Hajimemashite - Liz to yonde kudasai

So a little about this whole thing... I’ve decided to (try to) keep a blog of my life away in Japan for the next year. There are a few reasons for doing this – for a start it will help me remember all the great experiences that I will hopefully have, but mainly it is a lazy man’s way of keeping people at home up-to-date with all that’s going on without having to email a dozen people separately. My theory = if you want to know, come and read!

For those who don’t know, in a weeks time I will be JETting off to Tokyo, Japan and then soon after will be headed to my final destination of Tokushima, where I will be spending the next year working as an assistant English teacher in various Elementary and Junior High Schools in the region. What seems like forever ago (though it was only back in November) I applied for the JET Programme (Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme). This programme takes graduates from all over the world and puts them to work in all parts of Japan as Assistant Language Teachers (ALT). If you want more information, check out their website: http://www.jet-uk.org/ Anyway, after countless more forms and email responses, I finally got accepted onto the programme just a few months ago! 

‘Why Japan?!’ I hear you (as so many before you) ask. I will respond to the question with the ever-eloquent and loquacious answer of, ‘Why the hell not?!’ I am 22 years old and have just spent the last three years (which have simultaneously been the bane of my existence and the best years of my life) ‘studying’ at Sussex University in Brighton. Time to take this degree in Film Studies (yes, yes, I can hear you sniggering) somewhere completely off the charts – somewhere completely new.

Second answer to your question goes the following: I suppose my interest in Japan has a lot to do with my mum, when she unknowingly recorded off the tv what was to become my all time favourite film – Laputa. From there my love of the Studio Ghibli films grew and as that love grew, the interest extended much more into Japan and its entire culture, food and lifestyle. To be given the chance to live in this amazing country and culture for more than just a passing holiday is kind of insane! I feel extremely lucky and grateful.

I’m not going to pretend to be an amazing writer – for an assistant English teacher my spelling and grammar is likely to be appalling at times. However this will just be an honest, and sometimes rambling, account of my life in Japan. So wish me luck – hopefully my next post will let you know how successful my first week or so has been! Fingers crossed.