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CIR Arthur Lechte
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Self-Introduction
Hello, my name is Arthur Lechte from Tasmania, Australia. I’m the Coordinator of International Relations at Toyohashi City Hall. I studied in Nagoya through an exchange program at my University in 2012 and have wanted to come back ever since.
When you hear ‘Australia’, you might imagine our iconic animals like Kangaroos and Koalas. Maybe some of you have heard of the Tasmanian devil. Yes, that devil comes from the same place as me, Tasmania. Tasmania is the small island down south and it is the coldest part of Australia. The night before I left, the temperature was minus 1 degrees Celsius. It was a bit of a shock when the heat and humidity struck me at Narita Airport, but I’m slowly acclimating.
Tasmanian Devil |
Koala |
Kangaroo |
Now that I’m actually here, I would like to try lots of things I can only do in Japan. I plan on travelling around Japan in my spare time to fully experience the Japanese culture (especially the food).
I studied Japanese, international business and international relations in Tasmania hoping that I would find a job where I can contribute towards intercultural exchange and foster mutual understanding between Australia and Japan. My position at Toyohashi gives me that exact opportunity and I am absolutely thrilled. I hope to make the best of my time here.
Toyohashi CIRs
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| 1999-2000 |
David RICHARDS |
Sutter Creek, CA, USA |
| 2000-2003 |
James PATRICK |
Philadelphia, PA, USA |
| 2003-2006 |
Ryan BIGELOW |
Toledo, OH, USA |
| 2006-2008 |
Tina Yamada |
Torrance, CA, USA |
| 2008-2011 |
Brian Baker |
Columbus, OH, USA |
| 2011-2013 |
Brandon Roberts |
Muncie, IN, USA |
| 2013-2015 |
Pearleen Pao |
Singapore |
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About the JET Programme
The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme is administered by local authorities in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; and the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR).
The Programme was started in 1987 with the purpose of increasing mutual understanding between the people of Japan and the people of other nations. It aims to promote internationalization in Japan's local communities by helping to improve foreign language education and developing international exchange at the community level.
Participants are assigned to be either Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs) who work in communities on international exchange activities; Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) who provide language instruction in junior and senior high schools; or Sports Exchange Advisors (SEAs) who promote international exchange through sport.
(Quoted from the JET Programme webpage)
LINKS
JET Programme:http://www.jetprogramme.org/index.html |