school, as a student aide. It was the second time I had any teaching experience, save for a disastrous foray into tutoring my little sister many years before. I was only in the school for a short period of time (much thanks to COVID) but it was there I fostered a great appreciation and reverence for the teaching profession. It was also here I first heard of the programme, from a fellow OJT.
I thought it sounded amazing, too good to be true, in fact, and filed it away in some small corner of my brain as ‘unattainable.’ That was, until someone I knew personally popped up in Japan through the JET Programme and I thought, ‘I have a chance.’ Still, I was not without doubt. Each step of this application process had honestly been me thinking I’ve failed, only to move on to the next round. Even after I received the call on that fateful day, it still took me a few weeks for it to sink in that I will be well and truly living on the other side of the world, away from everyone and everything I’ve ever known, where they speak a language I don’t have the slightest grip on.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t also excited. I am looking forward to the food, the sights, and a people so different from my own. I have been placed in Kagoshima, a prefecture at the Southernmost tip of Japan. A quick google shows incredible views, a proximity to the most active volcano in all of Japan, and…chicken sashimi?! Kagoshima is also known for its beautiful nature and a winter that is on the milder side and for that I am eternally grateful. I acknowledge that this journey will not be without its difficulties, but I am willing to embrace the good, the bad and the ugly with open arms.
Finally, I would not be where I am without God’s grace. I would like to thank my ever supportive family and friends, who have seen me through late nights and many tears. I would also like to thank the Japanese embassy, in particular Mr. Aleron Rajalal, for making this process as smooth and painless as possible, and my fellow JETs who have been incredibly helpful and are no doubt as excited as I am.
Well, goodbye for now! See you on the other side!
JET Series: Into the Unknonwn (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives
We’ve come to the conclusion of all the Japanese I know, so how is it that in approximately three weeks, I’ll be moving to Japan?
My name is T’marah Forbes, and I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from the University of the West Indies. I learnt about Japan through my studies, using the country as a case study with both physical and human Geography. Like so many others, after university, I applied to the On-the-Job training programme and was placed in a school, as a student aide. It was the second time I had any teaching experience, save for a disastrous foray into tutoring my little sister many years before. I was only in the school for a short period of time (much thanks to COVID) but it was there I fostered a great appreciation and reverence for the teaching profession. It was also here I first heard of the programme, from a fellow OJT.
I thought it sounded amazing, too good to be true, in fact, and filed it away in some small corner of my brain as ‘unattainable.’ That was, until someone I knew personally popped up in Japan through the JET Programme and I thought, ‘I have a chance.’ Still, I was not without doubt. Each step of this application process had honestly been me thinking I’ve failed, only to move on to the next round. Even after I received the call on that fateful day, it still took me a few weeks for it to sink in that I will be well and truly living on the other side of the world, away from everyone and everything I’ve ever known, where they speak a language I don’t have the slightest grip on.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t also excited. I am looking forward to the food, the sights, and a people so different from my own. I have been placed in Kagoshima, a prefecture at the Southernmost tip of Japan. A quick google shows incredible views, a proximity to the most active volcano in all of Japan, and…chicken sashimi?! Kagoshima is also known for its beautiful nature and a winter that is on the milder side and for that I am eternally grateful. I acknowledge that this journey will not be without its difficulties, but I am willing to embrace the good, the bad and the ugly with open arms.
Finally, I would not be where I am without God’s grace. I would like to thank my ever supportive family and friends, who have seen me through late nights and many tears. I would also like to thank the Japanese embassy, in particular Mr. Aleron Rajalal, for making this process as smooth and painless as possible, and my fellow JETs who have been incredibly helpful and are no doubt as excited as I am.
Well, goodbye for now! See you on the other side!
JET Series: Into the Unknonwn (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives