JET Life: Until It’s Experienced…

 

 

“Oh I almost forgot to tell you, today…” Who hasn’t started a sentence using these exact words during their time on the JET program? Facing situations that most of our friends and family back home would simply find odd or unbelievable has in many ways become routine for us here in Japan. However, there are still those moments that give us pause and force us to remember where we are and what we are doing. Romantic poet John Keats may have put it best when he said, “Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced,” and during our JET experiences many unlikely things have indeed become a reality.

 

Tis’ the season

 

Thought I went to work without an umbrella… find one in my bag just as I venture into a typhoon; typhoon destroys umbrella. Well played. – Louie B.

 

I despise nature. It’s mosquito season. When I’m in charge, I’m going to concrete over everything. – Scott P.

 

My Wednesday ES has air con installed in the English room… but it can’t be used until September. – Rachel S

 

87% humidity…. No. – Maia M.

 

Yesterday I went tea leaf picking. There were mosquitoes. Today I can read braille off my arms… – Anonymous

 

JTE: Just like I cannot control my wife, you cannot control the weather. –SP

 

Just because it’s cloudy outside doesn’t mean you don’t need air conditioning in the bus/train. – RS

 

Welcome to the Monkey House

 

Teacher: Do you know Imaneru Kanto?

Me: …Immanuel Kant? A little bit.

Teacher: You are my Immanuel Kant.

Me: Oh?

Teacher: Every day, people saw him walking at 5:00, so they all said, “Oh, it’s 5:00!” Everyday, when you stand up, I know, “Oh, it is 3:55.” You are Immanuel Kant. – Ronaldo Ginsberg.

 

Today, a kid had a tooth fall out during class, and asked me if I wanted it as a present. – Natalie B.

 

My school has taco rice for lunch during the summer. Life made. – Brittany T.

 

Please take a moment of your time to complete this short ESL questionnaire I found on the internet:

 

Would you ever pretend to be someone (like a policeman, or a teacher, or a survey taker) just to get something that you wanted?

Would you ever drink your own urine?

Would you ever cheat on your husband/wife?

Would you ever consider being a criminal?

Would you ever adopt a child? Would you ever give your child up for adoption?

Would you ever eat rat meat? – SP

 

Two ducks have started hanging out at my school’s pool in the mornings (maybe staying there at night?). This is the best thing to happen since the vending machine people switched from only having one row of the good coffee milks to two rows (maybe even better). – Zadie O

 

Making my 2年生 try Vegemite as a batsu game. A few guys actually scrubbed their mouths out afterwards. – Cailtin C.

 

6th grader: Rachel-Sensei, your eyes are blue. Does that mean you see blue all the time? – RS

 

Three new student teachers doing teaching training for the next few weeks, and they’re all major eye candy… Jesus take the wheel… – MM.

 

There was a kid wearing a Blink 182 shirt in class today. I asked him “Where did you get that shirt?” and he literally replied “My homies” – NB

 

Idyllic Mayhem

 

The best part of Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki is that it looks like the unwanted child of a mop and a soiled dish sponge and is delicious. – RG

 

Adult life is when you spend $20.00 on cheese. – NB

 

A small part of me dies each time I check the Yen to Dollar exchange rate. – Erik J.

 

The shelf life of care package Reese’s is measured in hours not days. – Josh P.

 

Spent Â¥15,000 at 100Â¥ stores in 3 days… So. Many. Cute. Post-its. – NB

 

I spend 10 minutes looking longingly at $7 strawberries and $3 apples debating if they’re worth the purchase – MM

 

Compiled by Sean Mulvihill

 

If you have any quotes, comments, or situations you think best represent JET life, please feel free to send them into hyogotimespublications@gmail.com and share them with us all.

Comic by Dave Gutteridge with coloring from Eddie Jensen. Visit http://davegutteridge.com/ for more.