I’m the PALE SIG co-ordinator, have been for four years. Before taking up that role, JALT was a place to make friends and a place to learn about trends in educational research in language education. But since becoming PALE SIG co-ordinator, I have seen JALT work from the inside, and I’ve grown to appreciate that most of all. People from all different countries, mainly the English-speaking world, united in cause for the excellence in educational research and practice. It’s quite a discovery which has re-energised my teaching. I have found myself a more enthusiastic, patient and understanding teacher. In addition to the PALE SIG, I’ve also found JALT CALL (Computer assisted language learning) a platfrom for professional development. Before JALT CALL, I didn’t know what Moodle was. After joining, I quickly made a bunch of friends and am now a Moodle administrator at my university. Without JALT I’d really wonder what I’d be doing these days. I’m really glad to being a JALT member and I look forward to many more years of being associated with it.