Hey everyone! I’ve been waiting to make this announcement for a hot second.

I’ve been debating what direction my life should take. While I’ve enjoyed my years as an intervention aide, I’ve felt like I’m allowing myself to stagnate and fall-behind my educational goals. My Japanese skills have been stagnating as well, making it harder for me to get back into school for the historical program I would want to do.

Luckily, there has been a beacon on the horizon: the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. I first heard about the program from the great YouTube channel Abroad in Japan, who himself was a JET teacher. The prospect of not only living in the country that I’ve wanted to travel to for years but continuing to teach seemed to be a perfect fit for me. Unfortunately, having applied and failed to get into the program last year, I knew just how demanding JET could be.

Having said that, I’ve been applying myself to learn how to teach English more professionally and get a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification. Though it took many hours and a lot of energy whenever I had the time/energy after work, I can happily say that my hard work has paid off.

On August 1st, I’ll be flying out to Tokyo from Detroit! From there, I’ll be stationed in Kawanishi City in Hyogo Prefecture¹ for a year. After that, I can have my contract renewed for up to a total 3 years before I must figure out my next steps within or outside Japan.

Keep an eye on this blog for any updates. I’ll be adding a gallery page soon so that you all can follow along with my trip as well!