Sorry for the long absence, I'm not very good at keeping this blog updated, l am I?
March was very eventful and I don't think I spent a single weekend alone. Looks like April is heading the same way, especially as the Genki musical goes on tour this month!
Our first weekend of performances started last week and I think they went pretty well.
It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to this weekend's performances.
I also attended a ladies only sake tasting event, which also provided free food, so I was a very happy bunny :D I tried sparkling sake, different flavoured umeshus and fruit flavoured alcoholic yogurt drinks.... Tastier than they sound. This event was filmed by TokyoTV and I was even interviewed! すごい！ Thankfully, my conversational Japanese is also slowly improving which is a big bonus.
Well, at some point I shall return to actually fill out this blog with details... Hopefully.
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Chilli, rocking and jogging
In an effort to stop interesting things from piling up again, I 'm gonna try to keep this blog updated. Let's see how long that lasts...
So, the past week hahas been pretty good. On Saturday, I had Genki rehearsals, which were followed by a chilli cook off and bar-hopping. Sunday was a chance to catch up with my laundry and have a 'One Piece' marathon. Monday, was work, followed by a massive food shop, followed by jogging and hot dogs for dinner :D
As usual, rehearsals went well but we were all a little too energetic to keep focused on the scene for very long and it took longer to run through than usual. Good job, Malcolm, for not hitting your head on the table :D
After that, many of us made ways to Mary's house for the chilli cook off. I managed to forget my chilli powder, peppers and cumin but made do with salt, pepper and my special meat seasoning from home. Thankfully, I managed to scrap together a pretty tasty, meaty chilli of which none remained :D
There were 4 tasty chilli's, 2 meat and 2 vegetarian. EVEN though Philip's had no meat, I have to say, I think he won the competition. Completely seasoned from scratch with no help from prepackaged sauce or spices, the 'kick' was perfect, the veggies tasty and the chilli, pretty awesome (still needed meat ;) ). I'm happy to accept a joint-second place with the others although each chilli had it's own flavour and were each winners in their own ways :D
After that, I came back to the city to meet up with other JETs who were watching a friend perform. Some people finished off the night with karaoke and the rest of us headed off to another bar for stimulating conversation...
Sunday was Sunday but on Monday, I started my jogging regime! I almost didn't do it. I almost caved in. I got home late and wanted dinner but I pushed myself out the door and jogged-walked-jogged-walked for 20minutes and stretched for 20minutes. Felt awesome afterwards although I may have done too much. Gonna increase the brisk walking and reduce the jogging a bit.
I had Kyudo on Tuesday and yesterday and finally remembered to get a picture of me in my gear...
One of my teachers said I'd be able to go for my first grade one year after I began Kyudo, which will be August. He also complimented my form and said I would pass, so #insert fist pump# I'm well pleased :D
Until next time xxx
p.s. Finally learnt how to insert pictures!
So, the past week hahas been pretty good. On Saturday, I had Genki rehearsals, which were followed by a chilli cook off and bar-hopping. Sunday was a chance to catch up with my laundry and have a 'One Piece' marathon. Monday, was work, followed by a massive food shop, followed by jogging and hot dogs for dinner :D
As usual, rehearsals went well but we were all a little too energetic to keep focused on the scene for very long and it took longer to run through than usual. Good job, Malcolm, for not hitting your head on the table :D
After that, many of us made ways to Mary's house for the chilli cook off. I managed to forget my chilli powder, peppers and cumin but made do with salt, pepper and my special meat seasoning from home. Thankfully, I managed to scrap together a pretty tasty, meaty chilli of which none remained :D
There were 4 tasty chilli's, 2 meat and 2 vegetarian. EVEN though Philip's had no meat, I have to say, I think he won the competition. Completely seasoned from scratch with no help from prepackaged sauce or spices, the 'kick' was perfect, the veggies tasty and the chilli, pretty awesome (still needed meat ;) ). I'm happy to accept a joint-second place with the others although each chilli had it's own flavour and were each winners in their own ways :D
After that, I came back to the city to meet up with other JETs who were watching a friend perform. Some people finished off the night with karaoke and the rest of us headed off to another bar for stimulating conversation...
Sunday was Sunday but on Monday, I started my jogging regime! I almost didn't do it. I almost caved in. I got home late and wanted dinner but I pushed myself out the door and jogged-walked-jogged-walked for 20minutes and stretched for 20minutes. Felt awesome afterwards although I may have done too much. Gonna increase the brisk walking and reduce the jogging a bit.
I had Kyudo on Tuesday and yesterday and finally remembered to get a picture of me in my gear...
One of my teachers said I'd be able to go for my first grade one year after I began Kyudo, which will be August. He also complimented my form and said I would pass, so #insert fist pump# I'm well pleased :D
Until next time xxx
p.s. Finally learnt how to insert pictures!
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
New Year!
I've just joined Twitter (insert grumbles and rants about stupid internet phenomenons and their followers...)
Admittedly, it has two uses for me.
1) I can get links to interesting headlines instead of reading what others read on Facebook.
2) I can use it as a mini blog with snippets of fun stuff that happens frequently out here instead of having to condense weeks or months of information into a blog, long after I've forgotten the most interesting parts :D
3) I can get up-to-date ticket information from bands I like
4) I can delete lots of stuff from my Facebook and make it as simple as it used to be without losing lots of stuff about bands and authors.
Okay, maybe more than two uses for Twitter. (>_<) STILL, I can't think of any other reasons but seeing as I've only just figured out how to link a site and 'tag' a friend in a post, there's still a lot for me to learn about and enjoy, presumably.
Anywho! It's February now and I have decided to recontract!
Yay! I'm staying for another year in Kochi city!
Since my arrival in Japan I have neglected my blog, but had I been a faithful blogger, here's some of the things I might have blogged about, written in a reverse and slightly random order...
Being accepted to perform in the Genki Tosa-ben musical, skiing, experiencing a Japanese New Year's, snowboarding, visiting Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, going to karaoke (many, many times), surfing, purikura, river-floating and attending several friends' house parties, food events and the like.
I also enjoyed Halloween and was one of the winners in the costume contest.
I started kyudo (Japanese archery) last year and now own £300 worth of equipment and uniform.
I was able to watch my first lunar eclipse. The moon was red and beautiful.. I think... It was cloudy most of the time and my memory is a little foggy :p
The rest of the time I am supposed to be studying Japanese and am doing a beginners' course in Kochi.
In all of my time here, I am thankful to say that culture shock hasn't affected me (except maybe at Christmas when I was craving proper a Christmas dinner. No contest when your faced with pickled peppers and boiled rice on December 25th. "What no macaroni and cheese?")
The people that I've met here have ALL been awesome, lovely, helpful and more.
My school, couldn't be nicer, my supervisor couldn't be cuter (かわいいね) and my home couldn't be cosier (^_^)
I am looking forward to getter better and better as a teacher and at speaking Japanese. I've already improved so much. o_0
I'm really enjoying myself and wish you all a happy and successful New Year.
Tasha
xxxxxxxx
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
London Orientation
Firstly, London Orientation is basically short for the 2011 JET Programme pre-departure orientation course :D
It began at 9am Monday 4th July and ended on Tuesday 5th July at 4pm. It took place at Brunel University, London and included an overnight stay at the uni. (Wish they'd told us accommodation came with en suite bathrooms and a massive shared kitchen - I would have brought more food with me)
It was compulsory but I wouldn't have missed it anyway. It was awesome :P T'was the first chance for all of us British JETs to get together and meet up. Quite tricky when some live in Ireland and Scotland. It was basically a series of seminars followed by several Japanese classes for different levels of ability. Really enjoyed the seminars but was reaching for my sandwiches by 12am on the first day. No lunch until 1.15!! Seeing as most people hadn't eaten anything since they left their home at some ungodly hour in the morning, I wasn't the only one crying for lunch... or a nap.
Other than that, the two days were really productive and and good chance to mingle with your distant, future colleagues.
A reception at the Embassy of Japan at 6pm on Tuesday followed the orientation and that was a shindig to be proud of :D There were many professional and respected members of Japanese society there, headteachers, presidents of companies, the Ambassador for Japan, the JET Programme Coordinator etc. There was also lots of tasty Japanese food being served as well as a never-ending supply of chamagne, wine and orange juice :) I must say, I'm quite a fussy eater so I'm going to have to spend a lot of time trying out new things to eat. This party was a good prelude to that. Yay.
Meh, gotta keep packing, got to keep tidying, got to keep trying to sell things on eBay. Bye bye >.<
Flight info
Yesterday the flight info for all of the UK JETs went up online. We all fly from London, Heathrow to Tokyo, Narita with British Airways (BA), Virgin Atlantic (VS) and Japan Airlines (JAL). I'm going to be on the VS flight.
This has led to a re-think of what I'm taking with me and what I'm sending ahead. All very taxing and tedious but it'll all be done soon enough.
If you're interested in the luggage allowance then you can check out this page...
http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/passengerinformation/baggage/index.jsp
I'm flying economy but I hear VS have free unlimited snacks. Hope it's true but I bet it isn't -_-
Us UK JET's have set up a closed group on facebook, which is a nice thing to be a part of. I like having all these people from home so easily accessible and I'm pretty sure it'll be one of many life-lines that'll keep me sane in Japan when I'm feeling isolated or lonely. Lord knows I'll probably feel that way at least once :S One of the perks of culture shock, I guess. Shrug.
Right now, I'm putting away all the JET stuff I made and received when going through the application process. My personal statement, the postcard they sent back, invitation to an interview, the congratulatory letter, stating that I'd passed the 2nd stage of the screening process and needed to send of a mesh of paperwork before officially being offered a placement on the JET Programme... Ah, happy memories.
Ooh! The Brunel stuff... See next Blog "London Orientation" ^_^
This has led to a re-think of what I'm taking with me and what I'm sending ahead. All very taxing and tedious but it'll all be done soon enough.
If you're interested in the luggage allowance then you can check out this page...
http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/passengerinformation/baggage/index.jsp
I'm flying economy but I hear VS have free unlimited snacks. Hope it's true but I bet it isn't -_-
Us UK JET's have set up a closed group on facebook, which is a nice thing to be a part of. I like having all these people from home so easily accessible and I'm pretty sure it'll be one of many life-lines that'll keep me sane in Japan when I'm feeling isolated or lonely. Lord knows I'll probably feel that way at least once :S One of the perks of culture shock, I guess. Shrug.
Right now, I'm putting away all the JET stuff I made and received when going through the application process. My personal statement, the postcard they sent back, invitation to an interview, the congratulatory letter, stating that I'd passed the 2nd stage of the screening process and needed to send of a mesh of paperwork before officially being offered a placement on the JET Programme... Ah, happy memories.
Ooh! The Brunel stuff... See next Blog "London Orientation" ^_^
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Placement info!
Within hours of my last post, the mail man arrived and delivered my placement information :)
Since then, I've been busy contacting as many people out there as possible and doing lots of overtime to save up for my travels.
For the people researching the JET Programme and reading this months or years from now, I'm going to detail what awaits you... For everyone else, you might want to skip this one :P
A large, white envelope from the JICC arrived and within it was my placement location, a congratulatory letter from the Embassy of Japan, MIC, MOFA, MEXT and CLAIR, reminders about sending off your paperwork for the Visa, a schedule for the two day orientation course in London, an invitation to meet the Ambassador of Japan at a reception, and last but not least, a 255 page bi-lingual General Information Handbook (GIH).
If your letter says something like... "PLACEMENT - You have been placed in Kochi Prefecture. This is the most detailed information regarding your placement that is currently available." then you'll likely be a Prefectural ALT, which means you'll probably end up in the city and working in a high school. When I applied for the JET programme I choose Mie, Shiga and Hyogo. My placement isn't one of those three choices but I wanted to be in the south in the warmth so I'm pretty lucky :) If it says "You have been placed in Nankoku, Kochi Prefecture" then you'll be a munincipal ALT and will probably be living in a more rural area and working in a mixture of elementary and high schools. I was expecting to work with elementary students based on my volunteering at a primary school but I guess fate has other plans in store for me...
The congratulatory letter includes a welcome in to the organistaion and some safety announcements about the current climate in Japan. There are also some numbers and info from the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) and JETAA UK who set up cultural events, networking and pub nights. Check out jetaa.org.uk/events for more info.
At this point in the process you really don't want to miss your deadlines for sending in paperwork. Without a visa, you CAN'T participate so keep in contact with your local embassy to keep abreast of any problems. A visa application form is included in this pack which you have to fill in and hand in at the orientation in July.
All info about the 2011 JET Programme pre-departure orientation course is included. It takes place at Brunel University from the 4-5th July for which we will be provided with overnight accommodation. Here, we will receive a welcome address, an introduction to CLAIR, advice from The FCO and info about travel and flights. In the afternoon there are lectures on the Japanese education system, workshops on TEFL and some Japanese language lessons. The next day includes more workshops and language lessons.
Orientation ends at 4pm on July 5th followed by a reception at the Embassy of Japan, London. I'll write more about that after I've been.
The GIH for 2011 and includes a DVD about life in Japan as an ALT or CIR. You can read it yourself here http://www.jetprogramme.org/e/current/pubs/gih.html. It's brilliant and I read the entire pdf two years ago. Doesn't seem like much has changed either.
Since the 17th June, I've joined a yahoo group for my prefecture, messaged people living there about the city, the schools and what to bring. I'm still waiting to hear from my predecessor but fingers crossed I won't have to wait much longer! Bye byeee
Since then, I've been busy contacting as many people out there as possible and doing lots of overtime to save up for my travels.
For the people researching the JET Programme and reading this months or years from now, I'm going to detail what awaits you... For everyone else, you might want to skip this one :P
A large, white envelope from the JICC arrived and within it was my placement location, a congratulatory letter from the Embassy of Japan, MIC, MOFA, MEXT and CLAIR, reminders about sending off your paperwork for the Visa, a schedule for the two day orientation course in London, an invitation to meet the Ambassador of Japan at a reception, and last but not least, a 255 page bi-lingual General Information Handbook (GIH).
If your letter says something like... "PLACEMENT - You have been placed in Kochi Prefecture. This is the most detailed information regarding your placement that is currently available." then you'll likely be a Prefectural ALT, which means you'll probably end up in the city and working in a high school. When I applied for the JET programme I choose Mie, Shiga and Hyogo. My placement isn't one of those three choices but I wanted to be in the south in the warmth so I'm pretty lucky :) If it says "You have been placed in Nankoku, Kochi Prefecture" then you'll be a munincipal ALT and will probably be living in a more rural area and working in a mixture of elementary and high schools. I was expecting to work with elementary students based on my volunteering at a primary school but I guess fate has other plans in store for me...
The congratulatory letter includes a welcome in to the organistaion and some safety announcements about the current climate in Japan. There are also some numbers and info from the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) and JETAA UK who set up cultural events, networking and pub nights. Check out jetaa.org.uk/events for more info.
At this point in the process you really don't want to miss your deadlines for sending in paperwork. Without a visa, you CAN'T participate so keep in contact with your local embassy to keep abreast of any problems. A visa application form is included in this pack which you have to fill in and hand in at the orientation in July.
All info about the 2011 JET Programme pre-departure orientation course is included. It takes place at Brunel University from the 4-5th July for which we will be provided with overnight accommodation. Here, we will receive a welcome address, an introduction to CLAIR, advice from The FCO and info about travel and flights. In the afternoon there are lectures on the Japanese education system, workshops on TEFL and some Japanese language lessons. The next day includes more workshops and language lessons.
Orientation ends at 4pm on July 5th followed by a reception at the Embassy of Japan, London. I'll write more about that after I've been.
The GIH for 2011 and includes a DVD about life in Japan as an ALT or CIR. You can read it yourself here http://www.jetprogramme.org/e/current/pubs/gih.html. It's brilliant and I read the entire pdf two years ago. Doesn't seem like much has changed either.
Since the 17th June, I've joined a yahoo group for my prefecture, messaged people living there about the city, the schools and what to bring. I'm still waiting to hear from my predecessor but fingers crossed I won't have to wait much longer! Bye byeee
Friday, 17 June 2011
Third blog :)
Okay, so it's been a while since my last blog but not much has happened since then. Admittedly, I did go to Seville for four days. I also received an email from the JET Programme on 6th June saying all the placement information would be late (I think the reason they sent out that email was because they were receiving so many calls and emails from worried applicants). BUT finally an update to twitter has left me feeling elated :D THEY'VE FINALLY POSTED OUT THE PLACEMENT INFORMATION!!!! YAAAAAYYYYY!!!!
So this means that sometime today or tomorrow I am going to receive the very thing I have waited over a month to receive. Doesn't sound like a long wait, does it? Well, it is when you can't stop thinking about it. I'll finally be able to finish packing now that I know where I'll be going.
Oh yeah, on Wednesday I joined the JET Programme Forums. I've previously browsed through it's pages when researching info for JET but there was never anything current in there. However, on Wednesday I finally found new threads :) Everyone was preparing for departure and I've even found the Brits after drifting through a sea of Americans :-/
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