Nicole Halseth, International Studies Major – 2014

Hello, my name is Nicole Halseth. I graduated from UNBC in May 2014 with a Major in International Studies and Minors in Sociocultural Anthropology and Global Environmental Change. Just a few short months later I moved to Japan to teach English as part of the JET Programme (Japan Exchange & Teaching Programme). JET is run by the Japanese government and is one of the largest exchange programs in the world.

I arrived in Tokyo on August 1st for a brief but intensive job training with over a thousand recent graduates from around the world. It was an absolute whirlwind of activity. After two days immersed in Tokyo’s lively Shinjuku district, I was put on a plane with other new JET participants and shipped off to Okayama Prefecture in the south of Japan.

Okayama, a land of peaches and sunshine (despite the semi-persistent typhoons), has been more than I could have imagined. I live and work in the lovely town of Niimi in Okayama Prefecture. Niimi is true countryside, with a bustling population of 30,000 spread out over a vast river valley. I walk out my front door and into fields upon fields of rice paddies, heavily forested mountains straight out of Jurassic Park (with wild boars and monkeys in place of the T-rex and Velociraptors), and a never ending parade of the (seemingly inexplicably-placed) vending machines. Bikes and trains are the transportation of choice here.

My modest Japanese language abilities have been getting quite a workout. I negotiated phone contracts, internet service, and everyday tasks. In my spare time, I keep busy with community festivals and volleyball, preparing for an English conversation salon at the local college, and travelling as much as possible. So far, I have had the chance to visit magnificent limestone caves and towering castles, eat delicious food, and take my first ride on the bullet train (which, yeah, was pretty cool). On my weekends and vacation days, I have explored Hiroshima, and the neighbouring prefectures of Tottori and Shimane. I hope to visit the historic city of Kyoto during the changing of the leaves in autumn, as well as the sprawling mountains of Nara prefecture during the springtime Hanami: the blooming of the cherry blossoms.

I work full time at three incredibly lively country elementary schools. I wake up early, put on my business suit, and roll, run, shout, sing, and dance for seven to nine hours before going to bed. Then I wake up and do it all over again. The kids are the best part of the job, without a doubt.

The transition to living and working in a new culture has not been without its hiccups. However, life is pretty sweet here, in this land of peaches. I look forward to every second of it.