Chris’s Blog

Well, for those of you who did not attend the JET Wellington Alumni Meeting, which is most of you – here is the long list of what was discussed.

The meeting was broken up into the following sections, Pre-Departure, Settling In and Making the most of life in Japan. I have listed some of the questions asked and their answers in the respective sections.

Section One – Pre-Departure / What should I take?

Clothing. Bring summer clothes as you will be literally walking into a sauna. Be prepared to wear formal clothing for at least the first week due to meetings and so on. Don’t go over the limits (20kg baggage, 7kg carry-on) because previous JET’s have been stung with additional baggage costs. If you are a shoe size 7 or lager, bring shoes (as you will find it near impossible to get shoes larger than this). Other than clothing, it was suggested you buy other necessities in Japan, such as shampoo, etc. It was also recommended that you take antiperspirant deodorant as there isn’t a large selection in Japan (and it is also only a deodorant). Bring along toothpaste if you like the flavor. For people with big feet like me, grab some slippers as the ones you will need to wear inside school will fall apart due to them being 10 sizes too small. Don’t take any winter clothing as you can have it shipped to you (DHL was recommended as they deliver to your door in Japan). Expect to pay between $200 and $300 for around 20kg ($NZD).

Souvenirs. There were a few ideas thrown around about what to take to give as gifts. Little things like 5c coins, stamps etc are great to give to the students. Stuffed kiwi’s for teachers etc and maybe a book on New Zealand for the principal. Anything goes, so be creative. Take a lot as gift-giving is almost expected in Japanese culture (and its a great way to make friends). Take along some foods that may not be in Japan (i.e. Vegemite – uugh!) for interesting lessons.

Money. As most JET’s are poor (graduated students) we need to know how much we might need to take. The ex-Jets said that $2000 would be sufficient as many do not need to pay rent up front for the first month. (Remember though, Everyone’s situation is different) It also depends on what you expect to buy, but for those of you used to living like a student it shouldn’t be a problem.

Also be prepared to discuss through email with your predecessor about purchasing their old stuff (for lack of a better word). Sometimes you get a good deal, and other times you can get jacked. So if you are considering buying from your predecessor make sure you know what it is, and what condition it is in. If possible, suggest paying for the goods upon inspection, so you can decide if you want to buy them when you are there. Another JET suggested you may not want to purchase anything from them, and that you can find almost anything you need on street corners that is in near new condition or garage sales for cheap.

Read more for the other two sections (more…)

Long Wait until us JET participants find out any more about where we will be going. Most of you will by now know the general area (one of my friends is going somewhere in Shikoku!, How’s that !) and are wanting to find out more about your location. Unfortunately, no-one really knows exactly when we will find out about final destination. Some people have only found out a week or two before they depart! Hopefully the news wont come that late. So in the mean time, I will attend the informal JET alumni meeting (this Sunday) to ask a few silly questions about Japan; such as “Will I find shoes that will fit me?” and “Is it better to take alot over, or buy it over there”. I will blog some of the questions and answers for those who might not be attending (alot of you) There will also be a compulsory JET meeting on the 9th next month, so I’m looking forward to getting a better insight into the JET programme. Till Next Time!

Thought I should write something, but I don’t really have anything to write about. Its a drag, waiting to hear back from JET to hear where I will be going. I did however, contact the Inland Revenue Dept regarding what I need to do before I leave the country. Turns out its not that much of a deal, even for those with student loans, all that is required is that an IRD3 be filled out, along with a leaving country form (dunno what its really called). More…I would like to fill these out, but until I know where I will be going, there isn’t much more I can do. Other than that, I’m also trying to get rid of all my stuff (stereo, pc, car) so I wont have too much of a loan to pay back (yeah, I’m borrowing money before I leave cause I am dirt broke) hopefully I can get it to around nothing (excluding my student loan) by the time I leave (when I will need to borrow another $4000) Ah well, a good business man always buys things with other peoples money, cant see why there is much difference here Thats all for today folks, I will keep you in the loop regarding progress with JET (should be within a week) and then things should start rolling a bit smoother.

I have spent over two days playing around with OSX and managed to get it running on an external USB2 drive connected to my new laptop. Tiger is so much prettier than windows, but alas, as it wasn’t made for wintel machines not everything works. I did manage to get the on board sound, video, on board network and most things working. What do not work are the Intel Wireless, DVD Video, Microphone and on board Camera. I’m not complaining tho, it’s a great operating system. For those of who might be interested in doing the same, head over to osx86project (Google it) and have a look. 3 Months to go until I leave for Japan and I have yet to organize anything yet . I will probably get around to contacting IRD regarding tax etc sometime next month after I find out where I will be working. Also as I have yet to hear back from jet about where I will be working, I haven’t been able to sort out my visa. All in due time.