The most difficult person to tell would be my grandfather, or so I thought. I lightly broke the news that I would be moving to Japan to be a teacher so as to soften the blow. He thoughtfully looked, absorbing what I had told him then said, “This is your adventure Marc. People usually have one big adventure in life. This is yours. Don’t let one moment escape you.”
So, that is the attitude I took while moving to this strange country that I knew nothing of other than a few baseball players and some assorted foods I had tried.
When we arrived in Narita as one large Floridian contingent, we were greeted by a sea of current Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) participants from all over the world. It felt as if we were being swept by a wave of excitement to the Tokyo Orientation. There is this feeling of uncertainty that came with moving to a completely new place. It manifests itself in many forms but, most frequently, it seems that it is excitement or some sort of a frightened feeling. As a teacher in rural Japan, I have certainly experienced both.
Leaving the bustle of Tokyo and Sendai (the big city in Miyagi Prefecture) behind me, my supervisor drove. As the tall buildings and busy streets of Sendai sank below the horizon, they gave way to mountains and expansive rice fields. I wanted to shout, ‘Stop! Take me back to the big city!’ But, he continued to drive. Here is where my first feelings of apprehension started.
I quickly learned, maybe the hard way, that living and teaching in Japan is certainly what you make of it. I arrived in the small farm town of Kannari to a conference room of welcoming people including the superintendent of schools. They were all interested to meet me. Though I spoke no Japanese, a fellow Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) was there to help and possibly to make sure that I did not freak out.
The support network that was created from that very first meeting is one of the things that makes me feel so lucky to be an ALT with the JET Program. When you meet with other JET ALT’s, you have an instant connection. But, we are all so diverse, because we are from different areas of the United States and the world, that it is always exciting to learn about our colleagues in addition to learning about the new country in which we now live.
After the meeting and the official welcome to my new home town, I was brought to the grocery store by my Japanese Teacher of English (JTE) who is my supervisor at my base school. Walking into a grocery store and realizing that I recognized nothing, once again brought up those apprehensive feelings that so often pervaded these new experiences. But again, experiences, especially the ones we have living here as foreigners in Japan, are dependent upon the attitude we adopt. I decided not to stress too much that I could not find Cap’n Crunch or Doritos and instead focused on using the multitude of new, fresh ingredients that were at my disposal in order to cook exciting dishes that I could previously only get at restaurants. I thank my family every day for
teaching me how to cook. With a little imagination, even cooking dinner in Japan can be an exciting new learning experience.
Working at my base school, Kannari Junior High School, is a great experience. The students and teachers alike are truly excited to learn about who I am as a person and where I come from in my home country. They are also very eager to tell me about themselves and Japan. The key is that you must be willing to ask. I quickly settled into school life and teaching thanks to the wonderful staff and students. They have taught me much of the Japanese that I know simply because they have been just as happy to share their culture with me as I have been to share my culture with them.
Though it was initially frightening to come to rural Japan, thanks to a supportive family, a good attitude, and a willingness to adapt, I have quickly learned to thrive in my new environment. Living and teaching in Japan is by no means for everyone. It is for those people that come in with a good attitude and an open mind. Those are the people who will experience their big adventure while having the opportunity to develop skills for their future work life.
