Greetings From a Geezer
Heyla, everyone. I'm new here, so dozo yoroshiku and all that. I would have posted an intro earlier but wanted to catch up on the back reading in this comm beforehand. So, first off, thanks to everyone for providing such a wealth of info.
Now, in the one age-tagged post I've read in here, everyone was quick to say 'don't fret about it'; that sort of reassurance is good to hear, as I'm 36 and have been wondering if I'll automatically be at a disadvantage if the JET committee secretly prefers fresh-faced lads and lasses straight out of uni.
But that's not really what I'm asking about. Assuming I'm lucky enough to get in, I worry a bit whether or not my fellow JETs will think hanging out with someone in his mid-30s is 'too weird' when most of them will be in their early 20s. Whilst I naturally hope to make Japanese friends over there, I would like to believe I could socialise with JETs as well, particularly after hearing all these stories of cheerful JET get-togethers, organised trips, and suchlike.
So, quick poll time: 1, what age are you lot (feel free to generalise if this is too personal a question); and 2, do you have any friends who are, say, 5+ years older/younger than you? I'm just trying to get an idea of what I may be in for over there. I personally feel quite young, but I'm sure 36 sounds ancient to some of you. ^_^ For that matter, how old in your experience are the actual Japanese teachers at the elementary/junior/high schools? Have any of you made lasting friendships with any of the faculty at your schools or is it 'work and enkai only'?
OK, this is getting a bit long so I'll endeavour to rein it in, saving other queries for future posts. Oh, and as a random data point, I'm applying to the UK JET Programme. How many fellow Brits here?
Now, in the one age-tagged post I've read in here, everyone was quick to say 'don't fret about it'; that sort of reassurance is good to hear, as I'm 36 and have been wondering if I'll automatically be at a disadvantage if the JET committee secretly prefers fresh-faced lads and lasses straight out of uni.
But that's not really what I'm asking about. Assuming I'm lucky enough to get in, I worry a bit whether or not my fellow JETs will think hanging out with someone in his mid-30s is 'too weird' when most of them will be in their early 20s. Whilst I naturally hope to make Japanese friends over there, I would like to believe I could socialise with JETs as well, particularly after hearing all these stories of cheerful JET get-togethers, organised trips, and suchlike.
So, quick poll time: 1, what age are you lot (feel free to generalise if this is too personal a question); and 2, do you have any friends who are, say, 5+ years older/younger than you? I'm just trying to get an idea of what I may be in for over there. I personally feel quite young, but I'm sure 36 sounds ancient to some of you. ^_^ For that matter, how old in your experience are the actual Japanese teachers at the elementary/junior/high schools? Have any of you made lasting friendships with any of the faculty at your schools or is it 'work and enkai only'?
OK, this is getting a bit long so I'll endeavour to rein it in, saving other queries for future posts. Oh, and as a random data point, I'm applying to the UK JET Programme. How many fellow Brits here?