Personal Connections Through Education Exchange with Japan
MARK FLANIGAN (Nagasaki, 2000-2004)
In 2000, I was placed by the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) in the lovely, historical city of Hirado in Nagasaki prefecture. My initial one-year contract became a four-year immersive experience of teaching, training intensely in Karate (eventually earning my Black Belt), and learning much more about the rich culture and traditions of my host country. In addition to my teaching, I served as Nagasaki’s Education Center Assistant Language Teacher, and then Prefectural Advisor in my fourth year.
After completing JET in 2004, I stayed involved in Japan-related events, but my work was largely focused on domestic disaster preparedness and response. Nonetheless, my personal experience on JET kept me engaged beyond my time there, and was instrumental in my return, six years later, as a Rotary Peace Fellow at the International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo. This never would have happened without my previous experience in Japan, and it led to my subsequent career focus on education and exchange in Asia. . . .
About the Author
Mark Flanigan served as a JET in Nagasaki Prefecture from 2000-04. He has dedicated his life to education and public service, and is currently serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Imago Dei Middle School in Tucson, Arizona.
About Japan Matters For America
This article is part of a guest-contributor partnership between the East-West Center in Washington and USJETAA in which former JET participants contribute articles relating to their experiences in Japan.
