Since My Placement...

Part of what I want this blog to be is a really detailed report of every thing involved in applying for and being accepted to JET. So, as a small update, here's what's happened since I was told my placement in mid-May:

• I had to reply and accept the placement by email
• I joined the Tottori JET group on Facebook and posted about my placement on ITIL
• Through Facebook I found my predecessor and have been in contact with him
• I was contacted by the JET travel agent to email my travel booking for me and my family. This was for the flight from Toronto to Tokyo, but she offered to go ahead and book flights, bus transport to Keio, and a room with breakfast for my family.
• I was contacted by the Tottori prefectural advisor, as she needed information about my family for visa procedures on their end. She also offered to help book flights for my family from Tokyo to Tottori and assist with finding a school for my daughter
• The Tottori PA also sent out a general email to everyone, giving some general information and also requesting information for hankos (personal seals) 

Pre-departure orientations have also started in Toronto. I was planning to attend the first general information session, but unfortunately I had to back out at the last minute.

JET 2014 Placement

I have received my JET placment! I think this year's placement information came out a bit earlier than usual, but it seems like everything was early this year. I was excepting the info on the 19th, perhaps, as I had heard that Japan was supposed to send off the placement info by Friday the 16th. I was very surprised to get my placement on that Friday. Canadians were the first to know!

Soooooooo...

I have been placed in Tottori prefecture!
I was also given a specific placement, which is Chizu-cho (Chizu town).

Because I was given an exact placement, I knew that I would be teaching in elementary and/or junior high schools. High school ALTs almost always are prefectural employees, while elementary/junior high school ALTs are nearly always city employees.

I am pretty happy with this placement. Chizu is a small, rural town of about 8,000. The town is in the mountains, but it is near enough to big cities like Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. And Tottori City (capital of the prefecture) is only about an hour away.

I am already in contact with my predecessor, and he has been extremely helpful so far, which I am very glad of. From what he has showed me, Chizu is gorgeous.

In my placement email, I was told that I will have contact from my BOE sometime after May 30th.

This has really made things real for me, and I am constantly flip-flopping between "OHMYGODICAN'TDOTHIS" and "Japan, weeee!" I know from my exchange in 2008 that this is completely normal, and I also know that I can do it, so that helps.