Toronto P-DOT

Well I just got home from an exciting day number 2 of the Toronto Pre-Departure Orientation. The orientation has been graciously put on by JETAA Toronto whose members have been nothing short of spectacular in helping to prepare us for our new lives overseas as ALTs. I am really appreciative to be a Toronto JET as i know this is far from the norm.

For the past two days we have covered all sorts of topics regarding the lives of JET participants. What has been a great about these sessions is that each topic was presented to us by ex-JETs who were able to not only tell us what it would be like, but also illustrate each topic with their own experiences and stories about their fellow ALTs. I can honestly say that it was well worth the loss of a weekend. While a lot of the focus was on topics that are likely to be covered once I get to Tokyo, it was comforting to get the information while still in Canada. Hooray for keeping panic at bay.

Semi-update: Day 3
Today was all about getting a sneak peak at the culture of Japan. the JCCC and its volunteers were kind enough to put on a display of several different cultural practices including: Arts and crafts, Japanese calligraphy, Iaido, festival dances, how to behave in a Japanese home, How to wear a Kimono, and the Japanese tea ceremony. It was quite a neat experience to partake in all of these and I am looking forward to joining some clubs when I get to Fukui.

Semi-update 2: Japanese cooking class
Toronto’s JETAA members had one last event planned for us and that was the cooking class held on Tuesday. It was a lot of fun and had a great turnout. I learned how to make okonomiyaki, Japanese stir-fry, Japanese curry, cold soba noodles, and rolled omelets. The food was great, people were excited, jokes were aplenty, and a good time was had by all. To all those Toronto JETs for the future: ATTEND THE P-DOT AND ASSOCIATED EVENTS!!!