JET Life: Until It’s Experienced

 

Laugh, cry, use acronyms like SMH, WTF, LOL, and FML all while reading these JET experiences.

 

Welcome to the Monkey House

 

So it’s official, if you change the rules of kings cup/box head and add candy and tokens to the mix …it becomes a pretty badass English game! And here I was thinking it would never be a useful skill – Ashlie O.

 

When a 3年生 yells, “pen is” down the hall and you have to fight the urge to correct the pronunciation. – Sean M.

 

That sort of awkward moment when you realize that you might have accidentally terrorized a student into doing his bookwork (instead of letting him stare at the air). Hard to say if that’s a win or not… – Joy S.

 

Japanese teacher (talking about English Enkai this Friday): “Japanese people speak more English when we are drunk because we have more confidence. Friday is a good chance! We can record the final exam when we get drunk! Hmm. We should drink before class…the students should too.” – Erika H.

 

Draft 5 Complete *slams head on desk* – Maia M.

Me: I can’t believe how reluctant (boy student) and (girl student) were to work with each other.

JTE: It’s not so unusual. You know it’s a pretty recent thing for girls to go to school. It use to be only boys who received an education.

Me: Really? How recent?

JTE: The start of the Meiji Era.

Me: Oh…You mean 1868… – SM.

 

Tis’ the season

It’s back to ‘Emma you’re so red’, ‘Emma why are you so red, are you ok?’, ‘AH! RED! VERY RED FACE!’. Summers in Japan when schools refuse to use the air con – Emma C.

 

Woke up to a scary roaring sound. No big deal, it’s only THE SKY FALLING. Crazy monsoon alarm clock. – EC

 

Idyllic Mayhem

 

The whiteboard at the front of the JHS staff room today says: “NO 残業 DAY!” I’m really glad that the school is finally telling the teachers to go home at a reasonable time at least one day of the year. I’m taking it to heart and leaving at lunchtime! – Rachel S.

 

Apparently, it only took 3 years for a teacher to build up the courage to ask if my name is spelled with an R or an L.　– Ronaldo Ginsberg

 

Nothing like coming home to an ice cold bottle of jungleman calorie off after a hard days work. – Scott P.

 

Being an adult means that it’s ok for me to just go home and go to bed after work, right? – Zadie O.

 

Even my English speaking friends don’t understand me…. ‘faff’, ‘hench’ and ‘palava’ are all part of my secret language (with no Brits around). – EC

 

Those days when you go to the admin office to take a video and get given a full hula set (two actually) just because. – AO

 

It Was No Dream

 

Australian Friends – I had a cherry ripe and it changed my life… What else are you hiding from me?! – MM

‘Miss Emma, your clothes are very unusual. They suit your personality’
Me: ‘….Thank yoouu….?’
‘I am trying to compliment you without flattering you’
Me: ‘……..Ok……’ – EC

 

As I was walking home with a student, her mother stopped to pick her up and she was so excited to meet me! She said that her daughter is always talking about me happily.
It feels amazing that I could make such an impression on students that they tell their families stories of me. It’s kinda sad that I’ll probably never do anything like this again in my life. Maybe I really should be a teacher… Caitlin C.

 

Compiled by Sean Mulvihill

comic 1 by Evangeline Neo, visit http://www.eva.sg/EN/comics.html for more

comic 2 by Grace Buchele Mineta, visit howibecametexan.com for more

comic 3 by Mary Cagle, visit http://www.marycagle.com/letsspeakenglish/ for more

 

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.