2014 Jan 16 | Saga JET Winter Conference | Guest Speaker

Speaking at Saga JET
Winter Conference in January of 2014.

I had the privilege and the honor of being invited to speak at the 2014 Saga JET Winter Conference. The presentation time was about 40 minutes with 10-15 minutes of Q&A. It was a delight to be in front of the energetic JET community and it really brought back memories of my time on JET from 2001-2004.

I'd like to say a big "thank you" to Karen Masatsugu for helping me get in contact with the Saga JET Community and to Ms. Jane Curtis, the Saga JET CIR who organized everything flawlessly.
JET really opened the door to my life in Japan. The experiences I had and the people I met and networked with paved the way for the personal and professional development I've been fortunate to have made while living here these past 12 years.

Also, having enjoyed the presentations of several excellent guest speakers while on JET, it was kind of exciting to be asked to be a presenter. I was nervous that the quality of my contribution mightn't be on par with what I recall as some very interesting and experienced individuals. Still, I enjoyed myself quite a bit.

I have included the slides I shared with the audience who were, by far, the kindest and most polite audience I've ever had the chance to entertain. I hope some of my ideas and experiences were useful and helpful to the JET community in Saga.