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2014 JET-MIP REPORT: SIERRA MAZUROWSKIDECEMBER, 2014: BREEZE ISSUE #86
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OF JAPANESESIERRA MAZUROWSKI
Stow-Munroe Falls HS
Stow, OH
I have spent these last few weeks tying up loose ends.
Saying good bye to friends I have known well these past
six or seven years, finishing my summer reading, andspending time with my sister before we go our separateways. I have unpacked my suitcases only to transfer mostof the contents to cardboard boxes, sorting through things
that will stay at my house and what will follow me tocollege. The process is not long, but I have never enjoyedpacking.
Yet at the same time I was looking through everything that I brought home with me from Japan, I
designated a place on my wall, a portion by the desk that was horribly bare, to be where I would hangeverything I could fit as a tribute to the memories I had made in the last year. The wall has quickly filled up
with プリクラ (photo sticker prints), contact cards from a few of the other participants, senior photos,
tickets from the ferris wheel at Rinku's mall and the entrance ticket from 東⼤寺 (Todaiji Temple), as well asother souvenirs and papers I brought home from Japan, NYC, and D.C.. The two fans, one from the airline
and the other we received in Tohoku, are hung on the wall with a colorful crane (also from the airline),
carefully attached to the wall. It's nothing beautiful, but I like how it's coming together.
When my Sensei had told me she had recommended me for this, I was honored but also afraid of failinglike I had with my previous attempts at going abroad. I remember telling myself to expect the worst
because the best was unlikely - and when I did the interview I figured I was done for. I'm still not sure how
I made it past such a major road block. After that interview and my time in Japan, I realized just how much
more I had to do in order to truly communicate effectively in Japanese. Upon returning home, I began toteach my friends simple little words and phrases so I could still speak a little bit here and there, and since
my college did not place me in Japanese the first semester, I arranged a meeting on my move in days toadjust my schedule to accommodate it. I have decided to pursue a double major in foreign relations andJapanese, with a minor in Spanish. This trip was only a taste of Japan - I want to delve further in, and you
can bet I will be among the other 31 participants of this program handing in an application for the JET
Program in the next few years, even if I have to take summer courses to make certain I get my degree intime.
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This program could not have come at a better time in my life - I will admit despite how much people say I
sound like I have my life together, I would always hide the fact that in reality, I was better at talking thetalk, and knew I had little to no idea what I was going to do after I had my degree. I knew I wanted to dosomething like interpretation, anything with foreign language really - but how? Where would I start? Howwould I pay for college? I had been considering military service, which now that I have learned of the JET
Program, I will probably follow the latter path rather than entering the military.
I feel that this program acted as a turning point in my life - I have built friendships with so many people,
from the United States and abroad, people with whom I have both laughed and cried alongside. I havedone my best to keep in contact with them, and am emerging from my shell more as a result of it. I want to
do more trips abroad, to Spain and Japan, and who knows where else? I had always wanted to studyabroad, but I feel even more invigorated to do so; I have a passport, laying practically empty on the shelfby my bed - now that I have one, I may as well go out of my way to fill it up as much as I can.
Upon returning home, I felt that there was something missing from my life, and even to this point I'm notsure what it is. Over time the feeling mostly went away, but there is still a part that anxiously waits to berepaired. I feel that, when explaining to people about the trip and why we were sent abroad, I truly wasable to serve some purpose, and that is probably what I lack - purpose. I have a sense of direction after
this trip, and I feel that my life is going somewhere; I feel like I'm not just plodding around in circles butthat rather I am forming a clearer idea of who I am and what I want to do with myself.
Now, as one may gather, I enjoyed the program tremendously. While we did not get to go toRikuzentakata, the trip to Nara was a great alternative - it was probably one of my favorite places wevisited. I loved having the resources in the study room and library available to us, and I remember being
thankful for help from the two Sensei my group had. I think my favorite parts were spending those two
short days with our host families, and the amount of freedom we had. I loved my host family so much they were a welcoming bunch of people, and the grandparents were wonderful as well. They were always
happy and incredibly patient, and just generally a fun group of people. It was like a good day with my own
family; I plan to send them a letter after I've moved in to my dorm at Wittenberg, and to keep e-mailingMoeka, one of my host sisters.
I'm not sure how I may have affected others - maybe I just got people interested in visiting America. Quite
frankly I'm not sure what kind of impression I left people with - hopefully a good one! I remember always
smiling, though. I hope that through my attempts to communicate, that I was able to show that there arepeople in America and the rest of the world honestly interested in the culture and language of Japan, that
there are people who want to learn and want to improve. Being among so many speakers of different
levels, I am even more determined to improve my speaking ability - I even remember practicing with Olive
and Britta sometimes, and asking about different grammar patterns I did not know or understand in themorning with my peers.
Finally, my message to Taylor and Monty. I have never met either of you, but I wish I had had theopportunity to, even in passing. The two of you are truly treasured by your friends and family, and Mr.
Endo's artistically crafted bookcase in Watanoha can only give me some idea of how highly he and his
family regarded you, Taylor. The people of the Tohoku region are still recovering from 3.11, but they still
look towards the future, and those who knew you two personally choose rather to keep moving forwardwith their chins up, hopeful for the future, knowing the last thing they should do is give in to their sadness.
It is a terrible loss that you left this world so early- but your memory lives on in so many people, and how

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you have affected people - and myself - even to this day is amazing. Thank you for inspiring me to reachthe same level of understanding that you both had with people. I can only hope to be half the person you
two were.

NIPPON THROUGH MY EYES PHOTO SUBMISSION“Sunrise in Japan”
The land of the rising sun- I chose this photo because I
remember being taken away by watching the sun rise sosteadily one day. I woke up pretty early for this one too!

Breeze #86

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