WIT Life #190: Air Kei’s Historic Run to Australian Quarters!
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Kudos t
o 22-year old tennis pro Kei Nishikori for being the first Japanese man in 80 years to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open! Unfortunately, once there he was vanquished in straight sets by Scot Andy Murray, but his impressive showing in his previous five-set win over France’s Jo-Wilfred Tsonga bumps his world ranking up to 20 from 26.
Nishikori, who currently lives and trains in Florida, is known as “Air Kei” for his leaping groundstrokes. I can attest to the fact that watching his play is thrilling. A few years ago I caught a match of his at the US Open that turned into a nail-biting five-setter, and was hooked.
Here’s hoping he can build on this impressive showing in Australia and have further success in 2012!
JETAA Chapter Beat 1.24.12
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Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) takes us on a walk around the JET Alumni community for another edition of JETAA Chapter Beat.
- JET Alumni Survey – JETAANY is asking members and friends of JET to fill out a brief survey requested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as part of the “Return of JET-vestment.” The survey asked about what people have been doing following their time on JET and the data will be kept confidential, so take 5 minutes and help out. The survey can be found here
- Carnegie Hall Flower Exhibit – Thursday, January 26th, 8:00 at Carnegie Hall. JETAANY is headed to a Japanese style bouquet arrangement exhibit at Carnegie Hall.
- Shinnenkai – Saturday, January 28th, 1:00 at Restaurant Riki. Celebrate 2012 Year of the Dragon with your fellow JET Alumni at this year’s shinnenkai. Izakaya style dishes and all you can drink fun.
- San Diego Shinnenkai – Saturday, January 28th, 7:00 at Azuki Sushi. The San Diego subchapter is celebrating the Year of the Dragon over sushi, so come out if you haven’t been to an event in a while.
- JCAW Japanese New Year Festival – Sunday, January 29th, 11:00 to 3:00 at the Washington Plaza Hotel. The Japan Commerce Association of Washington is hosting its annual new year’s matsuri. JETAA members will be volunteering and squaring off in a Karaoke Sing-off, so come out and see what the festival is all about.
- Dinner & a Movie Night – Friday, January 27th, 7:30 at Genki Sushi. Norwegian Wood, based on Haruki Murakami’s book, is playing at the Seattle International Film Festival at the Uptown. Join PNWJETAA folks for a little sushi dinner followed by a 9:15 showing of the movie.
- Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association New Year Party – Saturday, January 28th, 4:00. Get together with the SKSCA group and celebrate the year of the dragon. The shinnenkai will be potluck style, so be sure to bring a dish, dessert, or drink for everyone to share.
- Shinnenkai – Saturday, February 4th, 6:00 at the Nagomi Tea House. Eat, drink, and celebrate the arrival of 2012 with your friends.
- Beach BBQ – Sunday, January 29th, 1:00 at Shelley Beach in Manly. Get outside for some sun and good eats, including yakisoba and suikawari.
- Annual General Meeting – Friday, February 3rd 7:30 at the Nippon Club. Come and be a part of the future of JETAA Sydney.
- Tampa Shinnenkai – Sunday, January 29th, 5:30. The group in Tampa is holding its annual new year’s party with sushi from Yoko’s Restaurant and homemade Curry Rice. Come out and ring in the new year with alumni and friends.
What happened at your chapter’s event? If you attend(ed) any of these exciting events, JetWit would love to hear about them. Just contact Jonathan Trace with any info, stories or comments.
Former Kesennuma JET to spend honeymoon in Japan supporting relief efforts, seeks fundraising and other support
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A request from Andrew Berne (Miyagi-ken, Kesennuma-shi, 1999-2000), reprinted with his permission:
I participated in the JET Programme as an ALT in 1999 and 2000. During that time, I lived and taught in Kesennuma-shi in Miyagi Prefecture. It was a very formative time in my life, and over the years I have remained close with many people in the community. As you are well aware, Kesennuma was devastated by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.
My wife Kathleen and I recently got married, and for our honeymoon we are traveling to Japan in April to assist in the tsunami relief efforts and contribute what we can to the town’s recovery. It may not be the most conventional honeymoon, but this is a cause that is near and dear to our hearts. Kathleen and I met while working for the same Japanese company here in the US, and although we are no longer with that organization we still have deep connections to many people in Japan.
We hope to be able to get to Kesennuma for part of the trip, and we are coordinating several fundraising efforts involving family, friends, and colleagues. We are trying to garner as much support as possible from our contacts here as well as in Japan, and we would be very interested in speaking with anyone willing to discuss ways in which we can make this trip have as much impact and meaning as possible. We are also seeking some guidance and advice about lodging & travel options in Kesennuma.
I can be reached at andrewberne [at] gmail.com. If you have the ability to Skype, my username is berneandrew.
Our schedule is as follows:
– April 13-15: Sendai
– April 15-19: Kesennuma
– April 19-22: Tokyo
We’ve planned the trip around the beginning of the school year and sakura season. I’ve also been folding paper cranes like mad, hoping to reach 1,000 by the time we leave for Japan.
JETAA USA Receives Message of Thanks from Hope for Tomorrow
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Originally posted on the JETAA USA website by JETAA USA Country Rep Jessyca Wilcox:
JETAA USA Receives Message of Thanks from Hope for Tomorrow
JETAA USA donated part of their Earthquake Relief Fund to the Japanese NPO, Hope for Tomorrow. The main focus of Hope for Tomorrow is to provide financial support for the incurred travel costs associated with university entrance examinations for high school students.
The JETAA USA grant allowed Hope for Tomorrow to open a program in Rikuzentakata. Hope for Tomorrow also provides English language tutoring to students as a thoughtful acknowledgment to the town’s beloved JET ALT, Monty Dickson, whose life was lost in the tsunami of 3.11.
JETAA USA received a letter of thanks for our financial support, which made this effort a possibility for the students of Rikuzentakata. This project would not have been possible without the unification of our JETAA USA community and the hard work of all chapters to raise the funds.
Click here to read the letter from Hope for Tomorrow: http://www.jetaausa.com/2012/01/23/thanks-from-hft/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thanks-from-hft
Job: 3 Positions at CSI (Kentucky)
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Via JET alum Geoff Tebbetts (Yamagata-ken 2000-03) who works for CSI in Kentucky which is a JET-owned localization/consulting company. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London but is interested in hearing about any Japan-related opportunities across the globe.
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***Note: If you apply for any of these positions, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Positions:
Youth For Understanding scholarships extended for US high school students
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Shared by JET alum and YFU alum Jessica Cork who currently works for the Japanese Consulate in Atlanta:
Did you know that scholarships for American students to go abroad have been extended? There is still a chance for students in your area to apply for our 300+ scholarships to have the exchange experience of a lifetime!
Deadlines for Japan summer scholarships have been extended to February 1, 2012 and deadlines for Germany year and semester scholarships have been extended to February 7, 2012. Please spread the word in your area that YFU is actively seeking American teenagers with a sense of adventure to go on scholarship abroad!
Scholarships available include:
- Kikkoman National Scholarship
- Mazda/Nationwide Community Scholarship
- Japan-America Friendship Scholars
- Japan-U.S. Senate Youth Exchange
- Okinawa Peace Scholarship
- Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange
- Stipendium and Stiftung Scholarships
- And more!
All of our scholarship information can be found online at www.yfuusa.org. Please let students know that they can call 1.800.TEENAGE or email admissions@yfu.org if they have any questions.
We’re also always looking for insightful scholarship evaluators – if you would like to help determine who goes on scholarship with YFU, please contact Carla James at cjames@yfu.org.
Thank you for your help in telling students in your area about YFU’s scholarship opportunities!
Mike Finnell
President
New JETAA Minnesota Facebook page
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New JETAA Minnesota Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JETAAMN
And accompanying message from JETAA MN’s Liz Brailford:
Hi all!
Some exciting news is going on for JETAA Minnesota early this 2012 – we’ve got a new Facebook page! The link for it is: https://www.facebook.com/JETAAMN ……COME JOIN US!
We will be closing our previous JETAAMN Facebook group page in a few weeks, so be sure to join the new page to get all the latest and greatest news, job listings, event links, and all other things JETAAMN.
Also, please look out for the JETAAMN February 1 Newsletter…..we’ve had some reorganization and are pumped up and meeting 2012 with a POW! All the exciting details to come soon……
See you on the new Facebook page!
Warm regards,
Liz Brailsford
WIT Life #189: Elizabeth Andoh’s 希望 project
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I recently received an email newsletter from acclaimed Japanese food writer Elizabeth Andoh regarding her newest book project, 希望 (Kibo or “Brimming With Hope”). It will be released on February 28th and features recipes and stories from the Tohoku area, where last year’s earthquake and tsunami hit. Andoh wanted to do her part to help the region recover, and the creation of this book is what she came up with (click on the link below for purchase information). This March, she also plans to launch a new website called Kibo cooking which will be dedicated to Tohoku cookery. See below for a description of Andoh’s project in her own words.
JQ Magazine: Film Review – ‘Norwegian Wood’
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“The wintertime beauty of the Tonomine highlands in Hyogo prefecture is a sadly haunting visual expression of Naoko’s isolation and loss of life. One only wishes the characters were as compelling as the landscape in which they find themselves.”
By Lyle Sylvander (Yokohama-shi, 2001-02) for JQ magazine. Lyle is entering a master’s program at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University (MIA 2013) and has been writing for the JET Alumni Association since 2004. He is also the goalkeeper for FC Japan, a New York City-based soccer team.
Haruki Murakami’s novel Norwegian Wood 「ノルウェイの森」 was published in Japan in 1987 and propelled the author to superstar status, especially among the nation’s youth. The novel was also an international success and the first English translation (there were eventually two) introduced Murakami to the U.S.
Unlike his other well-known works, such as Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood eschews surreal and Kafkaesque sensibilities in favor of a more nostalgically sentimental narrative. It tells the story of love and loss from the vantage point of its 37-year-old protagonist, Toru Watanabe, looking back on his youth as a student during the 1960s.
As in Europe and the U.S., Japan at that time was a society in flux and the establishment was being challenged by idealistic student movements. Against this backdrop, Toru falls in love with the emotionally troubled and fragile Naoko, who sinks into a deep depression after the suicide of their mutual friend Kizuki. She leaves the university for a mountainous sanitarium and during her absence, Toru has a love affair with Midori. Eventually, Naoko succumbs to the darker nature of her illness and commits suicide, sending Toru into an emotional period of bereavement, after which he can commit emotionally to Midori and continue on with his life.
Article: Students in Rikuzentakata Take the Eiken in Memory of Monty
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This is a summary of an article originally appearing in the Kahoku Shimpo (Tohoku News) on January 19, 2012.
Students in Rikuzentakata Take the Eiken in Memory of Monty
http://www.kahoku.co.jp/news/2012/01/20120119t33008.htm
Roughly 80% of all middle school students, about 500 altogether, in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, will take the English Language Proficiency Exam (Eiken), in part thanks to support from JETAA USA, whose donation will help to cover the cost of the test. This is one way to bring to life the wish of Montgomery Dickson, who taught English here as an ALT, and who told his students, “I want you to love English.”
Monty worked for the Rikuzentakata Board of Education since 2009 and was an assistant English language teacher at the city’s elementary and middle schools. Immediately after the earthquake on March 11 last year, he evacuated to a park near the board of education offices, but was lost to the tsunami shortly after.
Everyone knew him as “Monty-sensei”, and admired the way he diligently studied Chinese characters (kanji) and performed Japanese folk songs (enka) and comedy skits (manzai) at the board’s social functions. He dedicated himself to improving his students’ English ability, even holding classes for free over the winter break. He was very popular with his colleagues and students.
Despite the fact that the learning environment is still in disarray for middle school students in the city, the number of students registered for the exam on the 20th is about three times higher than this time last year. There have been three prep sessions this month, with many students working through problems from past tests and studying to get ready.
Dickson came to Japan on the JET Program, and after the disaster JET alumni from across the US* collected money and created a fund to support recovery efforts in Tohoku, focusing their attention on Rikuzentakata and on Ishinomaki, in Miyagi, where the other American victim, Taylor Anderson, worked. This aid to the students is one expression of their warm wishes.
Rikuzentakata would also like to establish an exchange with Dickson’s home state of Alaska. Their hope is that in return for receiving so much support from around the world, they will become more outward looking themselves, and that their children become able to go to Alaska and speak in English about their memories of Monty and their own experiences in the disaster.
*JETwit Note: While the article specifically references money raised by US JET alumni for the JETAA USA Fund, it’s worth noting that current JETs, JET alumni and JET Alumni chapters all around the world donated and helped raise money in myriad other ways through various channels and organizations.
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津波犠牲ＡＬＴの思い忘れず 陸前高田の中学生、英検挑戦へ
東日本大震災で甚大な被害を受けた岩手県陸前高田市で２０日、市内全中学生の８割に当たる約５００人が英語検定（英検）を受験する。市教委が支援団体の協力を得、受験料を全額補助することにした。異国の日本を愛し、日本語教師を夢見ながら、津波で犠牲になった同市の米国人男性英語指導助手（ＡＬＴ）の「英語を好きになってほしい」との願いが生かされた。
ＡＬＴはモントゴメリー・ディクソンさん＝当時（２６）＝。２００９年から陸前高田市教委に勤務し、小中学校で英語の授業を補助していた。昨年３月１１日の地震発生直後、市民会館内にある市教委からいったん近くの公園に避難したが、その後津波に襲われた。
「モンティ先生」の愛称で親しまれた。漢字の勉強にも人一倍努力し、職場の宴会で演歌や漫才を披露するなど周囲に溶け込んでいた。日本人の婚約者もいたという。
堪能な日本語で児童生徒や教員らとも積極的に交流、冬休み中には無償で子ども向けの英語教室を開催、英語力向上に尽力した。
同僚の熊谷卓さん（２５）は「校外で芸術鑑賞中、こっそり入ってきたモンティさんに気付いた子どもたちが大騒ぎし、鑑賞どころでなくなった」とその人気ぶりを振り返る。
同市では被災で中学生たちの学習環境が整わないにもかかわらず、２０日の英検申込者数が昨年同時期と比べ、約３倍に増えた。今月、受験対策講座が計３回開かれ、多くの生徒が過去の問題などに取り組んだ。広田中２年の臼井春香さん（１３）は「もっと英語を好きになり、理解できるようになりたい」と話す。
ディクソンさんは、国のＪＥＴプログラム（外国青年招致事業）で来日した。震災後、事業に参加した米国人ＯＢたちが全米で募金活動などを行い、復興支援基金を設立。現役ＡＬＴが犠牲になった陸前高田市と石巻市で重点的に教育支援しようと、支援団体などに寄付した。今回の補助にはこの善意が充てられる。
市教委は、ディクソンさんの出身地アラスカ州との交流も視野に入れる。学校教育課は「世界から支援を受ける今だからこそ、世界に目を向けてほしい。教え子たちがアラスカ州で、彼との思い出や震災の経験を英語で話せたらいい」と期待している。
2012年01月19日木曜日
JET Paul Yoo seeks donations to help Sendai orphan attend college
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See below request from Akita Prefecture JET Paul Yoo, founder of volunteerAKITA.
JETwit note for context: Paul has been going above and beyond the call of duty in terms of volunteering and organizing volunteers in Tohoku. JETAA USA recognized his efforts in providing him funding to help defray costs associated with organizing volunteers to go and help with clean-up in affected areas in Tohoku.
Hi my name is Paul Yoo, a 3rd year JET in Akita-ken and Co-founder of volunteerAKITA and The Fruit Tree Project (www.volunteerakita.org). Along with our on-going activities, we are also involved in the “Smiles & Dreams:Tohoku Kids Project” led by Living Dreams/SmileKidsJapan (www.livingdreams.jp and www.smilekidsjapan.org).
Right now, we are working as Home Communication Managers (HCMs) to two orphanages in the Sendai area. Our role is to act as contacts for the orphanages, and relay any needs they may have.
What we need right now: A boy, in his 3rd year of high school (his final year), at one of the orphanages we are in contact with, has become the first orphan there to ever express interest in going to college. He wants to attend Yamaguchi Hukushi Bunka Daigaku (University of Human Welfare and Culture) and study hoiku ka (child care). It is a four year program and the university will cover tuition for the first 2 years of the program, along with 50% of the 3rd and 4th years.
Our goal is to raise￥1,154,000 which includes ￥970,000 in tuition costs for the 3rd and 4th years, along with an ￥184,000 mandatory insurance cost over 4 years.
We are currently accepting donations for the scholarship fund we have set up. After collecting the sufficient funds, we will then transfer the money to an account that will be handled by the orphanage.
We welcome any grants, scholarships, or personal donations to get this young man to college, and most importantly doing it without leaving him in debt after he finishes school, since in most cases, once an orphan has finished high school, he is on his own.
It is truly inspiring that he plans to go to college and is the first from his orphanage to show interest in doing so. Successfully sending him to college would be such an amazing gift, and would inspire other orphans to follow in his footsteps, knowing that they too can receive a college education, and strive to become whatever they want to be in the future.
If you have any questions regarding this proposal or can help us out, please contact me.
Much Love,
Paul Yoo
E-mail: paulharimyoo [at] gmail.com
Job: Data Center Cabling Engineer at BiOS Inc. (Tokyo)
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Via JET alum Jason Kisling. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London but is interested in hearing about any Japan-related opportunities across the globe.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Positions: Account Manager (IT Outsourcing) at BiOS Inc. (Tokyo)
Job Details: Data Center Cabling Engineer at BiOS Inc. (Tokyo)
Job Description
BiOS is looking for a data center cabling engineer to work as a part of our multinational IT engineering team to provide support for our global financial clients in Kanto area.
Ambitious and sensible IT engineers with cabling skills, great organizational skills and a clear understanding of customer relationship are also highly encouraged to apply.
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Job: Sales Team Account Manager at BiOS Inc. (Tokyo)
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Via JET alum Jason Kisling. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London but is interested in hearing about any Japan-related opportunities across the globe.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Positions: Sales Team Account Manager at BiOS Inc. (Tokyo)
Job Details:
Job Description
BiOS is now looking for an account manager to join our multinational sales team.
This is an ideal role for a bilingual with some sales experience and a familiarity with IT infrastructure and framework. Those interested in taking their career to the next level with one of Tokyo’s up and coming foreign sales teams are highly encouraged to apply.
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Job: Bilingual sales Administrator-Assistant at BiOS Inc. (Tokyo)
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Via JET alum Jason Kisling. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London but is interested in hearing about any Japan-related opportunities across the globe.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Positions: Bilingual sales Administrator-Assistant at BiOS Inc. (Tokyo)
Job Details:
We are currently looking for a Bilingual Sales Administrator/Assistant to join our Outsourcing team at BiOS. An ideal candidate should be someone who is willing to contribute to our growing business as a part of our team. This is a great opportunity to apply your bilingual as well as gain practical experience in the international environment.
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Job: Account Manager (IT Outsourcing) at BiOS Inc. (Tokyo)
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Via JET alum Jason Kisling. Posted by Dipika Soni (Ishikawa-ken, 2003-06). Dipika has recently moved back to London but is interested in hearing about any Japan-related opportunities across the globe.
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***Note: If you apply for this position, please let them know you learned of it from JETwit. Thanks.***
Job Positions: Account Manager (IT Outsourcing) at BiOS Inc. (Tokyo)
Job Details:
BiOS is looking for an Account Manager to join our multinational IT outsourcing team in Tokyo.
In this position, you will be responsible for maintaining and building relationships with international clients regarding our IT infrastructure outsourcing services, as well as managing conditions of our dispatched staffs who are providing IT support at our clients on-site.
An ideal candidate should be someone who is willing to contribute to our growing business as a part of our team. This is a great opportunity to apply your bilingual as well as gain practical experience in the international environment.
Read More
