Tuesday, July 13, 2010

What will happen next year?

Interestingly enough, with all the cutbacks being made world-wide, JET is rumored to now on the chopping block as well. The only real article about it is here, and it doesn't even to have any real, solid facts.

Regardless, it makes me wonder what will happen if they just up and drop JET. I'll have some notice, because they wouldn't be able to do it until the end of a contract year (a year from August, at the soonest).

In my town, it would mean they don't have to "deal" with having someone who can't speak the language around. At the same time, they'd miss out on realizing that not everyone speaks Japanese, that my culture has me thinking about things entirely different sometimes.

In general, it would mean there would be less of us causing a ruckus whenever we end up in a giant group (which isn't too often). There will be way less foreigners to practice English with on the trains, sneakily snap photos of and be generally confused by.

Less foreigners would be able to come over knowing that they have this amazing support system that JET provides for us.

For me, it would mean I'll be thrown into a crazy dash to find jobs in Japan (should I want to stay) or the insanity of teaching jobs being cut at home.

I know that God will lead and provide wherever he leads, but it has me very curious to see what the future looks like for both Japan (including these people I care about), my JET friends and myself.