August

Down and Moving

Upon arriving at the Hiroshima Airport, I noticed immediate changes in my surrounding area. The weather was, still very much, hot and humid but there were strokes of gentle breeze brushing upon the air every few minutes or so. The breeze, which may be insignificant in the grand scheme of things, played a mighty role in how each day can turn out. 

From the high rise hotels of Shinjuku, Tokyo to the large castle-like houses settled in between open rice fields, Hiroshima offers something different. A calm sense of peace entwined with structure and formalities, I guess you can say this to most parts of Japan already. 

I was greeted by a couple of staff from the Board of Education (BOE) and current ALTs from the city of Higashihiroshima. From there on, a series of tasks were to be completed. A visit to the city hall to register our names and address followed by the bank and to wrap up the day, settling into my apartment. 

Situating

I thought I knew the heat and was prepared for it when I arrived in Japan, but I was extremely wrong. My travels to warm weather countries like Armenia and India as well as living in dry climate cities like Las Vegas did not prepare me at all. It is a different kind of heat here. The humidity is relentless and on most days as I have been working on this blog, I have been sheltering inside as if I am allergic to the sun. I’ll have to wait until the end of September to feel the weather cooling. 

Things slowly started to connect for me. It wasn’t too long before I visited all the three schools that I would be teaching at and started to understand the cultural etiquettes in schools such as switching from outdoor to indoor shoes once entering the school premise, to the students dedicated to cleaning during breaks. These are the basic first impressions I got from visiting the schools, and as I start working in the first week of September when all the students come back after their summer breaks, I look forward to digging deep into understanding more and more about the Japanese culture in schools. 

Speaking of school, the new first year ALTs in the Hiroshima prefecture were asked to attend a five-day language camp at a training center in Higashihiroshima. Though it is a language camp, many ALTs also call it friendship camp, as it gives ample time both in and out of the classroom to be acquainted with other ALTs. There was a sizable group of first years, some having studied Japanese for more than a few years and some, like me, only knowing a few phrases. The Japanese language instructors divided the group into classes ranging from A to E. A being the absolute beginners to E being the most advanced. You can guess which class I was in.

The Hiroshima Orientation

The language camp was not one of the last things on the to-do-checklist for the end of August. There was one last task to do. Attend the three day orientation in Hiroshima City. 

Orientations, in general, are not my thing. Specifically because it involves dozens of people or in this case, over 150 participants from all over the prefecture in a giant room. I looked at this orientation very much similar to the one in Tokyo but more focused on Hiroshima. Three days can feel like three weeks or maybe even just a few hours depending on the person you talk to. But on the positive side, the orientation was very much enjoyable. Sure there were a few hurdles I might have missed early on, but I was in full stride towards the middle of the race and at the end, I felt like every single person that I met at the orientation shared a strong bond over the journey and experiences here in Japan. 

I explored more of Hiroshima City outside of the orientation. From visiting Miyajima Island late at night to having a few drinks with friends at a cozy quiet bar waiting to be discovered, I found pleasure in balancing work and fun, something that is very much a catalyst to having a JET Program experience.