In recent years, there has been an uptick in Americans leaving the USA. The COVID-19 Pandemic accelerated this trend. The Federal Voting Assistance Program estimates that approximately 5.5 million Americans live outside of the United States, including service members. There are many different reasons that people are leaving, including work-life balance, lower cost of living, better access to healthcare, and more. Aiyana Mathews left the United States for Japan in the early 2000s. The JET program was her way to Japan.
I asked Mathews how and why she used the JET program when she decided to leave the US a few years ago. She shares that she had studied in Japan in 1999, and because she enjoyed the culture, during that visit, when she decided to leave the US, she applied to the JET program. While over 30,000 folks from the USA have participated in the JET program, Mathews had her contract extended three times. She shares one of the reasons was that she created community. She invited everyone over for a Friday Fish Fry or Okra and Tomatoes.
Mathews has been able to extend her career through contacts she made in Japan. Her fluency with the language has allowed her to grow a business as an international consultant. She first opened a tourism business with a focus on experiencing cultural festivals. Soon, Mathew was consulting with governmental agencies and business entities in Japan. She represented JapanFest, one of the largest festivals of Japanese culture held in the Southeast.
Her business has grown through word of mouth and now extends to her representation of other countries. She speaks about how those relationships she built while living in Japan are the basis for her current business deals. Mathews has always embraced languages and travel. She shares that learning the language and culture makes for good business.
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