Konnichi-what? (An introduction)

ようこそ!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Johnny, and this is the story of my adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun, 日本.

What exactly am I doing?

I am working as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Kyoto, Japan with the JET Program.  What is the JET Program? No, unfortunately, I don’t get to fly any planes. JET is the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. As an ALT, I will be spending my days in two public high schools in Kyoto-shi, assisting with the English Language classes. But that’s only the beginning of the fun. The “Exchange” part covers the rest of the activities I will be partaking in – from assisting with school sports teams to giving talks on American culture – who knows what I’ll be up to. Stay tuned to find out.

If you’re really interested in JET, you can check out the website for more info: http://www.jetprogramme.org

How did I get here?

Good question. I have no doubt that this is where the Lord has led me. Upon returning from a life-changing two months in China and facing the daunting reality of my impending graduation from UCLA, I knew that I wanted to do something crazy. Those of you who know me well can’t picture me spending my days at a desk job in SoCal. Well, neither could I. After months and months of prayer for guidance, I was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime: a position on the JET Program. So I went for it. Writing this page in July of 2013, sitting in the backyard of my childhood home in Yorba Linda, the future is still yet to be written. Where will this journey take me? What stories will fill this blog? Is Japanese food even better than I imagined? I guess we’ll both have to find out.

Adventure is out there!

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.”-Psalm 139:7-10