Charles St. John  (Male)

Contact information

 

Allergies or medical concerns:

I am allergic to peanuts. Because of this I am familiar with treating allergic reactions and inquiring about ingredients within new meals.
 

Other personal information:

In addition to my international language teaching experience, I am a seasoned coach with over a decade of experience teaching group parkour, circus, and fitness classes for children thru seniors.

My interest in Japan also started in my youth with anime and video games. This interest is how I was hired for my first job - managing a video game store in college. It is also in part what spurred me to study Japanese, which is how I learned of the JET program, eventually leading me to living and working in Japan. Since such media is Japan's main cultural export, I have found it easy to relate to students' interests in Japan.

In the previous Sister Cities trip I chaperoned, I was able to use this common ground to tailor the trip around some unique game/anime related events for the younger trip attendees to experience - providing cultural context to the things they found interesting from Japan.
 

Japan connections:

I was an English teacher in rural Japan from 2015-2016. During my tenure I traveled Japan extensively, visiting over 30 cities. I experienced various festivals, visited historical sites and museums, and explored Japan's natural landscape. I also experienced what modern Japan has to offer, seeing concerts, attending video game conventions, and going on factory tours.

Since returning from Japan, I have been involved with the JET Alumni Association and Denver-Takayama Sister Cities. In 2018 I chaperoned Denver-Takayama Sister Cities' Intro to Japan tourist trip.
 

Japanese language ability:

• Conversation: Basic
• Reading: Basic
• Writing: Basic