This quarter I was an intern at HUB Kyoto.  HUB seemed like the perfect creative space for me to debut as a functioning member of Japanese society in a friendly, collaborative setting.  The HUB “Dojo” is a community center nestled not far from the Doshisha campus in a beautifully renovated Kyoto machiya-style building.  I was immediately smitten with its tatami rooms on the second floor and bamboo garden hidden away in the back.

My first move as an intern was attending “HUB Kitchen,” a monthly event that is open to all HUB members.  It is an informal buffet-style dinner and forum where people can bounce laughs and ideas off of each other.  While there, I was able to talk to a variety of Kyoto natives in Japanese and English, and it was amazing to hear stories of how people ended up in Kyoto or kept coming back.  I was able to meet the staff members of Kyoto Journal magazine.  After I expressed my interest in writing, we soon struck up a correspondence about how I could contribute to Kyoto Journal magazine as the focus of my HUB internship.

I started off preparing a summary of a Japanese documentary event that was held at HUB Kyoto.  My next project was to interview HUB Kyoto staff, and then translate the interview into whichever language it wasn’t conducted in.  I prepared my questions and looked forward to getting a personal glimpse of HUB Kyoto’s members and their unique interests. The logistics of this process proved to be quite a challenge.  The last few weeks have been an endless parade of me trying to track down people to interview.  HUB members are busy people!  I scheduled one interview two times, and on the third time when I was sure I would have success, my interviewee simply did not show up.  I really wanted to enjoy working for HUB, and if I were not juggling a schedule of KCJS courses and host family obligations, this would all seem less frustrating.

Though I am not satisfied with my output this quarter at HUB, I still think that it was a good experience for me.  While it has been a challenge coordinating with the individuals at HUB, these situations have provided me with the opportunity to sharpen my Japanese communication skills (phone calls, emails, one-on-one discussions) so that they are clear and effective.  I believe that this very basic correspondence practice will be valuable to me as I continue my Japanese studies.  I look forward to a change of pace next quarter and plan to pursue a traditional and perhaps more rewarding individual class, such as pottery or tea ceremony.