Go Hard or Go Home

Tokyo Orientation was a ball. But, as the coordinators mentioned, we are the cream of the crop on this program, and in some ways that's depressing. It's easy to hide away in Dinkville and feel like I'm superawesome, but then when I'm with the sort of people who get chosen to assist in orienting new JETs... well, let's look at the numbers. Each year, about 6000 people apply to JET, a little over 1500 are chosen. Then, of the 4,000 JETS in Japan (first through fourth years) about 700 apply for 128 spaces as Tokyo Orientation Assistants (TOAs). Those who get in are the elite of the elite!

To make matters worse, this year I'm working with National AJET (National Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching). We're elected from the JET body to function kinda like a student body government, only instead of working with teachers and principals, we're working with government councils and ministries.

So I spent 2 weeks surrounded by the sort of people who raised $20,000 for orphans in Somalia last year. Or have lived in 4 countries. Or speak 7 languages. And for 2 weeks, the things these people do and have done was like someone spitting in my face. Suddenly, what I was doing wasn't enough.

Don't get me wrong, the things I have done are impressive. I'm not getting down on myself for "only" speaking 5 languages. BUT! I only speak 5 languages because they come easy to me. I don't really make an effort with them. I don't really make an effort with them. I don't really make an effort with anything. And that right there needs to change, my beautiful bloggy buds.

It's like life's a stream, and I'm just bobbing along, grabbing things that catch my eye as they float by. And then this song popped into my head, Go Hard or Go Home by E40. (It's all over the movie, STOMP THE YARD, which is how I know it.) It's been stuck in my head ever since. I'm making it my new theme song.




I'm going on the aggressive. Going after stuff. Making my own path. Been floating too long, about time I started swimming!