The journey to JET

Oh my goodness. It all started 7 months ago. I sent in my application for the JET program. Almost missed the deadline because I only heard about the program 3 weeks before and UWI held me up forever trynna get a transcript. I Fed Ex-ed the application two days before the deadline and it get there the morning of the deadline. But it get there.

Then February was the interview. I drove myself crazy with the wait, because they give you this whole list of deadlines and it says that the interviews will be in January/ February so coming on to the end of February, I was about to have a heart attack. Then I was almost late for the interview but barely made it in time. I felt that I was decent afterwards but I wasn't sure if I shone enough.

Then in May, I got an email from a predecessor??? He said that there were 3 JETs there and they were all leaving so there'd be 3 New JETs in the coming year. He said he wasn't sure who would have whose post or whose house, but he did know that we were all going to Iwate-ken Ichinohe-machi (Iwate Prefecture, Ichinohe town). He told us about our town. How it's large but very small, population wise. How it's very country -inaka, the best ever word I've heard for rural- the nearest McDonald's is 100 km away. But it's nice. Schools are small and that means you can really concentrate on individual students. He gave me a whole list of things to bring and not to bring and lots of advice. He also provided me with the other new JETs emails and a female JET for female info. All in all Scott was very helpful and I think one of the biggest reasons that I am not more freaked out than I am about leaving is because of Scott.

June was a flurry of activity. I got my Fed Ex fromt he Embassy with the General Information hand book - about a 1/4 of the size of a phone book full of info in English and Japanese, and the Japanese for JETs book and Cd's . Also I received my package from my contracting organisation, Ichinohe-machi, the welcome letter, the terms and conditions, and a brochure on my town. And suddenly it was real- I AM GOING TO JAPAN!!! And on top of all that, I got into it online. A JET friend from Trinidad invited me to a facebook group for JETs from the Caribbean and the forums I found there and in other JET groups on facebook. And then I got into I think I'm lost and the official Jet website and Mel's Adventures in Japan and now I am so psyched.

So it's the 1st of July. In exactly one month I leave from Trinidad to get to Japan. I am due to arrive there the 3rd and my Orientation starts the 4th! Oh my goodness. In a month! AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!