2013 a year in review

I know these types of things are silly, but I'm a bit too scatterbrained this holiday season to come up with a clever idea for an end of the year post.  So I'll just fill in a 2013 survey type thing and hope for the best!

What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?

I traveled outside of the country AND moved out of the country.  My times in Japan have been the best parts of my life.  I learned an incredible amount and still feel a hunger for more knowledge.  I will definitely be going back, and wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.  Every day I am reminded of moments from over there, just last night the song I listened to on my way out of the apartment to work came on and I was transported back to Azamino.  Traveling is something I'm no longer afraid to do on my own, and I can't wait to see and do more in the coming years!!

What would you like to have in 2014 that you didn't have in 2013?

Stability.  This past year has been one of constant change, in all aspects of my life.  I've worked 6 different jobs, in 2 countries, made and lost friends, and essentially haven't settled into anything.  While I know plenty of people thrive on a constantly shifting environment, I am not one of them.  It's overwhelming to me, and I have handled it fine but would prefer to just have one job, one living location, and feel a bit settled.  Now that I'm back in the states I'm starting to feel like things are slowing back down, so hopefully this feeling stays for a while.

What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory?

My first night in Japan.  I can vividly recall every part of it, the food, the people, the buildings, the feelings.  I met so many wonderful people that night, a few of which I've stayed good friends with, and being surrounded by others just as excited as I was..the excitement was just contagious.  We were all eager to learn about each other and the country, share stories, figure out where we were all from.  It was a perfect beginning to the perfect trip, and I'll remember the welcome and smiles for the rest of my life.

One of the best parts was walking to the izakaya with everyone. I paired off with Rahul from England and we were discussing where we were from and he was ecstatic that I was from Ohio, because he watches Glee and that's all he knows about Ohio.  Listening to all the stories that Andrew had from living in Japan and never getting tired of them, we all constantly asked for more.  On the way back I talked to Tim who it turns out went to that school up North and we had a good time the rest of the trip poking fun at each others school, including singing the fight songs at each other.  It was just such a kind and welcoming group of people, and was exactly what I needed then in my life.

What were your biggest achievements and failures?

I would say that my biggest achievement was listening to myself.  I've always tried to be as genial and forgiving as I can, but this year I decided to just live for myself.  Of course I didn't take it to the extreme and become self-obsessed, but listening to my feelings and wants was a great change to make.  When I was no longer comfortable with anything happening in Japan, I left.  I didn't judge myself for seeming weak, I didn't worry about what other people would think about it, I just knew that I needed to leave so I did.  Even at other times, if people didn't like something about me or that I did, I didn't worry about it nearly as much as I used to.  I just accepted our difference in opinion and moved on.  For me that change was a big personal accomplishment.

Also I finally lost the weight I'd gained while on medication!  It's a silly achievement but it made me feel good :)

As far as failures go, I've had a really good year, haven't made any major mistakes that I'm aware of.  I guess if it was anything it would be focusing on the past.  I lived in the past quite a lot this year, I rehashed conversations from months and months before and had a difficult time putting some things to rest.  Recently I've gotten better about it, I've been planning a lot for the future and trying to ignore the past, but as we all know it can be difficult to do that.

Where did most of your money go?

AIRFARE.  I would travel so much more if it didn't cost an entire months salary just to go across the country, let alone to another country.

Did you fall in love in 2013?

I fell out of love, then in, then out.  Nothing too major, just the usual fluctuations for a single 22 year old. Though I will say, the one I fell in and out of love with this year certainly changed my perception of both myself and of what I expect out of men, in a good way.  And was probably the healthiest relationship I've had so far, even the ending didn't tear me apart and we're still friends..  Future boys, the bar has been set high!!

What was the best book you read?

THE WAY OF KINGS.  If you like fantasy/action then go read it.  Now.  It's more than I can put into words for this post.  The amount of intelligence and creativity required to write that book is staggering, I had to read online discussions from the author to fully grasp it.  The action, the morality conflicts, the surprises...just WOW!  If I ever go back to school for a masters in Anthropology I'm writing my thesis on the cultures of that book...it's overwhelmingly wonderful.

Any definite plans for 2014?

I will be traveling, though I'm not sure where yet.  It's between Japan, England, and Ireland.  Maybe I'll do them all!  Otherwise I don't see anything definite yet.  I'm still up in the air about jobs, if I'll stay in this line of work, if I'll stay in this city or state.  Lots of things I need to figure out for the future.  Maybe I'll get around to figuring it out one day...until then just gotta keep going!

Teaching Update..Again

Well it's been a very busy week for this job hunt, lots to report!

I am officially not going to begin work for Interac until March '14 if I continue with them.  I was really disappointed to not be chosen as an alternate, as I was fully prepared to leave in August.  They are my top pick to work for, however I am not sure if I am willing to wait so long.  I could always reapply with them again later though, so we'll see.

Also, MIL has chosen another candidate for their September position.  My current choice was to go with COCO Juku and stick it out for a year/leave early and then join Interac in March...or apply elsewhere.

With that in mind, I have applied to around 10 other positions in the past day! Have yet to hear back of course, but if I do then I could have plenty more interviews to discuss and hopefully leave for Japan soon!  Will keep updating as things change.

じゃね！

Teaching in Japan Update

Time to share some news!!

I have been offered employment by 3 companies!

Backing up to share how this all happened, I have started applying to eikaiwa's in hopes of getting a start date sooner than the March '14 date that Interac has set for me.  There haven't been any alternate start dates available from them, and waiting 8+ months is going to test my patience a bit too much.  They are still my 1st pick and back up, however if I can get a position that starts sooner and possibly only be 6 months then that would be perfect to hope me over until Interac.

About 2 weeks ago I applied to COCO Juku, Jibun Mirai, and MIL Language School.  They all accepted my application and I had a Skype interview with them.  And thanks to me forgetting the time zone issue (DUH!) I scheduled them all back to back in one night.  However, they all went well and I have so far been offered employment by Jibun and COCO's.

I turned down Jibun simply because they didn't have a location for me before signing and would not offer a 6 month contract.  Their interview was very simple, mostly a lot of talk about past experience, and did not include a sample lesson.  The company seems to have an okay reputation in the online communities, but didn't pay as much as some others.  I let them know that I appreciated the offer but was going with something else and would keep them in mind for the future.

COCO's just offered me a position last night and I have 5 days to consider.  They are owned by the GABA corporation and do not have the most favorable reputation, however I think I could make it work as a learning experience and filler before Interac in March.  They tend to focus on medical terminology for doctors and nurses, so would certainly be fun making lesson plans to demo and learn. I'm thinking playing a game of 'Operation' would be an interesting way to learn:)

Lastly, I haven't heard back from MIL yet.  They are my top pick for an eikaiwa for many reasons.  The salary is pretty decent compared to others.  The 9 locations are all within the same area of Chiba, right on the Keisei line into Tokyo from Narita.  That location would be perfect!  Also, the apartments that they set their teachers up in are huge for Japanese standards.  Their motto is that 'a happy teacher is an effective teacher', and the man I interviewed with said much of the same.  They also have a decent online reputation.

I'm hopeful that I'll be shipping out much earlier than March, so fingers crossed!  I should hear back from Interac about the November alternate positions sometime this week, and will most likely send them an email practically begging for a position..can't hurt since they've already offered me employment, worst they can say is 'no'.  And I'll keep applying as jobs pop up!

So for now、じゃね！

When a window closes...

I GOT THE JOB!!!!

Ok, I just needed to really get that out there before continuing.  I've been uncontainable since I found out this morning that I passed the interviews and will be going to teach!

It took just over a week since my documents were sent to the Tokyo office for them to get back to me.  I received the offer of employment this morning by email.  So far everyone I stayed in contact with from the interview has also been accepted, and having seen everyones demo lessons I'm confident that the rest will hear back once their packets reach the main office.

Currently my start date is in mid March of 2014, however I am also on the alternate list.  If someone were to drop out, another station come up, etc, during the second semester from Oct-Feb then I will possibly be leaving then instead of March.  Regardless of when I leave, I am thrilled to have been accepted and am incredibly anxious to get started :)

It's funny how life works sometimes.  A year ago this was something I had never even considered, or really even known about.  I've spent all 21 years of my life planning that my life would be just like my parents, I would get married right out of college and start working toward my future family.  God closed that window for me.  But he opened the door to an entire country and new way of life!

As my mom said, if he didn't want me to be in Japan then he would set up road-blocks to let me know.  Yet everything has progressed smoothly.  I fell in love with the country during my visit, am having a remarkably easy time learning the language, and this job process has been very simple with no problems.  And to make it even better, the people that I know there and the ones I will be doing my training in Tokyo with are incredibly nice and wonderful!  Cannot wait for this group of midwestern gaijin to take on Tokyo together before we head to our assignments!!

However, now I have about 9 months to wait....so hopefully I'll be doing some more travelling and taking a real Japanese course to supplement my self-teaching! 

Still full of energy and excitement :) it's a day for celebration!!!

interac interview pt. 2

Well, tomorrow is the big day of my final interview with Interac!!  I've been waiting somewhat patiently this past month getting things together, I can't believe the day is finally here!

The final interview consists of several parts.  First we will have an information session that will cover everything we need to know about moving to Japan, getting paperwork together, info about the company, and of course more info about the job.  After that we have one-on-one interviews with our recruiter.  My recruiter is a woman, she seemed very kind and outgoing on the phone when I talked with her.  Having a bubbly person doing the interview will definitely help push away any shyness that I have!

After that we begin the part that I've been preparing the most for, the video-taped interview.  I will be introducing myself in both English and Japanese, reading from a script to record my pronunciation, providing an Elementary level warm-up, and finally a high school lesson on directions!! Whew!

Thankfully I had a friend look over my introduction and correct my poor attempt at grammar (not my thing in any language) so I've had several weeks to practice it.  I'm confident that everything will be said correctly!  I've been reciting it to myself a lot at work, so I'm sure my co-workers think I am mildly insane by this point.  Essentially I am sharing my name, college education, a few things I like to do, and thanking them for their time.

For the warm-up I plan to do the fantastic song 'Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes'.  I had wanted to do the penguin dance from marching band just for fun, but figured that the words would be more than a 3rd grader could handle.

Then there is my demo high school lesson on directions.  Here is my poster-board representing the worksheets I will have handed out to the imaginary students.

Essentially I will be walking my students through a practice game and having them demonstrate for me.  And no, there will be no actual students.  Just me, the interviewer, and the video camera.  As one person so perfectly put it... "If you don't leave the video taped lessons feeling like you made a complete fool of yourself, then you did something wrong".

I'm completely prepared for tomorrow.  Visa paperwork has been in for a few weeks, references have been contacted, business suit was bought and steamed, nails are done, hair will be done soon....now I just have to anxiously wait until tomorrow!!

Wish me luck!  I'll be sure to post an update once I am home from the interview.  If things go smoothly then I'll be full of confidence and waiting on the call to tell me when I'm leaving for Japan :)

-- UPDATE --

Just got home from the interview, and I am so relieved!!!  It was an all day even running from 9am until 6pm, however now the real waiting game begins.

I will find out if I've been accepted in around 3-4 weeks.  However, the interviewer let me know that I was one of the few who would be ready and willing to leave ASAP, and that there are positions opening up here in June/July instead of August or later.  Also, she was asking me specifically if I would be comfortable working with special needs students.  I wasn't able to ask the others who were there for interviews as well if they received that question, however they didn't mention it when they came out, so I'm wondering if she seems me as a fit for something along those lines...

My demo lesson went really smoothly, and thankfully we were able to help each other out by being each others 'classroom' so we weren't talking to imaginary people.  It was so nice to be able to talk to others who are going through this process.  We were able to go get lunch together before the one-on-one interviews and share our Japan stories with each other.  Had such a fun and rewarding day!

I will keep everyone updated on whether or not I get offered the position, but I am certainly happy with how things went today so chances are looking good!!

じゃね！！！

interac interview pt. 1

I just under an hour I have the first part of my interview with Interac.  It's a phone interview, that supposedly isn't tough, but I'm still incredibly nervous and excited!

For a long time I've considered going into teaching, and have playing around with the idea of getting my masters so that I could teach.  However, I ultimately decided that that wasn't for me, and settled into the idea of finding a different type of position.  When I started more in depth research on Japan for my recent trip I began reading blogs and watching vlogs of people who have gone to Japan to teach english.  And they DIDN'T need a teaching degree to do this!  I instantly felt so drawn towards the opportunity to go abroad and teach, that I sent out an application.  That application was more of a whim than anything, but the next day I got the call that they were interested in me.....that was sign #1.

After my whirlwind trip around Japan I was even more set on landing a teaching position.  Having talked with a former english teacher from the company I am interviewing with (Interac), I knew I was qualified and had the right mindset.  The company called me once I was back in the states to set up the first part of the interview, and now here I am!

This part is over the phone, they draw candidates from all over America, so this is the best way to weed out a few people.  If I make it through this stage then I'll go on to the in person interviews.  Most companies that hire teachers like this do their in person interviews in major cities (Chicago, New York, Toronto) so that they can have all of the interviewees come in at one time.  However, they for some reason chose Columbus, OH as a city this year......that is sign #2.

I've been a complete mess of nerves and excitement all weekend waiting for this call!  Haven't really eaten anything from the nerves!  I'll post an update on this as soon as the call is over :) Wish me luck!!

-- UPDATE --

Finished up my phone interview!! I think it went well, had all of the answers I could prepare for ready to go.  The guy doing my interview seemed happy with my responses and went ahead and gave me the date and time for the big in person interview, but I won't know if I'm selected until later this week.

So......anywhere from 1-5 days to find that out.  Now I have to wait.  This will be torture, but so worth it!!  I'm confident I made it to the next step :)

in flight

Here I am, 30,000+ ft in the air and I'm writing my blog post to publish once I land. It's a 13 hr flight from Toronto to the Narita Airport in Tokyo, and right now there are 3 hrs left!! So close!

I regret not bringing my knitting with me, I was trying to save space in my luggage and decided to just sleep and play around on the iPad. However, Air Canada has a pretty awesome movie and tv show selection so I've been enjoying watching a few things. Currently have an episode of Property Brothers playing :) can't live without my Scott brothers!!

The best thing about this flight is that I have an entire row of seats to myself..literally. I paid thousands less for my economy class seats than the premium ones, and yet I guarantee you I have more room than they do!! Been stretched out and took a good nap, easy when you can just put up the arm rests and lay completely flat with all 3 of the complementary pillows!!!

Also, the mid-flight Cup of Noodles Ramen was awesome. I love me some instant ramen, and somehow it tasted even better in the air.

Only downside is that now I have 3 hrs left to go and I'm completely freaking out. I don't feel prepared at all and am incredibly nervous. (Probably should have brought a Valium to take at the beginning of the flight....)

I haven't had a chance to practice my Japanese yet. Which is a funny story actually! Because I had my connection through Toronto, the people aboard this flight assume that I'm Canadian, as they weren't with me on the little prop plane from Columbus. And so they've been speaking to me in French. Broken French with a Japanese accent actually...and it's incredibly strange. I'm one of 3 white people on board. Having lived in Dublin, OH my entire life, this is a first for me. But I feel like I fit right in, I broke open my chopsticks and dug right into my ramen happily slurping away!! The guy across the aisle gave me a satisfied nod that I asked for and could use chopsticks (that's a win in my bookn!!!)

Well, I'll post this once we land and I have wifi again, just had some time to kill and felt like updating :)