please help me apply for JET programme.

[*Jess♥]

Hey guys,

most of you already know I am dyslexic.

I have trouble with writing essays and stuff like that. I want to apply for the JET programme this year but I don't have any support with writing.

I was wondering if you could help me a little?

as you are probably well aware, I have no issues writing forum posts. I can write fine when I am writing as though I am talking to somebody. so if you can perhaps help me to write my personal statement, by talking with me about it, I think that would be a great way to get it done.

cheers

p.s. here is the guidelines for the personal statement that i need to satisfy. http://www.jet-uk.org/application/apppersta.html

[durendal]

What is your interest in going to Japan and what would be your purpose in staying for long a period?

[*Jess♥]

I've been interested in Japan since I was very young. from a very early age, I was watching cartoons and puppet shows like 'starfleet' and samurai pizza cats, and really enjoying them much more than other tv. When Manga video started bringing out anime, I finally learned what it was and where it came from. I didn't really realise that I had such a love for Japanese state of mind until I was watching 'Pokemon' and i realised that I loved the depth of emotion that was put into the characters and story lines. I examined most of the tv and animation I had enjoyed and realised that the attitude that comes across in the Japanese shows I had watched and games I had played, really spoke to me on a very deep level. Over time, as I studied more about Japan, including the culture, the landscape, the people, the music etc. I realised that I really wanted to be there. I started to learn Japanese where I could and made a plan to one day work for a game company in Japan.

My real purpose in staying in Japan for a long period, would be to live in a place that I feel like I would be most happy. When I think about the positives of living in Japan and then consider the possible negatives, I find that I would be willing to put up with any number of bad things just to be in a place where people have such a high sense of honour, respect and a hard work discipline. I am like a fish out of water in my own country and I feel like if I were in Japan, I may still be a fish out of water, but at least the environment would be more like what I feel like I want to be like. I feel like I am more suited to Japanese society than British society. I felt this when I visited in 2008 and I still feel it now whenever I watch video blogs by people living there.

(thanks this is a great way to be able to write. it is very helpful. by all means, offer up your views on how I can edit this. )

[Aether]

ha ha! good to read that again we have something in common Ryuki - Samurai Pizza Cats!!!

also nice to hear you think you have found a place you feel that you belong, that must be a great motivation to get there.

only thing i can critique is to say if you are writing an essay or statement etc. you should avoid abbreviations.

i know the above is just informal on the board but you start off with i'm, and have a didn't , but you also have an i am in there, so if its formal writing you might want to keep an eye on that.

er...to prompt another writing session for you...if thats what you're asking for? then how about this?...

i think ive read you want to develop games, so what is the game that has most inspired you to want to develop them yourself?? or maybe better - what makes you want to develop games??

[*Jess♥]

probably the first game I ever owned was the legend of zelda on the NES. I used to spend hours just trying to burn trees with the magic candle. it really spoke to my own interest in exploring. I sought out more of that type of game and became a big fan of Shigeru Miyamoto. in time I also became a fan of the final fantasy series. the type of environments contained in these games is unlike the environment of any other country I have seen. I have noticed the way rice and tea plantations in Japan are arranged, the way people build settlements around the mountains and also Japanese gardens. all of this is so very pleasing to my sensibilities. I often watch the videos of my friend who lives in shizuoka who goes hiking in the mountains for this very reason. some of my other favourite games are games like 'mini ninjas' and 'okami'.

There is another element in Japanese culture that makes me want to make games. this is not necessarily present in all games, but is something I want to pass on to future generations. when I have watched various Anime or played certain games, there are themes of learning, honour, respect, helping people etc that always makes me feel better about myself and my life. it is this kind of attitude, trying to improve people's lives by inspiring them, that I want to pass on through games that I wish to develop.

(thanks Aether, yeah it's all of that phrasing and stuff that would normally hold me back. that's the kind of thing I will need to get some real hands on help with. I might be able to get some support from the library or the careers centre with that. yeah, actually my brother was more a fan of samurai pizza cats. I think I was a little bit young to really get into it at the time, but I did enjoy it and when writing these things it is best to write things that sound good, even if exaggerated a bit actually my favourite is 'robby the rascal' so I might swap that out. oh yes, i ought to link to the guidelines for the personal statement - http://www.jet-uk.org/application/apppersta.html)

[*YoungGuyver]

What are the positives and negatives you were talking about earlier? Is tv such an important part of you life that you would judge the mindset of a people on it? Are you deluding yourself in this regard? Is Startrek an expression of the American mindset? How does rape hentai express honor within Japanese society?

[*Jess♥]

this feels argumentative and I am not sure how this can fit into a personal statement, but i'll address these concerns.

'rape hentai' does seem to fit with the theme of other japanese representations of sex and is a possible contribution to the ailing jpanese population. I have read reports that sex is seen as disgusting and unpleasant by many young japanese, both men and women. this is also possibly a reason for the low perceived danger for women walking alone at night.

I find TV to be a good indicator of a society mentality. tv does a large job to keep people company when they are on their own and also fulfils some social roles in some cases. in the UK, tv shows such as coronation street, eastenders, emmerdale, etc. demonstrate a large part of british culture that is gossip. the atmosphere of the show and the themes that they cover, are indicative of the themes that are important to normal people in their everyday lives.

when people have certain issues i their lives, tv is a form of escapism, but it also plays the part of showing similar situations to a persons real life and showing those situations getting resolved. the way these situations are resolved is also a clear indicator of the attitude and mindset of that culture.

[*YoungGuyver]

Argumentative because I'm trying to challenge you as much as I possibly can. At some point you should be facing some difficult questions. And as a friend I feel this is a life changing decision that you should be challenged on.

Are you sure that youre own escapism has not put another culture up on a pedastle?

How can a culture be said to have great honor when it still hunts species to extincion for frivialous reasons? Shark fin soup for example, where hard science has shown the fins to be nutritionless, tasteless chunks of cartilage. Or whale hunting, where science is used as a thin excuse even though the answers obtained have long been known.

Why should you be -allowed- to live in Japan? How could you possibly support yourself there when you cannot in the UK? (I'm exadurating and being cruel on this one because you will have to answer it at some point) If you can not find adequate income in Japan, what are your plans for supporting yourself?

[*Jess♥]

yeah i appreciate the challenge, it's just not the purpose of the thread, but I will fold on that issues since your intention is pure.

The JET programme is all about an exchange for the purposes of teaching. I will be placed in a role as an ALT. assistant language teacher. after that, if I wish to stay in japan I will have to have made some good contacts and made a goods impression in order to get work. a work visa is only valid as long as I am working so if i don't find work, I would be shipped back to the uk. having said that. I don't know how long the visa will be for that i will be supplied with. it may only be a year long visa anyway.

I wouldn't say I have put the culture on a pedestal. I quite clearly acknowledged that there were positives and negatives. I just don't see the sense in focusing on the negatives of a culture since there are plenty of negatives about each culture. there are some really bad negative things about british culture but i don't focus on them (unless they affect me). I am aware that they exist, but I just have to deal with any problems as i come to them.

I am under the impression that you are happy in your home country. you may feel like you belong there. but it doesn't mean you've put the culture on a pedestal. it just means you feel an affinity with it.

I can't defend or condemn shark fin soup. I don't know anything about that. but I am certain there are plenty of people within Japan that do not approve of it.