A Miyazaki JET’s Perspective
Alex Boake
As a first year SHS ALT living in Miyazaki Prefecture, transitioning to life in Japan was—of course—a major adjustment, as I’m sure it is for many. As a Canadian, getting used to Kyushu’s hot and humid climate was probably the biggest challenge of all. (Not to mention the seriously gigantic insects that are able to flourish in these sub-tropical conditions.) There are many things about becoming a JET that you have no control over. Although you do get to submit your top-list for placement, where you actually end up is out of your hands. That being said, I wouldn’t change a thing about my situation. The people of Miyazaki are reportedly some of the friendliest people in the already friendly nation of Japan. From the very start I’ve felt welcomed and supported by my community, and have been able to make friends at work and in my neighbourhood, despite my sometimes limited Japanese speaking ability. Not every placement is perfect but there will always be some way to make a connection and have an excellent time.
One way I was able to increase my engagement and strengthen my link with my students at my high school was to start up an English Lunch. The students at my school are all quite academic and thus quite busy with studying and other extracurricular activities. Whereas at Elementary and JHS you may be required to eat lunch with the students, at SHS that’s generally not the case. A fourth-year JET talked about his own school’s English Lunch at one of our prefectural orientations, which is what gave me the idea. Inviting interested students to join me for lunch and chat more casually in English about various topics has allowed them more opportunities for low-pressure, real-world conversation practice.
This past Christmas, my core group of English Lunch attendees decided that they’d really like to throw a party for their classmates. It was to be a surprise, so we kept the whole thing very hush-hush. As a group we spent the weeks before preparing hand-made loot bags and crafts, customized for each of their 40 classmates. One student took the time to create a playlist and picked out English music to play at the event. Decked out in Daiso-bought reindeer antlers and Santa hats, we ushered their unsuspecting classmates in to the English room. It was a hit! Everyone was having fun, especially my English Lunch members who had put in all their hard work to prepare the event.
In short, giving up my lunch break to spend more time with my students was one of the best things I started doing this year. It’s shown my school my willingness to put in the extra effort, and has strengthened my relationship with my students. I’m looking forward to the coming year, to getting acquainted with the new first year students, and to putting together a few more special events for us all to enjoy. Being on JET is certainly a wonderful opportunity to create precious memories.