Ching Jou Lin (Joanna)

Education:
Douglas College                             Associate Degree in Psychology
University of British Columbia         Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Language and Culture
 
Work Experience:
Student Advisor     International Education Consulting Agent     2 years 4 months
Meal Assistant        Assisting Living Facility                               1 year 7 months
Event Assistant      City Community Centre                         　　1 year 4 months
Penpal volunteer    NPO organization                                        2 years 1 month

I'm Lin Ching Jou from Vancouver, Canada. Please called me by my English name, Joanna. I am a Taiwanese Canadian born in Chiayi City, which is located at the foot of Alishan in southern Taiwan. I immigrated to Canada after graduating from junior high school with my parents. After that, I was raised in a small city called New Westminster.
 
As a Taiwanese, Japan has been somewhere familiar since my childhood. With my family's influence, I was able to speak a bit of Japanese. After obtaining my associate's degree in psychology, I decided to move on in Japanese Language and Culture fields for more specialized studies. I worked in an international education agent mainly look after highschool international students from Japan. It is my first time working in Japan. I would like to learn and gain a variety of experience during my term here. Also, I would like to let everyone in Niseko to experience a bit of Canadian culture! 

My hometown is a small city called New Westminster in British Columbia, Canada. You might have heard about Vancouver before. New Westminster is located in the Southwest area of the Greater Vancouver Area.
 
The area has long been inhabited by the First Nation people of Canada, the Kwantlen people. During the gold rush era, people from the United States searching for gold mines created a new town on this land. New Westminster is also called the Royal City because Queen Victoria named the city after Westminster in England. New Westminster is the former capital of British Columbia and once the largest city. Today, it is known for its riverside parks and hidden cafes.
 
Because Canada is located further north than Hokkaido, people tend to think that winters are very cold and snowy there. In fact, in most parts of Canada, that is true. Hoever, Vancouver's climate is relatively mild thanks to the Rocky Mountains to the east and the warm Alaskan Current to the west. Snowfall is as rare as in Tokyo, but instead, it rains almost every day during winter. It is the only region in Canada with temperate rainforest, and is also called Raincouver because of the amount of rain.