Fascinating Placement

I try to say interesting things, but today I can't seem to think of much. However, I do read some other JET related blogs (other blogs besides that) and one of these JETs has posted something super interesting, so today, I'm just going to link you there.

First some background. Merkypie is awesome. She started the US JET 2012 thread and has done SOOOO much on the JET forums. She is brave enough to give out answers and be brutally honest when people are just not being the adults they ought to be. I really admire her presence on the forums and the personality I've seen here on the interwebz. Her blog is pretty helpful on a few things too. I think it's in my blogroll... She started a thread on the Aspiring JETs forum for new JETs to note their placements and whether it was a preference or not, etc. So she made a post talking about it and I'm going to link you here ^_^

2012 Placement Trends as Interpreted by Merkypie

I think this is especially interesting because it gives some insight into how your placement request works or how it may impact where you end up. Don't assume you request something and will get it. But, do request something if you are interested. I think that it's really worth looking into and thinking about where you want to go. You may just want Hokkaido (like me ^^) because it is similar to where you come from or because it is your sister region (Hokkaido is the sister state/region for Massachusetts). You may be more specific; I didn't request Kyoto-shi last year because I know how impossible it is to get in there. This year, I will list it as one of my preferences because as I've done more research I found out it is the sister city to my beloved Boston and since it was my favorite place when I went to Japan, I really want to spend more time there and experience that fascinating mix of history and modernity that I feel Boston and Kyoto both have. But, put in the work and figure out what you really want to do. And don't be concerned when you don't get it. It's Japan! It's all wicked awesome ^_^