Congrats to 2021 JETs who are getting results and best wishes to fellow 2020 JETs who are still hanging in there.

I just got a notification that it’s my cake day. I joined Reddit last year when I was waiting for my interview results and placement. I can’t believe it’s been an entire year already. 2020 really flew by. For 2021 JETs, congratulations to finally starting to receive interview results. I know from last year that this is a pretty anxious time and that it’s nice to know whether you were shortlisted, chosen as an alternate, or rejected. Waiting for interview results often feels like you’re lost in an open sea, not knowing where the winds are leading you. I hope that the results will give you some clarity and help make decisions with your future plans such as to whether it’ll be going to Japan, attending grad school, accepting a different job offer, or wherever life takes you. It has been an uncertain past year and hopefully things will feel more secure soon.

For fellow 2020 JETs, I hope that we will all be able to safely go to Japan as soon as possible, whenever that may be. I know that many people’s lives and plans have been in limbo due to COVID-19. Someone compared our situation to Sisyphus, and it definitely is an apt description. Every time we have gotten close to going to Japan, the plans fall to pieces and the waiting game starts again. Early departures fell through in April, regular departures were moved back to early September because of Olympics, then things were delayed to mid-September, then we were told there would be no definite departure date. In November, we were given the great news that we’d be departing at the beginning of January, but that quickly fell to pieces in most countries, and January 6th turned into mid-January, and then April, until now, when no one knows when the situation will improve and when things can resume. This is a stressful situation for everyone involved and my heart goes out to everyone whose lives have been thrown into chaos due to the pandemic.

I hope that 2021 JETs will have a shorter wait than we 2020 JETs have had. Although we 2020 JETs have waited the longest so far from receiving interview results to waiting for a departure date, this doesn’t mean that everyone else has suffered any less. 2020 brought unprecedented challenges and continues to be stressful. I hope that the situation will improve soon and that we will receive good news in the future.

Best wishes and take care!