JETAA Jamaica News

JETAA Jamaica held its Bonenkai ( end-of-year party ) o n Saturday, December 10,  2022, at  East  Japanese Restaurant HQ   on Constant Spring Road in Kingston .  Members of the Association gathered to reflect on their contribution to the effort of fostering cultural exchange and awareness between Jamaica and Japan during the year and to fellowship with each other while enjoying some authentic Japanese cuisine.  The Association welcomed new and familiar faces at the event.  It was such a delight to witness the interaction in Japanese among members who went on the JET Programme over a decade ago and those who had recently returned. This is a true testament and manifestation of the undying love for Japanese language and culture that remains among us.   As a small chapter, we have weathered the test of time and we are proud to be celebrating our 20th Anniversary in 2022.   From our humble beginnings, hosting our meetings on the lawns ...

  Some of the members of JETAA Jamaica who attended the picnic JETAA Jamaica's P icnic by the Poui is  a yearly event on its calendar. It was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but finally made its comeback in 2022. It was held at the Peace Park at Hope Botannical Gardens in Kingston Jamaica on November 19, 2022.  As usual, members of JETAA Jamaica and some of its affiliates gathered by one of the poui trees that it donated to Hope Gardens way back in 2011 to re-enact Hanami, the Japanese tradition of viewing the cherry blossoms (Sakura) while feasting under its blooms. Unfortunately, there were no blooms to admire. The tree flowered in the spring, a time of year that is not conducive for JETAA Jamaica to host this event. But if the event had been held when "our" tree was flowering, we might have enjoyed a view like the one below: Photo courtesy of  gardencenternorthfortmyers.com The following photographs tell only a part of the story of our Picn...

The International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICC), observed each year, is one of those activities that is a permanent fixture on the calendar of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme Alumni Association of Jamaica (JETAA Jamaica).   President, Orrette Muir, explained the rationale for JETAA Jamaica's participation in this annual event in his interview onsite with reporters from ZIP FM. He said that members of JETAA Jamaica, having gone to Japan and having seen how the Japanese treat the environment with respect, want to play their part to bring a similar ethic to Jamaica by participating in activities such as that coordinated by the ICC, thus setting an example for other Jamaicans to follow. This year the event took place on September 17, 2022, and members of JETAA Jamaica and its affiliates, and friends, joined the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) at the Palisadoes Go-Kart Track in Kingston, Jamaica for its annual beach cleanup.  Prominent among the affiliates and friends wh...

  L-R Travis Barrett, Foreign Service Officer (Representative from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jamaica), Tereka Brown (Member), Marsha Dennie (Member), Janet Crick (Member), Orrette Muir (President, JETAA Jamaica), Larisa McBean (Vice-President, JETAA Jamaica), Maria Mutidjo (Member), Terrike Brown (Public Relations Officer, JETAA Jamaica) and Janette Fuller (Member) The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme Alumni Association of Jamaica (JETAA Jamaica) kicked off its 20th anniversary celebrations with a church service  at the Mona Heights Chapel in Kingston, Jamaica,  on Sunday July 10, 2022. The year 2000 was a seminal one for Jamaica. It was then that eight Jamaicans from all walks of life set off into the unknown to serve as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) in Japan.  At the church service, Orrette Muir,  President of JETAA Jamaica,  paid homage to those trailblazers for  paving the way for other Jamaicans to follow in their footsteps year afte...

Some of the attendees at JETAA Jamaica's Annual General Meeting in March 2022 JETAA Jamaica held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March 2022 at Hotel Four Seasons under the theme, "Moving Forward, Growing stronger". The primary aims of that meeting were to: select a new executive reconfirm its core commitment to enhancing Jamaica's relationship with Japan by sharing the Japanese culture with Jamaicans, primarily in the education system reconfirm its relationship with its affiliates reflect on its achievements over the period, 2021-2022 The following members were selected to the executive of JETAA Jamaica for the 2022-2023 administrative period: Orrette Muir, (President), Larisa McBean, who retained her position as Vice-President, Terrike Brown (Public Relations Officer), David Smalling (Treasurer) and Mario Grant, (Secretary). Learn a bit about them below: