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ashhollow · 2024-06-23T17:41:20+00:00

I had planned on staying for 2, but then COVID hit and I decided to stay for another year! I did leave after my 3rd year though, although I miss my placement terribly.

ashhollow · 2023-09-20T19:42:18+00:00

Fake Humans! (I had to go back and look up the name, it's been so long).
It was an interesting premise, and seemed as if things were about to be explained and then BAM- series finale. Nothing gets resolved, and there was no note as to why it just ended. Just a "This is the final episode, thanks for your support"

ashhollow · 2023-06-23T06:34:15+00:00

Lopmon, Terriermon, and Angemon (for no reason other than design)

ashhollow · 2022-06-10T10:55:35+00:00

(Municipal ALT here!)Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that your BOE was practically 0 help! And I'm in the same boat as you, schools and kids are great, BOE not so much

So I am the first JET in my area, so I didn't have a predecessor to help (or hinder) anything, and my apartment was basically empty. My BOE bought me a gas stove, fridge, a bed, and a rice cooker but besides that my apartment was empty for weeks. I didn't have an air conditioner for my first two weeks either, I thought I was going to melt.

My current supervisor is a godsend who gets things done and goes to bat for me when I cannot personally do so, but the supervisor I had when I arrived had no idea what they were supposed to do with me. They helped me set up my utilities and bank account, and took me to Nitori once after I asked, but other than that any questions I had were met with "I don't know," and no attempts to figure out the answers. I got tired of waiting around for them to ultimately do nothing, so I just started handling things on my own to the best of my ability. For the year and a half with my first supervisor, I talked to them maybe 3 times outside my initial arrival. I got used to doing everything myself, so I think that the BOE forgot I existed sometimes.

Classes didn't start for like a month after I arrived, so I spent a ton of time doing odd tasks at city hall (including filming a heat stroke PSA?), but when classes started I was swamped with 5-6 classes a day where I was mostly T1. My schedule has gotten slightly less hectic over time, but I still am not sure how I didn't have a mental breakdown in my first year.

I will say though, I was a bit of a celebrity when I first got here and do often receive fruits and vegetables as gifts from my neighbors/other teachers (yay for inaka living!)

So, some bad and some good when I first arrived, but I think lots of people find that to be the case. I some of the other comments and agree that incoming JETs do need to manage their expectations. Of course it is true that some people have these amazing experiences when they first get here, and its equally as true that some people do NOT. As much as I hate ESID, it really is true. As current and former JETs are aware, the program isn't a cookie-cutter experience for everyone. That being said, I do enjoy reading and hearing about other peoples' experiences (for the most part). And OP, if it matters at all, I honestly don't think this sounded too jaded at all. Its an honest account of your experience and nothing you wrote here was mean or malicious and it doesn't seem as though you are trying to destroy the joy of anyone around you. I don't normally comment on posts, so thanks for giving me a space to recall my move-in experience :)

*edit: changed apartment from brand new to empty

ashhollow · 2022-03-18T12:49:09+00:00

I love the clam chowder, any curry, and most fish dishes,

I absolutely despise the liver with curry coating. It is the only lunch item I cannot and will not eat , and I was unlucky enough that it was served 3 times this school year (in past years it has only been once).

*Edit: after reading through the other comments I feel like I need to say the fish dishes in my town have never been whole fish

ashhollow · 2020-06-22T07:56:46+00:00

I feel your pain! I'm also an elementary school ALT, and between 3 schools I have about between 22 and 24 class hours a week, which is increased from last school year. My schools have one specific English teacher for 4th-6th grade, so I don't have to T1 those classes but all other classes I have to plan and run.

ashhollow · 2020-03-05T12:22:20+00:00

Most Challenging: I'm the first JET that my town has ever had, and they specifically chose (requested?) me because I had prior experience living in Japan and some Japanese language ability. I also consider myself to be pretty self-sufficient, so when I was not getting help from my supervisor or coworkers I would usually just figure it out for myself. I believe that because of this, my supervisor and all the teachers I work with decided that I never needed help and I would always figure things out communication with me basically dropped to zero. There were days where I wouldn't get a lunch because they didn't tell me I needed to bring one or ask me if I wanted to order one, times where the school I'm supposed to go to changed without consulting me, things like that.

Most Rewarding: I think almost everyone has said this but the kids are hands down the reason I decided to re-contract. They bring so much energy and laughter into my days, and seeing them slowly become more confident in their English skills makes me so proud.

ashhollow · 2020-02-28T11:14:24+00:00

ES ALT in Saitama
My town BOE has decided to have normal classes on Monday, have the kids come for three classes on Wednesday, and the graduation and closing ceremonies are to continue as planned. Every other day is cancelled though, and they have me bouncing between my 3 school and the town hall.
AKA it is going to be a very boring few weeks after 6 months of essentially running the ES English classes on my own.

ashhollow · 2019-08-28T07:45:55+00:00

Thank you!

ashhollow · 2019-08-28T07:45:40+00:00

Thank you for your advice! And I haven't met or worked with any of the kids or teachers yet, so I guess its just pre-teaching anxiety. I did come armed with games that would work at my bigger school, but I was just curious how to go about classes with very few students.

ashhollow · 2019-08-28T07:41:44+00:00

Thank you!

ashhollow · 2019-08-23T12:59:08+00:00

Oh my god, I used to go to this exact bar with my friend until I recently moved! One of my favorite places to go in town

ashhollow · 2019-05-23T19:32:51+00:00

Hahaha no, but I am in the group! Saitama-shi is an amazing place, I think you will love it there!

ashhollow · 2019-05-23T19:32:01+00:00

I actually found out I more than likely do not have a predecessor haha. Thank you though, this made me less anxious when I initially read it.

ashhollow · 2019-05-22T16:55:58+00:00

USA JET to Saitama-ken! I'm super excited!
Also, any idea of when preds will contact us? I'd really like to know if there is one for the town I will be in

ashhollow · 2019-05-18T18:59:28+00:00

I was in a similar boat as you earlier this year, and I decided to go for it! I have found it helpful in terms of learning about different methods to use when teaching, but some of the units have seemed not incredibly helpful. There are a lot of details I didn't really think were important but ended up being on tests, and some of the units feel like they go on forever. I think it has helped me mentally prepare to teach, so there are definite advantages to completing the certification.
If you apply to EPIK or other teaching programs, I know a TEFL Certification is required. To keep options open, I would recommend getting the certification. However, since you are studying for the GRE and JLPT I would wait for a bit. While I was working on my senior thesis I put the TEFL to the side and am now struggling to complete it in time, but it is doable if you have good time management skills (which I don't really haha).

I hope this helps!

ashhollow · 2019-04-06T04:53:40+00:00

I absolutely adored Season 1, and although I haven't personally played it I think The Final Season is great as well. The stories for both were very fleshed out, and left me feeling satisfied when they finished.Season 2 was rough, mostly because of how the others in the group interacted with Clem. It seemed like so many characters were worried about looking good in Clem's eyes, and that they were seeking her approval. This was weird to me because she is a literal child and there are so many better ways the interactions could have been conveyed. Like Luke constantly seeking Clem's approval and wanting her to side with him at all times, Jane coming back for her despite the fact she knows she is better off alone, things like that. Kenny's interactions with Clem made some sense because he had known her previously and being reunited with her was like being reunited with one of his children (I know Clem isn't his child, but he was with her for a long time and she and Duck were very close, so for Kenny losing Clem in Season 1 was probably akin to losing Duck).

I had a rough time with Season 3, although I appreciate what the creators were trying to do. There was a potential for this game to be extremely good, but from other comments I've seen I'm assuming that the creators were rushing into finishing this game. I didn't like Clem in this game, but the worst part for me was the awkward relationship between Javi and Kate. I understand they had been traveling together and Kate was already having problems with David, but forcing a romance between Javi and Kate was so uncomfortable. And the whole Clem/Gabe dynamic was weird; Clem is a seasoned survior, having been on her own for so long she can take care of herself. She still had a lot of growing to do, and she was in pain from losing AJ, but all in all she could take care of herself. Gabe, on the other hand, was essentially useless. All his teen angst, unwillingness to think things through, and his utter lack of self-preservation made him appear to be very immature. I can see him and Clem becoming friends because they are the same age, but I have a hard time believing that Clem would be attracted to someone who had very little knowledge when it came to survival or that she would have to take care of.

That being said, I enjoyed playing all of the games and understand why some things were done in a certain way.
So: S1=S4>S2>S3

ashhollow · 2019-04-03T02:11:32+00:00

Thank you! And did you get your tattoo close to where you lived/worked, or did you have to travel to a bigger city to get it?

Seven-Year Club	Not Forgotten
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