Towards the end of yesterday’s post, I alluded to what I referred to as the “freedom of perception” I’ve gained through working for the JET Programme over the past three and a half years. As promised, this post will attempt to provide a more in-depth discussion of what exactly that means.
Before I get on with it, I must admit that I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of readers generated by the prior post. This came as a surprise given that the audience I had in mind when I first posted it were other fellow JETs that I have on Facebook. Since clearly a lot of you may not be familiar with what “JET”, short for the “Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program,” I thought I’d provide a bit of background for clarity’s sake.
Very briefly... JET is essentially one of the largest cultural exchange programs of its kind in the world, and it is run by three Japanese government ministries. Started in 1987, JET’s basic mandate is “aimed at promoting grass-roots international exchange between Japan and other nations.” Every year, the program welcomes a little over 4,000 participants from 39 different countries to work as either Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs), my current position, Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs)... which is an amazing opportunity if you have the sufficient Japanese level that is required, and the less common Sports Coordinators for International Relations (SEAs). All participants sign a one-year contract, usually beginning in late July or August, and decide on a year-to-year basis if they want to renew their contract. Although JETs are encouraged to provide their top three places where they will like to be placed prior to their arrival, their choice is no guarantee. The placement can range between large metropolises (Tokyo is rare), suburbs or more likely the countryside (where I’m at). Staying for a maximum of five years is possible as long as there is agreement between the JETs’ local employers such as their respective Prefectural Board of Education (BoE) or any other corresponding agency.
In any event, it’s not difficult to find more in-depth information about it online for all those interested, but if you know me well... I’m sure you can see why jumping into it was a no-brainer for me. So... having been a part of it for almost four years now... has inevitably led me to become quite fond of it. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some pretty nasty reviews of it out there from former JETs who may not have had a very positive experience while being in the program. Naturally, it is by no means perfect and lot of effort, time, and resources are spent every year trying to improve it... for better or for worse (mostly for the better though). The bottom line is, and I think a lot of fellow JETs out there would agree, that the attitude with which you approach your position and particular situation is what ultimately determines the type of experience you get out of it by the time you finally decide to move on to your next chapter.
As I mentioned earlier in Part I, one of the greatest things I believe I have gained over the last few years in JET is the fact that in my particular position and situation, having the role of an “assistant” has meant one thing: learning to humble myself. What I meant to say is that coming into the program back in 09’, I was extremely optimistic about the ideas I was bringing with me to take on my new position. Particularly since so many of those ideas had worked so well in Beijing and Shanghai just a few years earlier. However, by the end of my first month, once the excitement of getting to know the new “foreigner teacher” had died down at my school and regular classes were back to “normal”... it became very clear to me that the only place where many of those plans and ideas could go was the nearest garbage bin to my desk in the staff room...
Fortunately, that realization did not crush my desire to simply accept my situation for what it was and continue flowing with the flow... and boy... did I flow! It wasn’t long before I gained a good understanding of what was expected out of me, and more importantly, how I could go above those expectations without “disrupting the peace”... or stepping out of my role too much. In other words, I came to terms with what my role was and the reality that regardless of how much I thought (or know) I could be utilized, the system that is in place is too BIG for me to change it alone. But that’s okay.
It’s okay because it taught me a valuable lesson. The fact that within my role I could learn much more than I could have possibly anticipated had those restrictions were not set in place. Since I needed not to be concerned too much with being in the “spotlight” (at least for the most part...), I was able to learn how to “blend in the background”. Something which I had learned about in many of my Anthropology classes at UBC. In essence, I discovered the role of being the perfect “participant observer,” a type of ethnographer if you please.
The beauty of this role for all those who understand it, is that when not all-eyes are on you, you can set your own eyes on everyone else. Suddenly, I realized that the only person in the entire school that has access to every single classroom and students is me. Furthermore, I'm the only one who knows how teachers A, B, C, D, E, & F really work. As a result, I can dedicate a great deal of my time at school to two of the things people nowadays barely have time for: observing and thinking. There is a post I wrote exactly two years ago which I think helps put what I mean into perspective. Click here: “In This Room...”
Can you imagine how much one can learn by simply walking through isles and isles of students that make up a junior high school of 700 kids? Or of seeing them grow and change from grade to grade, especially from 1st grade all the way to graduation?
Can you imagine how much you can accomplish when you get a little off time each day with nowhere else to go but your desk or a library (all the while, receiving a delicious lunch and a more than generous paycheck)? Or perhaps, imagine how big (or small) of an influence you can have when you decide (without needing to be asked) to showcase a part of your own culture to individuals who had never before come across something similar in their lifetime?
Well, even if that’s hard to imagine, perhaps having half-day Fridays every week for the past 3.5 years with about two months of annual paid vacation time to explore as many of the amazing things that this country and land has to offer... among other sweet perks, is a little easier... but I think it’s not hard to understand where I’m coming from.
All I can say is that year after year, I have never failed to learn something valuable thanks to this amazing opportunity. In so many ways, it has filled up my hands with invaluable experiences both inside and outside the classroom. But perhaps more importantly, my time here has allowed me to help empty out a lot of my own preconceived opinions and cultural biases from my own glass in order to give way and open up room to new levels of perception.
In essence, the last few years have helped me define how it is I intend to build a life for myself in this land, in the company of my own family.
So here’s to saying YES to YEAR FIVE and the opportunity to put a final period on a chapter that has helped change my life in the most unimaginable way.
As for the next chapter? I’m not there yet, but it sure looks good from here... for as I heard a good friend recently say, what entrepreneurship ultimately comes down to is:
"...spending a few years of your life in a way most people won’t, so that you can live the rest of your life in a way most people can’t."
It all begins with perception.
