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2014 JET-MIP REPORT: RYAN MCCORMICKDECEMBER, 2014: BREEZE ISSUE #86
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OF JAPANESERYAN MCCORMICKClarkstown High School SouthWest Nyack, NY
The JET Memorial Invitational Program was one of thebest and most culturally educational experiences of mylife. The program in Japan was well orchestrated byeveryone at the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language
Insitute, Kansai, and aside from the "super typhoon"
cancelling our trip to Rikuzentakata, the trip itinerary
always kept me well informed on what we were doingeach day. The free time given to us on most days was oneof the best parts of the trip where we got to explore parts of Japan to our hearts extent, in thesurrounding area of the institute at least, and get to know the other program participants better. Thisexperience was the opportunity of a lifetime and I will never forget it.
To start off, the program in Japan consisted of visits to various schools associated with the late teachers,
Montgomery Dickson and Taylor Anderson. These two were teachers from America who taught English inJapan through the JET Program. Every single person I met whether a teacher or a student, was extremely
kind and caring, but most importantly they were strong. For example, we met children at Watanoha
Elementary School who experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake at a young age and they are now
working hard for a better future. On days where we weren't visiting schools, we had rigorous Japaneselessons in the Kansai Institute to prepare us for the school visits and our homestay. My teacher specificallywas very knowledgeable and could translate from English to Japanese in a way that wasn't toocomplicated and we could understand. She even friended us on Facebook during the trip! Japan was oneof the most beautiful places that I have ever visited in my life both the people and the scenery. TheJapanese population consists of such nice people that are so kind and caring and wholeheartedly happy
to help you at any time. It was a huge culture shock to return to America and return to my job at a pizza
restaurant having people yelling and being obnoxious whereas in Japan everyone is courteous and nice.
Americans do not bow and say welcome to my store and thank you very much repeatedly when you enter
their stores. I will always miss the hospitality and kindness that was given to me by every single person I
met in Japan.

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This experience has impacted my future Japanese Language education by inspiring me to go further with
it and not give up on it after I graduate high school. The bonds I have made with the people I met both
American and Japanese while in Japan will last forever and us JET-MIP participants will be the bridge
between our two countries. I believe that this trip will set me apart from others and even provide potential
opportunities for careers in the future. Opportunities such as the JET Program will be available to me
when I graduate college as well. I believe that having JET-MIP on a resume when applying for the JET
program will significantly help my chances of getting accepted.
Throughout the trip, I was always busy doing something. When we weren’t visiting schools in Japan or
taking part in the daily Japanese lessons, we had free time usually after 5pm. This time allowed for someof my favorite experiences of the trip. Spending time with my fellow MIPpers by visiting local stores,
shopping at the AEON mall, going to the nearby ramen restaurant to eat, playing late night games in thelobby, and having group sleepovers in the lounge were some of the most fun things I’ve done in a while.
Each one of my fellow MIPpers have a special place in my heart and I’ll always keep in touch with themthrough Facebook or other means. It's not an everyday that you have an opportunity to be able to live with
31 other people your age and travel with them for almost 3 weeks straight. Always having your mealstogether and working together on songs and games to be shown to an audience. Although I can’t say
singing ‘Happy’ by Pharell Williams repeatedly was a blast, playing Split Splat with the other MIPpers andWatanoha elementary school students was tons of fun.
To Taylor Anderson and Montgomery Dickson, although I didn’t personally get the honor of meeting you, I
feel like I got a great understanding of your personalities and who you were through the stories told by
your families, friends, and students. It is very sad that you didn’t get to live longer and touch more hearts
than you already did through your actions and teaching, but I know that you’re still living today througheveryone that you touched. Without you two, I would not have had the opportunity to visit Japan and takepart in one of the best experiences of my life, so I’d like to thank you very much.

NIPPON THROUGH MY EYES PHOTO SUBMISSION“Vending Machines”
This is a picture taken inside the Aeon mall arcade ofseveral vending machines. I chose this because it is oneof the coolest things about Japan. No matter where you
were, there was always a vending machine within walking
distance where you could get thing you would normallynever find in a vending machine in America.

Breeze #86

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Japanese Langauge Education Update 132014 Fukuoka Cultural Exchange Program

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