Shutterfly

I recently finished creating a personalized photo book on Shutterfly. If you don't know what this is, it's basically online scrap booking that you can then have published into a book. It's a great way to personalize and share photos and especially fun for creative types like me.

It has been recommended that JETs take plenty of photos from their live back to combat homesickness. Is it just me or does this seem counter intuitive since usually photos make one nostalgic? Who knows, maybe I'm just more of an out-of-sight, out-of-mind kind of person.. Anyways, that coupled with the fact that I've had one of the best years of my life starting from last August (2010) till now (July 2011) made me decide, sure why not?

I received an offer for a free Shutterfly book when I bought my new camera last year, but only recently realized the expiration date was fast approaching. I initially thought to use this opportunity for the Miami Photo Project since the main intent of that project is to share it with others, but my car sold insanely fast and has left me mostly stranded at my house. Thus, I decided to just take this free offer and make something special for me.

I would say the process took a total of twelve hours between selecting pictures (taken over the course of a year), figuring out the layout of the book, and then playing with the picture placement. This may seem daunting or a completely waste of time to most but I really enjoyed the whole process. Ironically, I had a friend in high school who was really into scrap booking but couldn't get me into it. All the tools, stickers, pages and other nonsense to just put one picture on a page? Kill me now. But with online scrap booking the whole process was so much better - plus the option to scrap a whole page the next day without any waste! This process also made me feel like the yearbook editor that I never was in high school (something I kind of regret). At the time, I had been asked to join the yearbook staff but they would meet before school at 7:30am and there was no way I could make it at that time. As it was, I was routinely late for or missed first period altogether because although I get up early, I'm a sloth in the mornings. Looking back, I probably would have been the best yearbook editor in EVER.

When I look at the finished pages, there is a balance and symmetry that will never be appreciated by the majority of people who see it. I am very methodical in my creativeness. For example, on my family pages, I essentially built my family tree with every cousin, aunt and uncle, and immediate family member being within perfect proximity to each other. On the second page I was a little more liberal, but the everyone is still there. On the third page, I limited it to just my immediate family. I wouldn't say I'm OCD, but I will say that I'd be pretty upset if I forgot to put someone on page or something similar. Like I know I'd be reminded of it each time I look.

So trust me when I say there was a methodology applied to each page and at least I appreciate it. The pictures may be too small but you can click on them for a bigger version. I was highly amused by this project and find it more aesthetically pleasing in general to look at pictures this way than by clicking through them on a computer folder. Enjoy!

heart of japan

The one thing I was most curious and anxious about when I applied for the JET Program was my placement, a.k.a. my new home in Japan. Unlike the interview and acceptance notices, the placement notifications were unprecedentedly late (by a whole month). It was great news to know that I was accepted but then surreal to believe I'd actually moving to Japan in only three months when I hadn't heard from the consulate in so long.

The Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami happened a month before I was informed that I had been accepted. At first, the fears of my loved ones had been completely unfounded seeing that I hadn't even been accepted yet. However, as that terrible situation continued to unfold, news of my acceptance brought about genuine concern and anxiety. On the application that I submitted in November, you are allowed to request up to three places (with no guarantee that you'll be placed in any of them). Not heeding the advice given to me about the likelihood of receiving a popular request, I put choices like Kyoto and Hirakata (near Osaka). These places are familiar to me since I had studied abroad at two universities in the area, but weakened my chances of actually getting a requested location.

As suspected, the delay was in fact due to the March 11th events. When the events happened, CLAIR, one of the JET Program branches, had to drop everything concerning getting the new applicants established with a contracting organizations (CO) and instead confirm the safety of their current JETs. This was, of course, completely understandable but it created a unique set of circumstances for this year's batch of new JETs. Being accepted into the program is not the end but more like being three quarters on your way to moving to Japan. The more time you have knowing where you're placed allows you to prepare more effectively, get in contact with your predecessor and schools, mail boxes over, and so on.

The days of June 13 / 15 / 28, 2011:

This odd assortment of dates represent when I finally knew the details of my placement. On June 13th, I was contacted via an unknown email that turned out to be my CO. They had a random question about my preferred living arrangement. This was a very perplexing way to find out my placement because 1) your CO should not be contacting you before your consulate does, 2) I had only been told the prefecture I was in, not the city, and 3) how do I tell them my preferred living arrangement without outright stating my exact preference of city? The last one I handled well. I volunteered that there was only one city I had been to in that prefecture and that I wouldn't mind going back to live in it. This strategy either went unnoticed or failed in the end. ::le sigh:: So which prefecture? Hyogo! But, but where in Hyogo?! Hyogo is ginormous! So that city I mentioned? A little place called Kobe. You might have heard of it as one of the most popular, well-known, cities in Japan. Kind of exciting right? I practiced restrained excitement, but already knew I'd be in Kansai, my area of preference and thus was hugely relieved.

On June 15th, I was contacted via email by my Consulate with the kind of subject line I had originally anticipated - "JET Placement!" This was nothing but a huge tease since I was hoping to find out more concrete information. It turned out I am what is called a Prefectural JET and so my Consulate only knows my prefecture until my CO contacts me with more information. Considering I had been asked nearly everyday if I had heard my placement, I decided to let my family and friends know the prefecture even if I didn't know the city yet. They were so happy and relieved as well.

So without much else to go on, I finally started researching my prefecture!

 

Hyōgo Prefecture is know as 'The Heart of Japan' because it is geographically the center of the country. When I think about it, Japan has always been in my heart so I found it fitting that I'd be living in its figurative heart as well. As I mentioned earlier, prior to learning my placement, the only time I had been in Hyōgo was to visit the capital city, Kobe. I loved the ultra-modernness of Kobe even though I was only able to see the port area. I hadn't tried Kobe beef either so I was excited to go back and have some ridiculously expensive and delicious meat! Hyōgo is also known as 'Japan in miniature.' This is because the prefecture is rich in traditional and contemporary culture, full of natural beauty, and home to a highly modernized society and business market. Japan as a whole is often remarked upon for having these contrasting yet appealing aspects and considering this one prefecture possesses all of these traits, makes 'Japan in miniature' a fitting description.

I was very excited to live here after just reading a few things about this place. But like I said, Hyōgo is a large prefecture and my eyes couldn't help but roam towards eastern Hyōgo where I could be more closely located to my requested cities of Kyoto and Hirakata as well as other large cities like Kobe, Osaka, and Nara.

Finally, on June 28th while away in New York visiting my brother, I was watching a Project Runway marathon, having a conversation, and checking my email at the same time (ADD or great multi-tasker? you decide) when I noticed the email from my CO. Quite matter-of-factly, he wrote that I would be at Hikami Senior High and gave me a link to the school's website. My first shock was that I was at a high school. I had requested elementary but I later guessed the teaching experience listed on my application better suited me for high school. Next, I rushed to find out where in all of Hyogo Hikami was, only to find out that recently, Hikami had been merged with six other towns to form the city of Tamba - in eastern Hyōgo!! I must admit that this wasn't how I felt at first. I had foolishly hoped too much for Kobe and had also seen some other towns even closer to Kyoto and Osaka. In the end I realized I was being ridiculous though since I definitely could've been on the other side of the prefecture, way too far from my favorite places to go often at all. The town also seems a quite rural, something else I hadn't requested, but at least people have heard of it which was definitely a good sign.

Here's Tamba City in Eastern Hyogo!

As you can see, I am not that far from the major cities I requested (total city girl here). In fact, according to Google maps, I'm about 2 hours all these major cities, making them definite options for weekend trips!

There you have it! Though I'm excited and grateful for being placed in Hyōgo, at the moment I'm more focused on soaking up Miami and making sure I'm ready for the transition.

丹波市、兵庫県、日本

Here I come!

miami photo project

I have A LOT to do before I leave for Japan, but one task I have given myself is both for my benefit and for the benefit of my future students. I have dubbed it the 'Miami Photo Project' and have drawn up a list of 50 pictures I want to take that will represent me, Miami, and my relationship with my hometown.

This compilation will remind me of home as seen through my eyes and get me through those homesick days when all I will want to see are familiar sights and faces. For my students, I will most likely be telling them about myself and where I come from, so I believe these pictures will come in handy to keep them interested.

Some examples of my selections that represent me will be pictures of my room, my family, my friends, my dog, my car, my office, and my school. Some examples of Miami would be the beach, a sunset, palm trees, alligators, iguanas, and the skyline. My relationship with my hometown would definitely have some Cuban highlights like La Carreta, cafesitos, calle ocho, and Little Havana. I made references to my Cuban heritage in both my application and interview as a kind of two-for-one bonus that my students would learn about since I can describe both American and Cuban culture in my lessons. I'll make Cuban coffee drinking, salsa dancing Japanese kids my legacy in Japan!

If you can think of other things in Miami that I should take a picture of, let me know! My good friend and wonderful photographer is going to accompany me on some of these photo-finding trips so I'll have more time and eyes on the lookout for any suggestions.

Till then, keep being amused!

rejoice for a dream

The title is a play on Mozart's 'requiem for a dream.' The humor you see, is that my dream is not dead. On the contrary it is alive and well.

I wrote another entry called 'relief' not too long ago which was the short dramatic story about how I found out that I had passed the first stage in a very competitive job-selection process. Well, now I'm here to tell the dramatic tale of how I landed the job! Yup! I got it!!

I interviewed in late February and felt that I had done an exceptional job after a month of practice and preparation. A wonderful friend of mine (and former JET participant) helped me and my bf practice with mock interviews. As for preparations, well, there were many months put into research, internships, and volunteering to give myself every chance of proving to them that I was a perfect fit for this program. On the day of the interview, I did my best and let God do the rest as the saying goes. I was relaxed, professional, conversational, and intuitive on how to respond.

We had been told that the results would be announced in mid-April. So at work on exactly April 15th, I began to wonder about my fate. People around would ask me if I was nervous about or anticipating the results. Honestly though, I barely had time to think about the results throughout the month of March. I was fully consumed with finishing strong in my graduate studies and accordingly, planning graduation celebrations. However, when April 15th did arrive, I started to stare off in the distance more often, prompting those around me to ask, "So, when will you know?" My answer, "sooooon."

I had every confidence in myself that I was a perfect fit for the JET Program but as I said in my last post, even the most qualified are not always accepted. So with that in mind, I applied to second program called Interac. Although JET was my dream, my determination to live in Japan knew no bounds. Even with the tragic earthquake of March 11, my resolve did not waiver, but it did make things more complicated. Naturally, concerned family members and friends feared for my future safety but I wasn't about to give up that easily. This dream had been years in the making after all.

Friday, April 15th, 2011: A quite normal day if you don't count the plans to go on a ghost tour for a friend's birthday that night. My boyfriend (who was also awaiting results) and I were arguing one of our pointless arguments when he noticed a new email on his computer screen.

He was placed on the Alternate list which is not a no, but not a yes. A limbo of sorts unless a position opens up. He got up, laid on his bed, sighed, and closed his eyes. At the same time, I ran to my computer and skimmed my email in a nanosecond and saw it, "Congratulations, you have been selected to be on the short list of candidates.." basically meaning,
I'VE BEEN ACCEPTED!

This wasn't how I imagined this moment to be especially since my boyfriend was distraught in the next room. So instead of jumping for joy, tears of joy came down my face.

I found out about the JET program in high school and always saw it as not only a great experience, but my ticket to living in Japan, my dream. Here I was eight years later being told that it was going to happen. It was overwhelming and made me overcome with how proud of myself I was.

Right now I am still in the process of conducting background checks, visa applications, and all the other necessary and timely steps that it takes to employ someone in another country, but come July 30th, I will be officially starting the next chapter in my life. I am SO excited!

Ironically this was my fortune from a fortune cookie last night:

Our truest life is when we are in our dreams awake

Until then, I will continue rejoicing for my dream come true.

relief.

I'm not in yet, but at least I can say I got this far which is a huge relief to me. I'm talking about the JET Program application process. Everyone I know believes I have this in the bag, but I've seen people just as qualified as I am not make it in. And so, I had the most nerve wracking experience on Wednesday night as I was out to dinner for my mom's bday. Next to me, my boyfriend exclaimed, "I got an email from the consulate... I have an interview!!" Needless to say I grabbed my phone and forgot to breathe as my mailbox is refreshing.

I didn't get an email.

He's looks at the screen and back at me in mingled shock and horror while everyone else around the table is waiting to hear whether or not I have an interview as well.

Realization setting in, some says, "check the website!" so I did.

The website must have been updated in the past 24 hours because I had been checking every day and had not been presented with this new PDF file labeled 'Interview Applicants.' This file had hundred of numbers. We were issued applicant ID numbers for just this occasion, but I had written mine down on a paper that was currently in a drawer at home...

Just then my previous stroke of genius came back to me. I had taken a picture of that paper on my phone as a convenient way to always have it with me.

SUCCESS!! I started breathing again and smiled as a way to silently pass on the good news to those around me.

Suddenly I wanted to tell all my well-wishers and those who had helped me with the grueling application. I promptly told all those I had easy access to the good news and felt very blessed at that moment to have so many people to tell... 

One of my mom's friends actually told me not to share the news so openly because then those who don't wish me well know as well and put that out into the universe. I was barely able to contain my excitement though so I've already alluded to it in other ways that might let the haters know, but whatever.

Inwardly though I was still a bit concerned that I hadn't received an email confirmation of my interview like my boyfriend had....I triple checked every part of the application before I sent it. Could they had entered my email address wrong?

A few days later, my fears were settled and question answered. I received a call from the Consulate to discuss my preferred interview date and time. Something went wrong with my professional email (not sure on who's end), but just asked them to use my personal email from then on instead.

Interview prep - Start!!