JET ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MUSIC CITY
EVENTS
JETAAMC organizes, supports and attends a wide variety of Japan-related events in the region. Below are some of our flagship events. Check out or Facebook page or public calendar to learn more about upcoming events.
Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival
JETAA MC participates every spring in the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival by staffing a JET Program booth and giving a lecture about "My Life in Japan." Potential JET applicants and newly selected JETs are encouraged to stop by the booth to get direct information about JET from someone whose been there. There's also plenty of great stories in the "My Life in Japan" lecture.
Curry Cook-Off
JETAAMC's newest event welcomed JET alumni and hopefuls, community members and Consulate-General employees to cook their curry, which was judged by an expert panel and enjoyed by nearly 50 people.
Yakiniku BBQ
JETAA MC hosts an annual Yakiniku BBQ for JET Alumni, their families, new JETs, and our Japanese friends at the beginning of summer. It's a great time to enjoy the outdoors and meet the new JETs who will depart from Japan to represent our area in only a few months time.
Nashville Nihongo
Nashville Nihongo is an open Facebook group created by JETAA MC as a community of Japanese language learners in the Nashville area. Members of the group are welcome to create Facebook events to hold study groups, o-shaberi-kai meetups, JLPT study sessions or any related Japanese learning activity. Every year, JETAA MC Officers and other Japanese-speaking volunteers teach a summer session of free Japanese language classes to the public. If you're interested in attending the classes or hosting a study event, be sure to join the Nashville Nihongo group on Facebook.
Career Seminar
JETAA MC Bluegrass are here to assist JET Alumni with their career networking and advancement. We do this through holding career seminars, having a LinkedIn group, and trying to match JET Returnees with other JET Alumni mentors. Check out the mentor program created by dedicated JET Alum Sarah Stout. You may find someone who can help you land that first job after coming back from Japan.
New JET Q&A
The Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville and JETAA MC partner to present an optional Question and Answer session for soon-to-depart new JETs and their families in June. JETAA MC presenters give panels on Packing, Culture Shock, Learning Japanese, Team Teaching, and to answer any questions that may be on their minds. Afterwards, JETAA MC hosts a post-Q&A Happy Hour somewhere nearby where all JET Alumni are welcome to come out and converse with the new JETs.
Pre-Departure Orientation and Reception
JETAA MC volunteers assist the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville with presenting and answering questions for the new JETs at their mandatory Pre-Departure Orientation. A Farewell Reception follows immediately after where JET Alumni from all over Tennessee and Kentucky come to see the new JETs off and wish them well on their adventure in Japan.
Celebrate Nashville
Celebrate Nashville is an annual culture festival in October recognizing the diverse population of the Nashville community. The Consulate-General of Japan sets up a Japan section in the Global Village where attendees can enjoy origami, calligraphy, and Japanese dress up. JETAA MC volunteers are also always on hand to staff the JET Program table and answer any questions about the Program or their time living in Japan.
Cooking Night
If you've got a hankering for some home made Japanese food, a kitchen large enough for a group to learn how to make it, and a chef who can teach how to cook it; you've got the ingredients to hold your very own JETAA Cooking Night! JETAA MC Cooking Night is typically in February, depending on the year.
National Conference
JETAA MC sends delegates every year to the JETAA USA National Conference.
Contact us if you're a JETAA MC member interested in representing the Chapter at the National Conference in the fall.
