For the past 8 months, I have been completely absorbed in the drama of the Netflix x Fuji TV collaboration “Terrace House.” The show brings together 6 young men and women (all strangers) to live together in a house. It is everything I could wish in a reality show. Like “Real World” meets “Jersey Shore” meets “The Bachelor.”
I even created an exhaustive blog post describing all the food that the members eat in the first season of Terrace House. That’s how obsessed I have been.
So imagine my excitement when Kosuke found that the show is currently recruiting for their Hawaii season – “Terrace House: Aloha State.” I jokingly said it would be fun to apply and Kosuke helped me craft an application. So here’s go nothing…
・氏名/NAME
Jessica LeClair (ルクレア ジェシカ、ニックネーム：ジェシー)
・現在の職業
CURRENT WORK
大学院博士課程（Ph.D）学生５年、カリフォルニア大学サンタバーバラ校心理学科
5TH YEAR PSYCHOLOGY PhD STUDENT AT UNIVERSITY OF CA SANTA BARBARA
・ハワイでやりたいこと、夢、目標
WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IN HAWAII, DREAM, GOAL
小さいころ、家族でマーシャル諸島に親の出張で５年ほど住んでいたとき、アメリカ大陸に毎年帰ってくる際に途中ハワイに寄って家族で休暇を楽しんでいたので、ハワイはとても馴染みがあるのですが、住んだ経験はなく、「ハワイで現地のひとたちに混ざって、普段の生活をする」というのはすてきだな、やってみたいなと思っていました。また、私はHalf Japanese Americanなのですが、同年代で、私と同じように日本とアメリカ両方に繋がりのあるひとたちと知り合えたら、すごく楽しいだろうな、と思いました。
WHEN I WAS LITTLE, I LIVED IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS WITH MY FAMILY FOR ALMOST 5 YEARS. WHEN WE WERE RETURNING TO THE UNITED STATES, WE WOULD STOP IN HAWAII FOR VACATION. SO, WHILE I AM FAMILIAR WITH HAWAII, I DO NOT HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE OF LIVING IN HAWAII. I WOULD LIKE TO CONNECT WITH THE LOCAL PEOPLE LIVING IN HAWAII AND EXPERIENCE THE EVERYDAY LOCAL LIFE OF HAWAII. ALSO I AM HALF-JAPANESE-AMERICAN, SO IT WOULD BE NICE TO CONNECT WITH OTHER PEOPLE MY AGE, WHO LIKE ME HAVE SOME CONNECTION TO THE U.S. AND JAPAN. MY DREAM IS TO ENGAGE IN SOMETHING RELATED TO FOOD. I REALLY LIKE VEGETABLES AND COOKING. THIS SUMMER IN JAPAN, I PASSED THE JUNIOR YASAI SOMMELIER EXAM. NEXT I AM AIMING FOR THE YASAI SOMMELIER LEVEL.
・趣味
HOBBIES
料理（ジュニア野菜ソムリエの資格を持っています）、ブログ(The Green Turnipというブログをやっています)、読書、旅行、ハープ演奏、水泳
COOKING (I HAVE THE JUNIOR VEGETABLE SOMMELIER LICENSE), BLOGGING (I BLOG AT THE GREEN TURNIP), READING, TRAVELING, PLAYING THE HARP, SWIMMING
Thanks! A vegetable sommelier is an expert about fruits and vegetables (like wine sommelier is an expert about wine). It is an official license offered in Japan through the National Association of Vegetable Sommelier.
Wow, I’m an a chef and worked 25 years in hospitality. I now teach cooking in primary school -5-12 years old. I must tell my students about this. Do you work in a large hotel?
Very cool to meet an experienced chef like yourself! Where do you teach cooking? I thought it would be fun to put together a class about what I learned studying to become a vegetable sommelier. I am currently a PhD grad student. Becoming a vegetable sommelier has been my hobby. 🙂
I am in Melbourne, in Australia. I teach primary school kids. We have heaps of fun. I am very interested in your yasai sommelier certificate. Did you write a blog about it?
Thanks for your interest! I wrote a couple posts about my certificate. This one – StudyingStudyingStudying – shows some of how I studied. This one – Report from Quest to Become Vegetable Sommelier – tells about taking the exam. And this one – Test Results Announcement – is where I found out that I passed. I plan to post some more material on the exam in the future. Do you have any particular questions or interests?
Well… to generalize, actions seem to be slightly less bold, and a bit more subtle. Maybe people a bit less showy and a little more self conscious? Maybe just more mature in general. I think maybe a bit more emphasis on learning from the experience, and each individual’s personal goals. The comedian commentators crack me up, and often hit the nail on the head. They definitely stand out. 😉
Interesting! It is fun to hear your perspective. I also feel like the members are quite thoughtful and reflective. Maybe the Japanese culture of “hansei” coming out. Are you excited for the next season?
I knew there must be a word for it – I just didn’t know the word. I think you are correct. Yes… I still have a few episodes left but looking forward to the next season. I keep joking that the next season will be at Arman’s house, or he will still be there because he seem in no hurry for change. hah
Haha! Yeah, Arman looks so comfy. I actually got a response back to my application – I made it to the next round! And the email commented that people stay on the show for all lengths of time, a couple months to 2 years. And I thought, “Two years? Is that Arman?”
Good luck 😉 what is a vegetable sommelier, Jessy?
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Thanks! A vegetable sommelier is an expert about fruits and vegetables (like wine sommelier is an expert about wine). It is an official license offered in Japan through the National Association of Vegetable Sommelier.
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Wow, I’m an a chef and worked 25 years in hospitality. I now teach cooking in primary school -5-12 years old. I must tell my students about this. Do you work in a large hotel?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very cool to meet an experienced chef like yourself! Where do you teach cooking? I thought it would be fun to put together a class about what I learned studying to become a vegetable sommelier. I am currently a PhD grad student. Becoming a vegetable sommelier has been my hobby. 🙂
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I am in Melbourne, in Australia. I teach primary school kids. We have heaps of fun. I am very interested in your yasai sommelier certificate. Did you write a blog about it?
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Thanks for your interest! I wrote a couple posts about my certificate. This one – StudyingStudyingStudying – shows some of how I studied. This one – Report from Quest to Become Vegetable Sommelier – tells about taking the exam. And this one – Test Results Announcement – is where I found out that I passed. I plan to post some more material on the exam in the future. Do you have any particular questions or interests?
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Maybe, I’ll read the blogs and let you know ☺️ thanks, so much!
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Awesome! Looking forward to your feedback and thoughts.
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I’m almost done with season two! It’s so funny to compare to American reality shows. Like a different planet! 😉
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Indeed!! Nice to meet another fan. Any differences stick out in particular to you?
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Well… to generalize, actions seem to be slightly less bold, and a bit more subtle. Maybe people a bit less showy and a little more self conscious? Maybe just more mature in general. I think maybe a bit more emphasis on learning from the experience, and each individual’s personal goals. The comedian commentators crack me up, and often hit the nail on the head. They definitely stand out. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting! It is fun to hear your perspective. I also feel like the members are quite thoughtful and reflective. Maybe the Japanese culture of “hansei” coming out. Are you excited for the next season?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I knew there must be a word for it – I just didn’t know the word. I think you are correct. Yes… I still have a few episodes left but looking forward to the next season. I keep joking that the next season will be at Arman’s house, or he will still be there because he seem in no hurry for change. hah
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Haha! Yeah, Arman looks so comfy. I actually got a response back to my application – I made it to the next round! And the email commented that people stay on the show for all lengths of time, a couple months to 2 years. And I thought, “Two years? Is that Arman?”
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is so awesome! I look forward to seeing Arman ask you out on Day-1. hah kidding! That is cool though.
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HA! Too funny.
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