It’s that magical time of year when new JETs are getting ready for their new lives abroad in Japan. It is also a time for everybody’s favourite, PDOT (Pre-departure Orientation), which was held the weekend of Jun 22nd and 23rd at the Japan Foundation.
After eight long hours of information-intense workshops on Day 1, future JETs and alternatives, along with Sempai JETAA members, JAVA and JCSA headed over to The Bedford Academy to wind down and relax on the patio over a few delicious pints and fried appetizers.
The month before leaving for Japan can be rather nerve-racking as new JETs experience more heightened extremes of tension, excitement and anxiety about the unknowns of their new placement. The PDOT Nijikai was a great opportunity for newbies to get together and mingle with more experienced JET Alumnus in a casual environment. And mingle they did, asking away the many questions riddling their mind about what the future may hold for them.
One thing that is for certain is that we were very excited to meet the new JETs and share in their anticipated journey to Japan. As the night progressed, and the schmoozing continued the original three-hour event extended into five.
Of course at the end of the night it was mostly just Alumnus still going strong, however new JETs will soon learn that this nijikai is just one of many to come. We hope them all the best and look forward to meeting them again before departure.
Text by Judy Cerovski
Photos by Nicholas Jones, Bokeh Photography