"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!"

I have applied to the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, and I am waiting impatiently for the interview candidates to be released (by early Feburary...I check every day). I was so prepared to apply that I sent my application in the day it was released.  I haven't wanted a goal so fervently since I dreamt one day of going to college.

It is really scary - wanting and hoping for something - because, when hope isn't occupying my heart, a deep and feroucious self-doubt sprints right in. Hope and doubt are two sides of the same coin. 

When we play games together, Tom has told me to, "play as if you are going to win." Don't make concessions or back-up plans. Don't play defensively. Go for the win. And while that might be an effective gaming strategy, in life the odds are usually stacked against you, especially in the job market. I'm trying to play as if I am going to win.

I missed the chance to study abroad in Australia during college for two reasons. 1) I probably couldn't have afforded it. 2) I was wait-listed, and I planned for defeat. I found a summer job. I signed a lease. I ended up getting into the program at the last minute, but I had set myself up for failure, and I declined. 

So this time, I am planning for success. I have a "hope chest" for Japan (okay, it's a cardboard box). I am doing so much research, learning Japanese, networking, planning. This time, I am creating a series of events that will lead me to achieving my goal.

I have been doing some quick internet research about JET acceptance rates. While no exact figures have been released, here is an approximation:

Q.  What percentage of ALT applicants ends up participating in the JET Program? 

 The ALT applicant success rate varies from year to year. For the last few years the acceptance rate hovered near 15%, although it was previously closer to 30%.

15% isn't much. 

(British) forums say:

• "Its not as bad as it seems. Bare in mind a lot of people will be very half arsed with their forms and miss a lot out. Then a lot of complete socially inept morons will apply. Lots of people will have no experience of anything except having seen every episode of dragonballz.The actual odds in terms of proper, good candidates for the job will be more like 1 in 2.
• Some seeming "high quality" candidates might get rejected because the selectors assume they don't really know what JET is about. They want people to be assistant teachers, and also people with an interest in learning about Japan. Somebody who is/is almost a 'proper' teacher or who has already studied Japanese culture and history at a high level will probably just get bored of it and go home early.On the other hand a flabby otaku will spend the whole time collecting anime, stinking and whining that Japan isn't what they expected (IE wierdly enough the whole country isn't one big Akihabara).So they probably want somebody in the middle.

Strengths of my application are my TEFL certification, experience in schools, interest in Japan, promptness of my application (they are processed first-come-first-served), and I went to a good college.

Weaknesses are my lack of international travel, and probably a weakness in my essay in regards to teaching about my own culture, which is a big part of the JET program. My transcript is decent, but not a shining star.

Here the qualifications JET recommends: http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JET/jobs_alt.html

I am so nervous. Rejection will be like doubt sneaks in, eats a bite of the hope that resides in my heart, and then poops it out and leaves a little waste there so each time I try to hope, it will smell poop in the air and dissappate. Hmm, that was a weird metaphor.

If you have ever hoped for something as strongtly as I am hoping, you will be familiar with this...sort of paradox...hope and doubt. Wanting something is setting yourself up for success and failure, and whichever comes, comes. Be prepared to either see epic rejoicing if I get an interview, or some kind of unpredictable reaction to failure (probably shock, then disappointment, then utter determination to get in next year because I'm a stubborn idiot.)

Let's end on a hopeful note:

"With the realization of ones own potential and self-confidence in ones ability, one can build a better world. According to my own experience, self-confidence is very important. That sort of confidence is not a blind one; it is an awareness of ones own potential. On that basis, human beings can transform themselves by increasing the good qualities and reducing the negative qualities." ~dalai lama

"Self-confidence is knowing that we have the capacity to do something good and firmly decide not to give up." ~also dalai lama

Photos from my Great Grandmother

My Japanese Ancestry

At the December Japan American Society of Minnesota (JASM) Bonenkai, I spoke with a JASM member named Gloria Kumagai who inspired me to research my Japanese ancestry. And on Christmas Eve, I spoke with my great grandfather to gain a more detailed understanding of my Japanese great grandmother's history. She was born on November 28, 1925 in Yokohama, Japan. Her father owned a bike business. My great grandparents were married on December 7th, 1951 (a decade to the day after Pearl Harbor). She followed the Shinto religion and really enjoyed sewing. My great-great grandmother's name was Hamaji, but my great grandfather called her "mochi tomodachi" or "little rice ball friend" :)
   He had a stockpile of photos that my Grandma Jo had brought from Japan, as well as many that were taken in the United States. It was a wonderful experience, collecting these memories and oral history that I can share with my descendants.

   My grandmother, Manami (McAllen) Holmes was born in Yokohama, Japan in 1947. She was raised there until she was 5 years old, and in 1952 they immigrated to the United States. The photographs from Japan were beautiful and very telling of what life was like in Japan at that time. I have included some of my favorites in the next post. Grandpa Bob allowed me to take the photos with me to scan and make copies to share with my family. I was also able to mount the photos for him to hang on his wall, so he can look at them as often as he wishes to. 

  I was able to get the address of my great uncle in the Hodogaya neighborhood of Yokohama, and his name: Kazuo Tago. I found out that I had two great aunts living in the U.S., one whom has passed away and other, Shi-chan, who may still live in Rhode Island. If I am accepted to JET, Grandpa Bob will send a letter to Japan, and hopefully I will be able to connect with some of my relatives!

  Also, Grandpa Bob allowed me to read a story that he wrote about meeting Grandma Jo, and here is an excerpt: 

  We went to the Grand Dance Hall, it was housed in what was a large bank building, that went out of business.  The dance hall room had high vaulted ceilings, with office like rooms along the sides of this rather large room.  We entered and took a table, and began to enjoy the most tasty of beers I‘ve ever experienced.  The ladies were well dressed in long gowns, they were neat in appearance, and most were good looking too.

  The Japanese band’s music was very good and they played mostly Glenn Miller’s arrangements.  If you closed your eyes you would swear you were back home listening to the real thing.  I didn’t know how to dance very well so I didn’t engage a hostess to be with me at our table.  George and Orval both got girls as soon they were in, and danced with them.

We had to buy dance tickets, as that was the way the girls made money.  George said, “Hey Bob at least ask a girl to come and sit by you!”, about that same moment I spotted an oriental jewel, she was about 50 feet away from our table, but she glowed brightly and truly excited me.  I jumped to my feet and headed out across the dance floor toward this jewel, and over my shoulder I said “Anything you guys say.”  Before I could reach her some ‘Fish eyed’ GI, (His eyes sort of bulged out, thus the fish eyed GI), was in front of her and pulling her arm to dance with him.  I soon reached them and said “I got more tickets, now lets dance!”, like it was all arranged some time back.  Her response to me was “Yes, I would NOW like to dance with you.”, she was playing into the game I had started.   I didn’t need to hear the band’s music, her voice was like music to my ear and in good English.  As we headed out on the floor, I said  to “fish eye“ she will be busy the rest of the night, you better go find someone else.”

2012 JET Application

   Well, my application for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program has long been turned in, and now I am playing the waiting game until I hear back about whether or not I have been selected to interview. Notification will be by early February, so any day now. Applications are processed on a first-come first-served basis, and I sent my application in on the first day, so that is on my side. JET kept delaying the release of the application, so I was able to gather all the necessary components in the meantime based on last year's application. 

   However, I read that if you miss a single signature, your application will be thrown out. I am a detail-oriented person, but everyone makes mistakes, especially on an application that is very long. I am so anxious to find out; the tension is killing me! 
   Since applications are closed, I will post my Statement of Purpose here:
   Dream, plan, achieve. This axiom is vibrantly printed on the front of every student’s planner at the middle school where I work. It is a phrase that I hope to follow in becoming a JET ALT, and a message of self-efficacy that I hope to instill in Japanese students.
   My dream of being accepted into the JET Program and my interest in Japan are in part due to my Japanese heritage. My great grandmother emigrated from Yokohama, Japan to the United States in the 1950’s. Though she has passed on, some Japanese culture has persisted in my life. I inherited my great-grandmother’s Go game, complete with hand-written numbers. I have an interest in Japanese cuisine, and I have learned to make kampyo sushi, my great grandmother’s favorite. The opportunities to travel, advance my Japanese language ability, and participate in cultural exchange through community relationships would be indispensable.
   As soon as I heard about JET, I took every possible step to plan. I requested nearly every book about Japan from the library and read the JET journals. I connected with program alumni from Minnesota, reached out to contacts in Japan, and made new ones through friends and family. I enrolled in a Japanese language course through community education and used workbooks and software for self-teaching. I became a member of The Japan America Society of Minnesota and participated in their speaking groups. Through my efforts to learn Japanese, I have gained a tremendous amount of empathy and respect for every language learner’s bravery and persistence.
   My education has prepared me for a position as an ALT. My alma-mater, Macalester College, greatly contributed to my interest in global cultures, and I completed the internationalism and multiculturalism graduation requirements. I have been trained by the Minnesota Literacy Council as a certified tutor to help children and adults build English language skills. Additionally, by May 2012 I will have a TEFL certification from Hamline University with over 100 hours of instruction and over 40 hours of classroom experience.
   Working with youth is a passion that has taken my life in many directions. I provided environmental education at public wildflower garden, was a reading buddy for and tutor for English-learners at a library, and was an event assistant at the Minnesota Children’s Museum. These experiences have cultivated important professional characteristics including integrity, responsibility, and flexibility. I have learned when working with youth, a positive, enthusiastic attitude and patience are the most essential characteristics. Similarly, these characteristics will assist me in adapting to life in Japan.
   I am currently completing a second term of national service as an AmeriCorps member, teaching math at a middle school. A central component of the AmeriCorps program is community service, and I took an active role in my community serving over 200 hours through coaching soccer and basketball and volunteering with various Twin Cities non-profit organizations. Transitioning from national service to international service would help me thread together civic engagement on local, national, and international levels.
   The JET program aligns with my personal and professional goals and my education and employment have prepared me for a position as an ALT. In the spirit of Japanese gift-giving, I want to give back to Japan much more than this opportunity will give me. I want to share my own culture, finding similarities with those in my community and celebrating our differences. I hope to spread a positive outlook about what foreigners, particularly Americans, can be, and to encourage international travel and cultural exchange in my community. Now, all that’s left for me is to Achieve. 

Japan America Society of Minnesota

I recently became a member of the Japan America Society of Minnesota. One perk of membership is that you can participate in events like The 4th Annual JASM Bonenkai and Kanna Club which took place on Thursday, Dec 15 from at Kikugawa Restaurant in Minneapolis. The Bonenkai is an end-of-the-year celebration with friends over food and drink. Kanna Club is a monthly event that is designed to help people who are interested in Japan network and meet people with the same interests.  

The Bonenkai was a wonderful event with delicious food! I was able to meet others applying to the JET Program, the Vice President of the JET Alumni Association of Minnesota, and a third generation Japanese who encouraged me to find out about my Japanese ancestry, which sparked my interest and some research that I will blog about in the future. 

While in the United States we celebrate both the end of a year and the beginning of a new one in our New Year's celebration, the Japanese have two distinct holidays. Shinnenkai is the celebration of the New Year, and I will be volunteering and attending this event on January 15, 2012. I will also be attending the next Kanna Club which will be held on January 24th.