Sorry I've been away all this time, everyone! Honestly, I've had many opportunities to update this blog, but I just got lazy...haha. Now that I see it getting viewed by more people, I feel the need to at least post a quick summary of what life has been like since my last entry (over a year ago!).
Let's see.....I've done A LOT of traveling. I did some counting and I've been to 12 prefectures! There are still so many places I want to see, but I'm planning on staying 3 years total, so I think I can make it happen. Other than that, I've settled into the ALT position fairly well. It has its ups and downs, but overall it's not a bad gig. I'd have to say my least favorite thing about it is how much time I end up spending at my desk. I'm at 2 middle schools - one of which keeps me pretty busy and I really like it, the other, not so much. I usually only have 1-2 classes a day there, and the rest of the time there is nothing to do. I'm required to stay until 4:30pm, regardless of when my classes are done. I use the time to study Japanese and catch up on the reading I've always wanted to get to. My Japanese has definitely improved, though not as much as I would have hoped. I'm still trying to pass JLPT Level N3.
I would try to get involved in some club activities, or start up a new one myself, but since I switch schools so much (I go to an elementary school on some Tuesdays, and City Hall on Wednesday afternoons), it's pretty much impossible. I have had some chances to help out international students from the Philippines and Peru, and do some light translating work. On the bright side, I like all my JTEs (I've only had problems teaching with 1-2 of them, but nothing too serious). For the most part, the students are awesome. They make me laugh on a regular basis. I absolutely love my elementary school and wish I could be there more.
I've been recently fighting some major homesickness, which I've heard is pretty normal for a 2nd year JET like myself. I'm going to be flying home for Christmas this year, though! I haven't been to the U.S. since August 2012, and I really miss my family and friends. In the meantime, I've been trying to focus on the things I love about Japan (like delicious curry)! There is a big group of ALTs here in Mie-ken that have been friendly and supportive, which has helped me greatly. I have some Japanese friends, too, but sadly I don't get to see them much outside of work because they stay so busy! Also, there aren't many people my age that live in this small city. Most seem to live in the Mie capital city next to us, Tsu.
I hope those of you applying for 2014 are doing well gathering all the info for the application packet! Good luck!
Maybe you'll be hearing from me again soon? I make no promises! Hah. However, if you do have questions, I'll try to answer them in comment form ASAP!
Great post!
ReplyDeletewhat are the bad things you don't like about being an ALT?
ReplyDeleteIt varies from placement to placement of course, but here's problems I experienced in varying degrees on and off:
ReplyDelete1) Teacher/ALT relationships - teachers not knowing or not wanting to work with ALTs, unwillingness to collaborate,etc. You have to accept that this position is low on the totem pole and go with the flow. Most teachers I worked with were very kind, though.
2) The education system: not being able to play games/do activities with students as much as you'd like because students have to study for tests
3) Communication issues between schools, board of education, and CLAIR (Official JET offices). Not getting paperwork in a timely manner.
Despite these things, I would still recommend JET because I feel the benefits outweigh the negatives.
Oh, and as mentioned in this blog post, boredom. If you find yourself with no classes, ask teachers if you can help them with anything. They'd usually give me some papers to grade, which helped some.
ReplyDelete