Japanese Language Series Pecha Kucha Night - TOMORROW @ 6 pm CST!

There's still time to register for our second Japanese Language Night! These events are intended to bring together JETAA members and supporters who want to stay engaged with Japanese language learning and use.

Our second meeting will take the form of a Pecha Kucha (chatting) night on Tuesday, June 15th from 6-7 pm CST! We welcome everyone to join in on the fun and practice their language skills. Breakout rooms will be opened to make space for small group discussions, and will accommodate different language ability levels ranging from beginner to intermediate to advanced.

RSVP on Guestlist!

Unsure of your proficiency level? That’s okay! All levels of experience with Japanese are welcome! *This event is for JET alumni and Friends of JET. Questions? Email info@jetaachicago.com.

JETAA Chicago vs. PNW Trivia TOMORROW @ 7:30 pm CST!

We still need participants for our trivia competition tomorrow, June 5th, 7:30-9:30 pm CST, between JETAA Chicago (Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana) and PNW JETAA (Washington State, Northern Idaho, Montana)!

Each chapter’s team is limited to 10 competitors. Only the first 20 RSVPs for the Trivia Participant tickets will be able to officially compete. Any alumni belonging to JETAA Chicago (including Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana) and PNWJETAA (Washington State, Northern Idaho and Montana) can participate.

The theme is STUDIO GHIBLI! Come show off your knowledge of your favorite Ghibli films and characters!

RSVP for trivia here!

Miss that opportunity or just not so interested in the competitive angle? We would still love to have you conference in and join the fun! Pick the Spectator option when RSVPing; our video and text chat will be open for alumni to come in and hang out on Saturday night. We will also take a few breaks from trivia throughout the night for a few icebreakers that everyone can join in on!

Introductions will start promptly at 7:30pm CST (5:30pm PT) with an aim for the trivia to start at 7:50 pm CST (5:50pm PT). If a trivia participant is not on the call by 7:50 pm (5:50 pm PT), we may give their spot to another alumni from that chapter. There are three rounds which will last around 15 minutes apiece, so budget between an hour and an hour and a half to play!

Questions? Contact us at info@jetaachicago.com

The Extravaganza Continues!

Hello hello!

We had a fantastic time at our Halloween Extravaganza last night! It was wonderful to see our fellow JETs and their JETlings in costume and enjoy an evening of fun activities.

At our Family Fun Hour we enjoyed making ghost and pumpkin origami crafts. These cute crafts are great for creating garlands or other decorations for the house! If you’d like to try them for yourself, you can find the patterns here.

Candy debates and JET Halloween memories dominated our Adult Happy Hour! We loved hearing everyone’s stories of introducing American candy to Japanese students and coworkers. 

Did you know that the first written record of the phrase “trick-or-treat” was in a Canadian newspaper in 1927? Or that the first citywide Halloween celebration took place in Anoka, Minnesota in 1921? Our Halloween Trivia game was certainly challenging! Congratulations to Devyn, Jayne, and Gabe for claiming the top three spots!

But the true star of the show was Chicago JET Alum Justin Torres and his amazing pumpkin carving skills! Justin shared with us a very special pumpkin he’d carved just for JETAA Chicago, as well as several of his other creations. If you’d like to follow Justin and his carving escapades, check out his twitch channel!

Which brings us to our next announcement…

JETAA Chicago is hosting an Instagram jack-o-lantern campaign!

From October 25th-31st, post your jack-o-lanterns with the hashtag #JETolantern2020, or send your photos to info@jetaachicago.com, and we’ll share your creations on our Instagram stories!

If you’d like to try your hand at the JETAA Chicago logo as Justin has, you can find the pattern here. We’d also love to see your original creations.

We can’t wait to see all of your pumpkins! 

If you’d like to get involved in future JETAA Chicago events, please join us at our November Open Board Meeting on November 2nd!