Brad Wenner

Aya’s ALT Sept. 2000 – Aug. 2002

Hello, everyone, I am the new JET Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Aya and the first male to have the position. My name is Brad Wenner and I am happy to have finally arrived in such a beautiful town. I am joining the Board of Education after leaving a successful sales career in Victoria, Canada. Changing directions from "Corporate America" to the "JET Experience" has already provided me with the pieces missing from my life in Canada. The choice to leave the stability of a good job, good friends, and family at home was not a light decision, but I always believed it was the right decision.

So far my experience in Aya has exceeded all of my expectations. All the teachers, students, and people of Aya have been very kind to me and I can already feel some friendships developing. Everyone at the Board of Education has also been extremely kind and worked hard to make sure that I am settling comfortably into my life in Japan. I can already see some unique differences that make Japan special, such as the way many people here will sacrifice their own time to make another more comfortable.

Everyday in Japan so far has been filled with lots of language difficulties, culture shock, new experiences, and fun. At the end of each day I am left with strong feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction and many interesting new relationships. I think that the town of Aya is a beautiful place to live and I am excited to see what experiences the future has in store for me.

I am thankful for this teaching opportunity in Japan and I will try to give back as much of value as I can in exchange for the exciting experiences to come. Domo Arigato Gozaimasu!