「Volunteering」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Melanie Berry: Volunteering at the Kyoto International Manga Museum

投稿日時: 投稿者:

Volunteering at the Kyoto International Manga Museum has been a fun and interesting but occasionally demanding experience. I have definitely learned a lot there, not only about manga itself but also about tourism in Japan, how the Japanese tend to view their own pop culture and foreigners’ perceptions of it, and the culture of the workplace. Adjusting to such a new environment, though, is not exactly simple. The main two difficulties I’ve encountered while volunteering are switching sets of social cues between the Japanese staff and foreign guests and interacting on a casual basis with the staff.

Overall, I have found that for the most part I can communicate fairly effectively with the staff of the museum, but occasionally I have had trouble switching between Japanese and English when conducting tours and answering questions. Switching between the languages themselves is not necessarily the problem, although that is sometimes difficult. Moreover, the various social cues you utilize while in a setting like a museum seem to differ to a certain extent between Japan and America. Though I’ve volunteered in an American museum before, it was difficult to bring a lot of what I learned there to this experience, as the way one greets customers and generally behaves around them seems to be generally a bit different here. It can also be rather jarring to switch from using formal language in Japanese with our supervisors to using English with the guests. One suddenly feels the instinct to make one’s language more formal toward the guest, although my intuition developed while working in an American museum tends to push me to want to seem friendlier, more welcoming, and therefore a little more informal. This has definitely been more interesting than it has been difficult, though. Figuring out the different ways to interact with both the guests and the staff makes every day fascinating.

In addition, bonding with the staff has been a little difficult, mainly because we are always in a constant work environment. I regularly talk to the two employees who supervise us, Yasui-san and Uramune-san, who are both extremely nice and friendly and also have occasionally been able to speak to some of the other employees, such as the kamishibai artist who performs shows at the museum. However, because our breaks are at different times from the rest of the employees, having time outside of the main areas of the museum to speak casually is rather rare. Because of this, it has admittedly been difficult to get to know people at the museum. Overall, though, I’m glad that I’ve gotten to know the employees I have met at the museum! It has been a great experience.

Joomi Kim: NicoNicoTomato Volunteer

投稿日時: 投稿者:

My CIP project at NicoNicoTomato isn’t the first volunteer experience I’ve had at a hospital. It’s also not the first volunteer position I’ve had with children or in a foreign language I’m not comfortable in. Throughout all my different experiences in America however, my time at NicoNicoToma has been strangely unique and similar to them all.

In a very basic sense, NicoNicoTomato is very….Japanese. As obvious as that is, the famous “customer service”, attention to detail, and efficiency I found and expected everywhere in Japan came to life in a new form within the hospital setting. My previous encounters with volunteering, medical-related experiences, and kids in general were never very organized or based on anything further than the pure essentials of the job. Flowers, snacks, and games were always secondary or a means of killing time. Without me who would wipe the tables down, wheel the patients, or run through basic vocabulary? These tasks, however menial, made me feel like an integral part of the system I participated in, and although I knew NicoNicoToma would be fundamentally different from everything else I had been through, I was caught off-guard once I realized how exposed and inexperienced I was in this new form of contributing.

Once I started inserting toy after toy into plastic bags, taking time to match the most suitable ribbon color with the content inside, I slowly began to realize that the goal of NicoNicoTomato picks up after all the basic work I had done in my other jobs and volunteering attempts. Perfectly gluing a paper bear’s paws to make it hug a heart seemed like a colossal waste of time at first, especially since I sucked at it. I was used to brushing over the details to get the job done, despite rough edges, and I was proud of it; but the other volunteers brought me down to their pace. NicoNicoToma volunteers are kind, seasoned, and deliberate. I began to see how the program pushed itself not to babysit the children or educate them, but to provide a childhood and memories. The painstakingly simple details mattered. The quality and care mattered. They were constantly changing the decorations and photographs in the children’s ward, creating an atmosphere of progress and relationships that I doubt many other long-term patients in the hospitals throughout Japan and the rest of the world are able to have. They appreciate the little sparks in daily life, and the constant waves of hard work NicoNicoToma puts into its little patients and events is one of the coolest personal accounts I have of watching and experiencing some very positive aspects of Japanese values first-hand. I am still really shy and embarrassed when speaking with Japanese people, but I am glad that I have these small, steady revelations in NicoNicoTomato that provide a new way for me to experience Japanese society and giving in general.

Rebecca Gabriel : English Teaching Assistant

投稿日時: 投稿者:

Starting in September, I have been volunteering as an English teaching assistant at a middle school for my CIP.  As I have mentioned in the previous blog entry, I had to change schools this semester because of schedule conflicts.  Though I missed my old school a bit, it was interesting to be able to help at two different schools.  Both of the schools were actually very similar, but the activities I did were very different.

In the first school, I went to class and played English work games or read off vocabulary lists or readings or I went around helping out with worksheets.  At the second school, I did that sort of thing the first time, but after that I started coming after class and practicing English conversations with the kids.  We talked about a lot of things. Where we want to go on vacation, kpop sings that we like, which club they were in, and so on and so forth.  They were really very cute, but it was a bit unfortunate that they were shy about speaking in English.  Most of the time, they would go off in Japanese tangents about whatever we were talking about at the time.  I sometimes think that I didn’t really do much to help with their English education, but I am still glad that I could meet them all.

The last time I went to speak with the 7th graders, there happened to be a girl in a wheelchair there as well.  I was actually touched by how they all included her.  Rather than making her sit in the wheelchair, one of the girls carried her over to a regular chair.  After we talked, she tried to help her to the wheelchair again, but they both fell.  They burst out laughing.  The girl who helped her didn’t seem troubled or put upon at all.  Although I am not well informed on the subject, I often hear about criticism for the Japanese view on and treatment of handicapped persons.  As such, I was really proud of all of the girls who so naturally helped out and included their friend.  Wednesday was the opening ceremony for the school, so I hope I can go at least one more time!  It’s been a really interesting experience teaching here, and I won’t soon forget it.

Mary Ross: Volunteer English Teacher's Assistant

投稿日時: 投稿者:

My CIP for this semester was working as an English teacher’s assistant at a nearby middle school, Kamigyō Chūgakkō. Before my CIP began, I had visions of myself (through my profound and awe-inspiring teaching abilities) stirring a love of the English language in my students. My real experience was something quite different: thought quite enjoyable, it was definitely not what I expected.

For one thing, before volunteering at the school, I imagined Japanese schools to run like a well-oiled machine, populated by polite and serious students. Maybe this middle school is an exception to that rule, but it all felt a little chaotic. Still, the students were thrilled to see me every time I came and always made me feel welcome. As well, the teachers were quite kind and were passionate about teaching.

Another unexpected aspect of this experience was the manner in which I was employed. I helped out in the classroom about two or three times and the rest of the times I went, I simply talked with a group of the students for an hour or two. These kaiwa sessions were successful to various degrees: one time it was a large group of both boys and girls and so the conversation flowed quite well; another time it was just three shy girls and I almost had to drag the conversation out of them. Contrary to my visions of greatness, while there were a few students who did love English (for which I sadly cannot take credit), the vast majority seemed simply to be suffering through the class.

Kamigyō Chūgakkō

Moreover, I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t work in the classroom more often or in a more academic manner with the students. While conversational skills are important, the conversations sometimes devolved into me making small-talk and the students answering just “yes” or “no,” which doesn’t do much for their language abilities. I think using the volunteers in a more structured and academic manner (such as short individual sessions to address a particular student’s concerns or weaknesses) would be a better use of everyone’s time. However, the conversations (when they extended beyond me making small-talk) were a lot of fun and taught me some fun Japanese slang when the students wanted something translated into English.

If a KCJS student’s goal for their CIP was to interact deeply with Japanese people, I would probably not recommend a volunteer English assistant position to them. I did learn a lot about Japanese schools and youth, but I felt more like an outsider looking in than a part of the society itself. As well, since you are teaching English (and I was asked to stick to only English when talking to the students), there aren’t many chance to practice Japanese. To better integrate and become a member of Japanese society, I think it is important to speak the language and develop deeper relationships with Japanese people which is, unfortunately, difficult to do when you are interacting solely in English and with people who are much younger than you.

However, I did feel that I was able to get a glimpse into Japanese society and I think that by interacting with the Japanese students and allowing them to interact with a non-Japanese person, I was able to make a small impact on Japanese society. No matter what country it is, I think interacting with people from other countries not only gives you a wider, more global perspective, but also enriches that nation’s culture.

All in all, I really enjoyed this experience. To better integrate in Japanese society, I would advise supplementing volunteering as an English assistant teacher with activities that have to do with Japanese culture and language (KIX is a good option for this!). However, I found this CIP very fulfilling; it felt nice to know that I may have furthered someone’s interest in English or at least offered them a new experience. It was definitely a new experience for me, so I guess they taught me something too!

Rachelle Chouinard: Volunteering at a Children’s Hospital

投稿日時: 投稿者:

For my CIP, I have been volunteering at a program called Nico Toma (which aptly stands for “smiling tomato”), a program which runs a playroom and other fun events for the children staying in the Children’s Ward at the Kyoto University hospital. Once a week since September I have been going to Nico Toma and mostly helping out with decorations or other craft and organizational tasks. On days that there are special events, like the spring and Christmas cafes and fundraising bazaar, I get to have more contact with the children as I am usually assigned a task where I get to help them pick out which basket of candies they want or help them put cookies on their plate. Increasingly as I have acquired more experience with the program I have noticed an increase in the responsibility of the tasks I am assigned, which is a relief because although I like doing arts and crafts always doing simplistic tasks is boring.

Something I have noticed as I have worked with the same volunteers is a gradual transformation of speaking styles when speaking with the other volunteers, not just the style of speaking becoming less formal, but also the content of the questions slowly becoming more personal and more complex. In the beginning, we spoke of mostly simplistic things such as likes and dislikes, basic facts of our lives, etc. Now we tackle much more complex topics, such as the differences between Americans and Japanese, politics, and other much more esoteric topics. I also find it interesting how in Japanese, much more clearly than in English, you can tell your closeness to a person by their use of particular language. Perhaps this clear language distinction reflects a Japanese preoccupation with distinctions between social gradients.

As I have spent a little more time this semester out in the Children’s Ward changing the decorations, I have also had more of an opportunity to witness the reactions of parents and the hospital staff to us as volunteers in the hospital. The reactions of the different types of people in the hospital to us are usually very different. Doctors and nurses usually seem pleased to see us, and really seem to appreciate the decorations. The children are always pleased and curious, although the younger ones can look a little intimidated. To the younger kids we are almost as interesting as the new decorations; they stare unabashedly at us the whole time we are working. It’s the parents who have the most diverse reactions. Some are very enthusiastic about seeing us there, others are ambivalent, and some people even seem annoyed or confused about why we are there. Because volunteering in hospitals is so uncommon in Japan, at least according to the other volunteers, perhaps it is just that these parents see communicating with a foreigner another added burden in an already stressful situation. Overall, I have enjoyed my time volunteering with Nico Toma and the opportunity to interact with so many different kinds of people that I would not have had contact with otherwise. Plus, the kids are always so adorable!

 

レベッカ・ガブリエル：英語の先生のアシスタント

投稿日時: 投稿者:

CIPとして今学期私は上京中学校で英語を教えている。先学期は開晴中学で教えたが、今学期は、上京中学校で教えている。今までに先生を一回手伝った。自己紹介して、先生と一緒に英語で道を教えることを教えた。私は黒板に地図を書いて、英語で行き方を教えて、学生達にどこへ行ったか聞いた。すると、私の日本語の会話の授業でも道を教えることを練習するというすごい偶然があった。

その後は授業に行くのではなくて、九年生が高校に入るための英語の面接の練習を手伝っている。一人十分ずつ英語で簡単な質問をして、五文で絵を説明するように学生に言った。文法を直してあげて、もっと自然に話せるように練習した。次の面接の練習では六人が丸く座って、自由に英語で話した。好きな本や映画や将来何をしたいか聞いた。私と同じくハリー・ポッターもワン・ピースも嵐も好きだそうだ。ある女の子はジャスティン・ビーバーが好きだと言った。その子達は高校に入れたら、マレーシヤとオーストラリアに行って、二週間ぐらいホームスティをするそうだ。二時間も話したが、全然つまらなくなかった。

今学期の最初、私は先学期と同じことをするのは面白くないかもしれないと心配したのだが、まだ面白くて楽しい。開晴中学校でも上京中学校でも学生達は元気で、いつも「ハロー！」と言っている。とてもかわいいと思う。開晴中学校に行けないのは残念だと思うが、それぞれの経験は一期一会だと思う。

ジュミ・キム：「ニコニコトマト」のボランティア（京大病院）

投稿日時: 投稿者:

私のＣｏｍｍｕｎｉｔｙ　Ｉｎｖｏｌｖｅｍｅｎｔ　Ｐｒｏｊｅｃｔは京都大学の病院の子供の病棟でボランティアをすることです。最初、何をするかよく分からなかったので、バスに乗った時から他のボランティアにさよならと挨拶した時まで、ずっと新しいことを発見するばかりでした。

他のｋｃｊｓの学生と病院にとうちゃくして直ぐに「ニコニコトマト」の日本人のボランティアに自己紹介をすると、ｋｃｊｓの学生は違う仕事をさせられました。私は一人の他のｋｃｊｓ学生と一緒に、五人の日本人のボランティアの方々が子供のためのバレンタインデー の贈り物を作るのを手伝いました。私たちは新米で、外国人だけど、日本人ボランティアの皆さんはとても元気で、おしゃべりをしながら作業をしました。出身地とか日本でびっくりしたことについて聞かれたり、面白いアメリカと日本の違いについて話したりしました。そして、ボランティアは全員すごく細かいな贈り物を作っていましたが、時間がたくさんかかっても、当たり前のようにちゃんと全部作りました。私はそんな細かい作業は全然よくできませんが、「ニコニコトマト」でボ ランティアすることは面白いです。

デービッド・キルモン：くれそん

投稿日時: 投稿者:

私のCIPのために、「くれそん」というサークルに入るつもりです。「くれそん」というサークルは英語も日本語も通用するサークルです。外国人は日本人に英語を教えて、日本人は外国人と教えます。このサークルのメンバーは学生だけじゃありません。もちろん、学生もいるけど、外国人の会社員もいれば、日系人もいます。たいてい、部屋の中で話すけど、イベントをすることもあります。例えば、先学期バーベキューと魚釣のようなイベントがあるそうです。今学期も楽しいイベントがあります。

毎週火曜日、１９時から２１時までウィングズ京都という京都市の施設で会います。そこで文化や言語について話します。日本語か英語で話すかは誰が決めてもいいです。一人で習っている言語で母語話者と話すのは誰にとっても恥ずかしいですから皆さんが教える時と教えられる時があることが大切です。春休みの後、初めって「くれそん」に行きます。本当に色々な人と話すこと楽しみです。ましてや、イベントに参るのはもっとたのしみです。

モリー・ライスマン：ニコニコ・トマト

投稿日時: 投稿者:

私はCIP野ために京大の子供の病院のニコニコ・トマトというプログラムでボランティアをしている。ニコニコ・トマトは、重い病気がある子供のために楽しい活動を計画したり、小さくて、かわいいプレゼントを作ったりするプログラムだ。その子供の中で、一番小さい子は三、四ヶ月で、一番下の子は十八才だ。がんの子供が多くて、とてもじゃなしい。ニコニコ・トマトが計画したイベントにはまだ出ていないから、まだ子供といしょに遊んでいないが、小児病棟はもう見た。そうして、ニコニコ・トマトのコーディネーターにも外のボランティアにも会った。皆さんは中年の女の人だ。初回のボランティアの時、そのボランティアと日本語でしゃりべながら小さいプレセントを作った。そしてバレンタインデーの前に、きれいなバッグを作って、チョコレートとおかしをそのバッグの中に入れたり、きれいなタオルやハンカチでつつむ作業をしたりした。外のボランティアとしゃべるのはとても楽しかった。今後の活動で、子供と遊ぶのを楽しみにしている。

セシリア・ドルフ：英語のアシスタント

投稿日時: 投稿者:

私は先学期から引き続き、京都市立大原学院で小学生と中学生に英語を教えていて、先学期から続けている。大原は京都市内の中心部から一時間かかる田舎にある。大原には人が少ないだが、景色がきれいで、有名な神社もある。冬に大原は雪だらけになるそうだが、まだ雪を見たことはない。大原学院は小学校と中学校が一緒にあって学校は結構大きいのに、生徒は九十人しかいない。

毎週水曜日に大原に行って、子供達と給食を食べたり、遊んだり、英語を教えたりする。十二時半から五時半まで大原にいるから、生徒の昼ご飯の時間から放課後までいる。毎回英語を教えることができないけど、他の活動に参加して、英語だけを使う。

たいてい、大原に着くと小学校一年生と昼ご飯の準備をして、一緒に給食を食べる。一年生は英語が分からないが、私はいつも英語で話している。給食の後、英語の先生と英語の授業の準備をして、一年生と二年生の授業を教える。生徒が正しい英語の発音が聞けるように、私は全部英語を使って、英語の先生に日本語の翻訳をしてもらう。時々、私はどういうふうに英語を教えるのを決められる。その後、中学校の一年生の授業を教えるか、他の中学生の授業に参加する。この生徒は小学生よりもっと複雑な英語が使える。先学期、中学生の漢字や地理や科学などの授業に参加することができた。

放課後は、バドミントン部と一緒に練習しる。バドミントン部で英語だけ使いたいですが、学校の先生と一緒に練習しているので、時々日本語が必要だ。できれば、英語で数える。最後に、まなびに行く。まなびというのは、生徒が両親が迎えに来るを待っている間に、図書館で宿題をしたり、本を読んだり、ゲームをしたりする時間のことだ。まなびで私の仕事は学生の宿題を手伝ったり、英語の本を読んだり、ゲームをして一緒に遊んだりすることだ。学生の宿題はだいたい日本語の宿題けど、その時、日本語を練習することができる。先学期、天気がよかったら、生徒と外で遊んでいたが、今学期はとても寒いから、図書館の中に遊んでいる。

このCIPは大原学院の学年が終わるまでに行けるから、２月末は最後だ。その後、他のCIPを探さなければならない。多分、KIXSの活動に参加したいと思う。