My name’s Lauren. I’m from Colorado and studied graphic design in college. After college, I did what any new graphic artist would do – flitted off to Japan to teach English. I was with the JET Program, and most likely you found this site searching for tips on the application, the interview, etc. If you did, you can go to the JET FAQs page and ask away.
Now for the rest of you interest in moi, I’m back stateside and, well, trying to sort out what to do next. But aren’t we all?
hey lauren, it’s so rare that i come across any JETs from Colorado. i justed got short-listed for the program so i’m in the mist of preparing myself for what to come. thanks for your blog. by the way, did you have to ship any boxes over to Japan when you went over? i’m looking for something reasonable but can’t seem to find anything.
Thanks for your comments, Torry. Congrats on making it into the JET Program this year! I’m sure it was much stiffer competition than when I got it.
I don’t know much about shipping except that it’s difficult to find someone that still does Surface Mail to Japan, and if you can find them, it can take up to 2 months for your boxes to arrive.
I ordered a new laptop and it didn’t arrive until after I came to Japan, so I had my folks send it to me along with some winter clothes (my heavy jacket, some sweaters, and I think some shoes). They sent it through USPS and insured it, and I think the cost ended up being about $120. Yeah, I know, pretty expensive especially combined with all the other JET related things you have to pay for, so it’s up to you to determine how much you need it. Just pack as well as you can, and if you’re in doubt about anything you pack (in terms of how much you’ll use it) it’s probably best to leave it out.