Tadaima

[ickaimp]

Back in the States, safe and sound.
Is rather odd, seeing the Pacific Ocean on our way home and realising that when we woke up today, we were on the other side of it.

Quick notes:

We saw the Magician with the Silver Wings. First Showing in Odaiba. Opening Day.
Movie rocks. Massive explosions. Many in-jokes. ^___^
Summary to follow later. Already have one fanart done too.
Grovel before me, minions.

Sketchbook (we brought a small one this year) is up at 90 pages. Will scan later. ~_~ M'tired.

ysabet, mel_redcap, I got it. 2 colour Conan vs the Kid, big perfect edition. Talk to me when my brain stops trying to think in 2 different languages. 3 if you count the kanji.

LOATHE coming back to the States. Spend a few weeks in Japan, spend the next several months experiancing Culture Shock in the States. Wanna go back.
Therefore, can only see one solution to it.
After talking to many many JET and assorted similiar program-people, we're gonna try for it. See where it goes. ^^;; Only thing that may hold us back is the lack of college degree. Do Trade Schools count?

Comments

May I be the first to welcome you home?

[xlittlelightx.livejournal.com]

Welcome back, Icka-san!!

[tinitinytina.livejournal.com]

*tackles* Welcome back, Icka!! I've missed seeing your posts and talking online. :D

Do tell us about the new movie sometime. Just don't rub it in too hard. :P

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

((Huggles!))
Thanks!!! ^__^

[kiena-tesedale.livejournal.com]

Welcome back! The JET program will often ignore the lack of a 4-year college degree if you have more than two years of regular, full-time work experience, at least if it hasn't changed in the past five years. Trade School can only help. :)

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

The JET program will often ignore the lack of a 4-year college degree if you have more than two years of regular, full-time work experience, at least if it hasn't changed in the past five years.

Whooooo!!! Thank you!!! Am desprately trying to find out more information about that right now. ((Huggles!))
Hmm... you think Four and a half years, most of it as an Assitant Supervisor would count?
Also have been an assitant teacher at a church youth club before. ^^;;
<-- not good at being in charge, but makes a good assitant.

[kiena-tesedale.livejournal.com]

Okay, I managed to catch my cousin on AIM - she was the person who went on the program before, without a college degree. I wasn't quite right, I'm afraid - JET requires (or required at the time) a degree, but there are a lot of other programs that *don't*, and she went on one of them. Her's was a local program (by the name of FLEET, if you want to do a search - in the Milwakuee, WI area), but there are a ton of them, apparently. The way she did it was to call up the local JET people (she got their number from a college area paper ad) and ask them about their requirements. When she found out she didn't quite meet them, she asked for other options, and they gave her the contact info for a bunch of other programs. FLEET had the best money, and it also allowed her to stay for a longer period of time - she was over there for two and a half years, instead of the one year JET has. Apparently a lot of the other programs are more flexible than JET - *especially* if you already speak Japanese.

And according to her, assistant supervisor would be good, 'cause it shows some professional leadership experience, even if you weren't the actual supervisor.

I really hope you can find something - she *loved* her experience, and talked (well, typed) about it so enthusiastically, I was jealous. :)

((MASSIVE GLOMPS!))

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

Thank you so increadably much, was starting kinda dispar with JET. This gives me another vein to research and explore. ((GlompsHugglesSqueeze))

Only know enough Japanese to get around and be sort of polite, but was picking up a kanji a day for most of the trip, and re-remembering quite a few of the 'kana I've forgotten since high school. But it was enough to be a help. ^__^

((Huggles!)) Thank you so much again!!!

Re: ((MASSIVE GLOMPS!))

[kiena-tesedale.livejournal.com]

::Laugh:: No problem! I'm really glad I could help. :)

Only know enough Japanese to get around and be sort of polite, but was picking up a kanji a day for most of the trip, and re-remembering quite a few of the 'kana I've forgotten since high school. But it was enough to be a help.

Really, that's better than a LOT of people who apply to JET and other programs. (My cousin could say 'hello' and 'thank you' and that was it when she left - and she didn't know a single kanji or 'kana). And, of course, once you've been there for a while, it's amazing the amount of stuff you'll pick up. I studied abroad in Prague for a semester, and by the end, I could really pick up the gist of most people's conversations - and I spoke only three words of Czech before I went!

I really hope you manage to find a program - but even if you can't, there are other options. Train companies (and airports) sometimes hire people who speak English for the tourists, and often don't require you to speak much/any Japanese. Depends on the company, of course. And schools don't always hire directly from the programs - often they'll hire people who approach them directly. Going through a program is a lot easier, though.

[kosaginolegion.livejournal.com]

(grovels)

(grovels some more)

(leaps to feet and huggles Icka) She's back, she's back, she's back!... er... (tries to look dignified... fails) It's good to have you back! 90 drawings. Wow.

Would you like me to ask my friend who did the JET thing (I think...) for advice for you?

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

Please! Advice would be good! ANN!!! WHERE ARE YOUUUUU?!
Found some JET sites which are useful for once you've been accepted, but not on how to apply. It looks like it's a timed thing, you have send in the forms at a certain time of the year (Sept-Oct-?) and other than that... dunno.

http://www.jetaasc.org <-- hasn't been updated in a bit
http://www.jet.org
and hold on... just found another one...
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/jet/

mrrrggh... *wanders off scratching head*

[hakaisha.livejournal.com]

*tackle glomps* Icka! You're back!!! Missed ya--both the LJ entries and the talks online. Glad to know you had fun too--90 sketches?! *shakes head in amazement* Wow.

And do tell about the movie, would you? (Yay for the explosions! Did this one blow up Tokyo Tower?) I'll grovel if I have to! (Though I do echo Tina's comment: don't rub it in too hard...=P)

Glad to have you back! ^__^

[rikalein.livejournal.com]

Welcome back ^-^
Nice to see, you had fun there ^-^. Being back home after a trip to Japan is really really strange...as I live in Germany you wake up, go out through the streets. Stop: 'It's too silent here...' ;p - as I was never in America, I don't know if you will feel the same. Of course you will miss the other stuff, too ^-^.

Okaeri!!!

[yuncyn.livejournal.com]

*GLOMP!* Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaerrrriiii!!!

*koff* Gomen. *blink* Does this mean Icka-sempai will be in Japan for a year or two?

[dogmatix-san.livejournal.com]

Hey there :) Is good to have you back.

[tdei.livejournal.com]

::snugs!:: welcome back ♥ ♥ ♥

good to hear your trip went well! ^^

unfortunately, i haven't been very productive. creativity-wise and academically. ::sweat::

but i'll get to my backlog evenutally. D: ::grovel::

[sakurazuka-jae.livejournal.com]

WELCOME BACK!

Glad to hear you had a good time! (And am IMMENSELY jealous you got to see the movie... Raargh!!!)

A welcome back present for you:

Welcomeb back! (http://www.livejournal.com/users/sakurazuka_jae/34320.html#cutid1)