I received the news last week. My host city is official. I'll be going to Katori, Chiba Prefecture.
I've looked it up on the web and I'm really excited. It is not too very far from Tokyo. Tokyo is west of Narita Airport and Katori is north east of Narita Airport as far as I can tell. There is some good information about Katori online at http://www.chiba-tour.jp/eng/airport/katori/top.html
I started receiving responses from some of the former JFMFers that I have contacted. They have offered many helpful hints and shared their experience.
I'm keeping my mind as open as I can to this whole experience. I have no idea what it will be like, although I have had several dreams that involve being in Japan. I'm sure that my dreams are influenced by all of the reading that I'm doing.
I received another e-mail from the JFMF folks. Today there was a new online form to fill out. This time I got to sign up for two different special seminars. I signed up for "Peace Education" on June 13 and "Art Education Workshop" on June 24. Both seminars will take place in Tokyo.
Tokyo, in five weeks I'll be there. How cool is that?
4 comments:
If you have any questions about Katori, feel free to post some questions. I will take a look from time to time.
1. When you first get there, it will be really humid.
2. Ask your school to introduce you to someone who will teach you Japanese but is not another teacher. You will pay this person personally.
3. You should learn "katakana" and "hiragana" now. This will help you in reading names of train stations and some menus.
4. Katori is along the Tonegawa (Tone River) and has a great bike path.
5. Japanese roads are treacherous. Do not even think about getting a driver's license for a while.
6. Your main mission in Katori is not to teach English. You are there to absorb Japanese culture, be cheerful and inquisitive and conversational. English teaching tends to come after this. The worst thing you can do is be judgmental on social matters. The best thing you can do is be with your students by day and other people by night and travel a bit on weekends. Depending on your schedule, volunteer to help with student cleanup or student supervision after school. Assistant to start. Students and teachers and other people need good friends and they are definitely looking forward to seeing you.
7. Definitely join a couple of school clubs. Archery, judo are reasonable choices. Consult with your teachers and the teacher in charge of that club on what is a reasonable amount of time to do that. --- Note: late October and November might be rather busy for you with meetings and speech contest practice.
8. Memorize all of the train stations between Katori and Narita, Choshi and Kashima.
9. Don't be a wallflower or a homebody.
10. Winters are cold and schools are cold in winter. But don't worry about that for now.
Hey, I'll be going to Katori with JFMF in June 2008 too! Please check out my blog at ralphsensei.blogspot.com.
Scott R.
Hi, my name is Monica Phillips. I teach at Mark Twain Elementary in HISD. I also applied to the JFMF...but was not chosen to go this year. I am inspired by your blog...that you've applied many times! I'm already thinking about my next application! Did you send the same one each year, tweak it a bit, or just completely change it every year? I'd love to talk to you either in person, through email, or by phone! Congrats!
I also have a blog, check it out!
http://www.mrsphillipsatmarktwain.blogspot.com
Monica
Jean,
How awesome and congratulations on your grant for your Japan Fultbright! A very good friend of mine has gone on that grant and was in awe the entire time!
I was awarded a grant throught FFT and will be traveling to Colombia, Ecuador adn Peru for five weeks this summer and,ironically, will be visiting some programs that are involved with 'peace education', values and character education and conflict resolution programs. I have been involved in conferences in the US in these areas in the past and find it fascinating to go beyond our US soil boundaries for actual global perspectives. I look forward to your travel insights along the way.
Joanne (Katy ISD...peruvian1 on FFT fellows site)
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