WIT Life #4 – Airport security and death row
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WITLife is a series by Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03).
My most recent assignment with the State Department had me doing simultaneous interpreting for a group of six officials from Japan’s central government.
They all came from different ministries ranging from Justice to Finance to Health (one of whose former officials was just murdered along with his wife in a recent high profile case). It was neat to talk to the participant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (aka MEXT), who met his wife in the workplace (when she was a tantousha for the JET Programme) and to hear stories from her experience traveling to promote it.
The trip was a success but was book-ended by two harrowing experiences. When the group arrived the day Read More
Traveling Tastebuds: The Ambassador of Japanese Food – by Devon Brown
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Devon Brown (Tokyo-to, 2002-04) is a freelance writer with a focus on food. You can read more of her writing at TravelingTastebuds.blogspot.com.Is there anyone out there that doesn’t love Japanese curry rice?
Ok, it lacks the sophistication of sashimi and the artisanship of kaiseki, but of all the school lunches that were put in front of me those first few weeks living in Japan, curry rice was the only thing that made me feel like I might not wither away in a world of seaweed wrapped rice balls and soups brimming with tiny dried fish with tiny black eyes.
Even lukewarm (as almost every Japanese school lunch is served lukewarm) it still tasted good. As a matter Read More
Peter Weber (Saitama-ken, Gyoda-shi, 2004-07) is the JET Coordinator at the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco.
Here is how I remember it… My tolerance for food has changed over the years. When I was a child I was they referred to as “picky”. Although exposed to many foreign and exotic foods (at least for Ohio) by my mother I would usually abstain from the meal. The perfect meal for me was alternating days between hamburgers and pizza with an occasional mac and cheese with hotdogs dinner. This changed a bit when I got older, but not by much.
When I was living in Japan I found one of the biggest challenges for me was the diet. Upon my arrival in Japan the difference in types of food people ate was apparent very quickly as I realized that foreign country and foreign food went hand in hand. Luckily there was always an abundance of rice that I could fill myself with until I could hunt down something familiar to my senses. Grocery shopping was also a major challenge trying to find foods that look appetizing. A typical purchase of mine consisted of peanut cream & jelly sandwiches (not peanut butter like I was used to) and potato chips. They were safe and quenched my appetite.
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Tadaima #4 – Put it all on Black!
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My name is Rick Ambrosio (Ibaraki-ken, 2006-08). And whether readjusting to post-JET life is something you’re facing now, will deal with in the future or if you just enjoy reconnecting with that awkwardly uncertain feeling you had when you got back from Japan, come along with me as I look for a new job, a new apartment, and yes, mow the lawn of my parent’s house. Tadaima!
“WHEEL…. OF…… FORTUNE!!!!” I yelled in a haze of alcohol and bright flashing lights. A small crowd gathered around my cousin and I as we played “The Wheel of Fortune” slot machine.
We were in Atlantic City for my cousin’s girlfriend’s birthday, and since mine was a couple days away, sure, mine too. I know I know, here I am, unemployed, in a place people go to burn money, when I could be sending out more resumes and following more leads, but instead I’m down 60 bucks, four drinks in the hole, and hitting on my cousin’s girlfriend’s sister. I suppose I really should be… WHEEL….. OF….. FORTUNE!!!! Okay, down 48 bucks now.
It’s sort of funny when I try to draw parallels between gambling in America and the Pachinko parlors of Read More
Roland Kelts Update: Studio360 in Japan and Interview in Brooklyn Rail
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Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has a few new things going on since we last checked in with him.
Studio360 – See some photos and read about Roland working with the Studio360 folks in Japan on an upcoming radio program. (Studio360 is a great show that runs on NPR and explores cultures via their artists.)
Brooklyn Rail — Roland has an interview in Brooklyn Rail with David Hadju, A Columbia Journalism School professor and author of Lush Life, Positively 4th Street, and now Ten Cent Plague, a record of America’s pre-code comic book auteurs.
Kia’s Homemade Bake Sale!
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Professional translator, interpreter and writer Kia Cheleen (CIR, Aichi-ken 1996-98, ALT 1998-1999) is making homemade sweets and baked goods for pick-up or delivery in NYC and Jersey City right out of her home for the holiday season.
Go to www.homemadebakesale.com to place an order.
Julie Matysik (Yamanashi-ken, 2006-07) is a freelance copy editor and aspiring in-house editor who recently moved to NYC with her husband (also a JET alum). She has just started an internship in editing/publishing/writing. Editorial Pursuits chronicles her job hunting efforts, experiences and lessons learned.
As part of my internship, I’ve been entrusted with reading what we like to call “slush”-unsolicited manuscripts that, almost 99% of the time, come to find an impersonal rejection letter folder in a neat and hopeful self-addressed stamped envelope. Now, normally I like to consider myself a very fair, open-minded, and kind individual; I especially love being introduced to new books, authors, genres, etc. However, when it comes to reading “slush,” I feel a demonic, elitist monster overtaking my body.
That said, this is not the first time I’ve been asked to read through various query letters, synopses, and sample chapters. At an internship I held at Cream City Review literary magazine in Milwaukee, WI I also read short story manuscripts and about half of the time, I passed the manuscript on to a fiction editor for their feedback. So I don’t know if the frustrations with not being able to find a permanent publishing job in the so-called “Mecca” of publishing (a.k.a. NYC) or my need to assert some pent-up dominance over Read More
From Craigslist Philadelphia. There are similar writing/tutoring centers in New York (The Superhero Supply Co.), San Francisco (The Pirate Supply Co.) and Seattle (Space Travel Supply Co.) Pretty nifty concept for getting kids into writing.
Attention Writers and Educators! (Northern Liberties)
Start-up nonprofit organization is looking for writers, tutors, and educators who want to be a part of an exciting literacy program. Inspired by Dave Eggers’ 826 Valencia in San Francisco, we are working to create a dynamic student tutoring and publishing center – with a magic shoppe attached! (Learn more by listening to Eggers’ podcast here:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/dave_eggers_makes_his_ted_prize_wish_once_upon_a_school.html).
While we’re looking at the Northern Liberties area, we do not yet have a physical space. We’re in need of people who want to research, write, and advise now, and those who want to be in it for the long haul! Great opportunity for experienced writers and educators as well as humanities, writing, English, and education majors. Anyone with an interest in literacy in Philadelphia is welcome!
Join the team!
Philadelphia Youth Literacy Alliance
Meet-and-Greet and Planning Meeting
Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.
Cafe Euphoria 1001-13 N. 2nd St. #23
If you can’t make it and are still interested, we’d still love to connect with you! Please reply to the above email.
We can’t wait to meet you and share our enthusiasm for this project!
Philadelphia Youth Literacy Alliance (PYLA)
Welcome to the first JetWit Haiku Challenge! The challenge is to submit one or more haiku using the designated word. The best haiku submitted wins the prize.
This week’s challenge will be judged by James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of The Order of Odd-Fish.
- Designated word (chosen by James): “Fewmets“ (a Medieval English word that means the droppings of an animal, by which the hunter identifies the prey. Mentioned in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wind In The Door, specifically as dragon droppings.)
- Deadline: Thursday, December 11, before 5:00p.m. EST
- Prize: Free copy of The Order of Odd-Fish mailed to you.
- Form: Haiku are typically 5-7-5 and have a seasonal reference. Though the form actually has a fair amount of flexibility. Ultimately, James is the judge. If you look at his website or read a page from his book, you’ll get a pretty quick read on his sensibilities.
- E-mail responses to: jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com
Haiku Challenge! #1 – “Fewmets”
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Welcome to the first JetWit Haiku Challenge! The challenge is to submit one or more haiku using the designated word. The best haiku submitted wins the prize.
This week’s challenge will be judged by James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of The Order of Odd-Fish.
- Designated word (chosen by James): “Fewmets“ (a Medieval English word that means the droppings of an animal, by which the hunter identifies the prey. Mentioned in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wind In The Door, specifically as dragon droppings.)
- Deadline: Thursday, December 11, before 5:00p.m. EST
- Prize: Free copy of The Order of Odd-Fish mailed to you.
- Form: Haiku are typically 5-7-5 and have a seasonal reference. Though the form actually has a fair amount of flexibility. Ultimately, James is the judge. If you look at his website or read a page from his book, you’ll get a pretty quick read on his sensibilities.
- E-mail responses to: jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com
Tadaima! #3 – Knocking on doors
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My name is Rick Ambrosio (Ibaraki-ken, 2006-08). And whether readjusting to post-JET life is something you’re facing now, will deal with in the future or if you just enjoy reconnecting with that awkwardly uncertain feeling you had when you got back from Japan, come along with me as I look for a new job, a new apartment, and yes, mow the lawn of my parent’s house. Tadaima!
I scored my lucky seat on the train. You see, on the LIRR, there is always a fold down seat right near the doors between cars. Granted it wasn’t rush hour or anything, I just always love getting that seat.
I sat carefully in a futile attempt to not wrinkle the pants of my navy suit. I also liked my orange tie that I picked up in the Harajuku Zara back in Japan. I needed to dress to impress, because it was offense time. Read More
Thanks to writer/designer Meredith Hodges-Boos (Ehime-ken, Uwajima-shi, Yoshida-cho, 2003-05), JetWit now has some funky new merchandise. Chotto mite kudasai!
JetWit Success Story #2
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Omedetou to freelance writer/editor Jonathan Trace (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-08) who just got an internship with a publishing company thanks to his work with JetWit as the JETAA Chapter Beat guy!
He found out about it through Julie Matysik (who herself got an internship at the same publishing company after a JET alum who works there saw her first two Editorial Pursuits posts on JetWit), who found out about the latest internship opportunity and passed it on to Jonathan because she knew through JetWit that he was looking for similar opportunities.
This is one of the strengths of the JET alumni network. There are lots more connections and opportunities out there, even in this tough economy. We just have to dig a little and sometimes be creative to find them.
Note: The internships are unpaid, albeit good places to start, which means Julie and Jonathan are both still in the market for paying jobs if anyone wants to hire them. (The JET alumni network is strong, but it’s not all-powerful. Not yet anyway. :-)
Update: Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99)
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After chaperoning Pete Townsend and The Who around Japan for a couple weeks, having a press conference with Hayao Miyazaki and interviewing both Murakamis (Haruki and Ryu), Roland Kelts (Osaka, 1998-99) pauses to reflect on the interactions as well as some new perspectives on “pop culture” in his latest SOFT POWER, HARD TRUTHS column in the Daily Yomiuri.
Update: I just learned from Roland that the radio discussion listed below will actually not air this week.
You can also hear Roland on NPR’s “The World” this Thursday (i.e., tomorrow) for a program about the Japanese Language Proficiency Test in the US.
Is author David Mitchell a JET alum?
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Can anyone confirm whether award-winning author David Mitchell is an alumni of the JET Program? His Wikipedia entry and other info on the web make clear that he lived in Hiroshima for 8 years and taught English at a technical school. Just trying to confirm whether he’s a JET alum.
E-mail any info to jetwit /atto/ jetwit /dotto/ com.
FYI, he is the author of (among other things) Ghostwritten (1999), number9dream (2001), and CloudAtlas (2004).
