Anna Blythe ’17

ENVS/SOAN major, Japanese minor

After graduating in 2017, I moved to Saijo, Ehime prefecture, where I work as a JET Program ALT at a junior high school. I help teach about 4-5 classes per day where I make games and activities related to holidays, customs, or the grammar we are studying. I also help with special needs English classes twice a week.

I remember first learning about the JET Program during my freshman year at Lewis & Clark, and from that moment I knew it was what I wanted to do as soon as I graduated. I am so grateful for the supportive community of the Japanese department at Lewis & Clark because I was able to get to know my professors personally which is invaluable at the college level. They helped me improve my Japanese over the years, assisted me with my JET Program application, and overall prepared me for my new life in Japan.

The hospitality I have experienced since moving to Japan is incomparable to anywhere I have been. If there is anything I hope to carry with me when I return from Japan, it is this incredible graciousness and kindness. I feel so at home here even when I am thousands of miles away from the US.

While there are still tough days that come with living abroad, I love getting to experience a new way of living every day. I find that I have become more resilient, confident, and have a much better idea of my direction in life after coming on the JET Program, and am very grateful for the connections I made at Lewis & Clark that mentored me and helped me to get here!