「Volunteering」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Michael Tayag: Volunteering at Bazaar Cafe

投稿日時: 投稿者:

For my CIP, I volunteered at Bazaar Cafe, about a three-minute walk from Doshisha Imadegawa campus, on Thursdays, Fridays, and on a couple special occasions. By volunteering at Bazaar Cafe, I was able to glean some interesting insights into Japanese society, culture, and communication.

One of the most obvious things that sets Bazaar Cafe apart from other cafes is the fact that it is staffed primarily by minorities and volunteers. My co-workers were immigrants, sexual minorities, recovering and former alcoholics, and people with developmental disorders, all of whom Bazaar Cafe offered a community space and a chance to work for a salary. Talking to these people made more concrete the discrimination they face, their hardships in finding work, and, for some, the need to conquer cultural and language barriers. Having said that, their work at Bazaar Cafe illustrates that various kinds of minorities can be productive workers, support one another, and form strong ties with the local community. For example, through one of the Filipina volunteers at Bazaar, I was introduced to the larger Filipino community in Kyoto, whose meetings and events I have attended almost every week.

With respect to communication in the context of volunteering/working at a cafe, I found that Japan is actually quite similar to the United States. For instance, it is considered common sense and courtesy in both cultures to say “excuse me” when going around someone, or “sorry” when you have bumped into your co-worker. Further, I got free food for lunch during volunteering (as did the others), and I usually waited to be offered food instead of asking for it directly. Basically, in terms of interacting with other people, I think I acted the same way at Bazaar Cafe that I would have in a similar establishment in America. One notable difference I did notice, though, was that the native Japanese have a greater sense of status and age. While the other foreigners with whom I worked never deliberately varied their levels of politeness, the Japanese workers and volunteers used different language when talking to me, as opposed to our supervisor. Working with foreigners allowed me to compare the language patterns of native and non-native Japanese speakers.

All in all, working in a cafe allowed me to have real conversations with real people in the real world. And though CIP was sometimes an added stress at the end of the school week, I definitely appreciated this opportunity!

Phillip Cualing: Zainichi Korean Elderly Activity Center

投稿日時: 投稿者:

The title is a mouthful, I know, but here are a few musings.

When I first walked into the center’s office, there was a major problem. Whenever I write, no matter the language, I tend to perfect my language so that I say what I want to say with the necessary eloquence. In English, it works out ok, because I can speak the language, but the problem I had was that the director of the activity center had a preconception that I was more skilled at Japanese than I actually was, which made it slightly awkward when talking about what I would be doing and what the center does. But we managed, somehow, to come to an agreement that I would come once a week on Wednesdays.

My first day, I was scared, to be honest. The staff had put the fear that I wouldn’t be able to understand anything into me, but it actually turned out well. We had talked about Zainichi Koreans in class a little bit, so I understood their background, but it was just nice to listen for a change. In class, it’s stressful for someone like me who is normally taciturn to always be speaking. I generally prefer to listen and to act than to speak, because I never was very good at gathering my thoughts in English even. And I really like going, because it’s nice to hear stories about their lives, especially since they would be much different than the average person in Japan. Sometimes they mix in Korean, and then I’m lost, but it’s a curious situation, because I’d really like to learn at least how to read hangul. I generally help out and clean after they leave for the day, and I’ve enjoyed the experience greatly. I’d like to continue going next semester, even if it isn’t for my CIP.

As a CIP, it’s not very exciting if you look at the logs. When you do the same things over and over, most people wouldn’t like it. But it’s fun to connect to a past generation with whom I share almost nothing besides the fact we breathe.  You learn things you wouldn’t otherwise, because the weight of experiences and memories shape each person differently. In some ways, I’m following down an analogous path; even though I was born in the US, I’ve never quite felt right at home, even if I speak the language well and interact in society. If I opened my mouth half the time to my peers to say what I wanted to say, rather than what should be said, I’d imagine people would be maybe a bit surprised, such are the differences I hold. But I’ve rambled for a bit, so I’ll finish with this: In such a place, home is where the heart is. Times change, places change, people change, so in such a world, those closest to you are the walls which support you.

 

Trisha Martin: Zenryuji Nursery School

投稿日時: 投稿者:

Although I started my CIP thinking I would be teaching English, I must admit very little English-teaching has actually been happening. Instead, I am more of an active participant-observer in the early education process of children in Japan. Back in the United States, I had also been very involved with educational- volunteer activities as well, so being able to compare US style early education with Japanese style early education has nonetheless been an enlightening experience.

From observing these two different settings, I’ve come to some preliminary conclusions about the educational styles and societal differences between Japan and the United States. For one thing, US schools appear to adhere to a much more rigid schedule. Lunch begins and ends at a certain time, even if a child is not finished eating. In Japan, every child must finish eating every grain of rice, therefore, lunch only concludes once every individual has finished.  From this observation, it also appears that Japanese early education also emphasizes a much more balanced diet where food is more highly valued; children must say grace before and after a meal, and must finish eating every grain of rice. These two actions are not seen in my US observation at all.

I also noticed a lot of differences in regards to scolding styles in both countries. For example, Japanese children seemed to be punished a lot more for failing to follow proper etiquette – such as incorrectly setting their dishes. One time I also say a child being punished for dropping a plate – something I would only call an accident. However, in the US observation, children were being punished more so for inappropriate behavior – such as speaking too loud, leaving their seats, or not standing still in line. Honestly, I have yet to observe an incident of un-orderly conduct in the Japanese pre-school, which I find very surprising.

Something in common between the two schools though, was the fact they both appeared to be teaching children the value of individual responsibility from a very young age. For example, both American and Japanese children were expected to clean up their own trash after finishing their meals – whether it be throwing away the leftovers or putting their plates away in their appropriate locations. It was only after successfully completing this task that both children were rewarded with recess activities.

However, these observations might not be an entirely accurate reflection of differences in educational styles because of the inconsistency in outside factors. For example, the US observation took place at a public elementary school in a relatively poor area; the Japanese observation took place at a private pre-school in a relatively affluent neighborhood. A better analysis would be to observe more US and Japanese educational settings to flesh out a more accurate comparison.

Drae McKenzie: Assistant English Teacher

投稿日時: 投稿者:

Kids Will be Kids

When I first entered the doors of Doshisha’s kindergarten I didn’t know what to expect. How were the children going to react to me? Will they be any different from the children in America? Turns out children are equally energetic and wound up any where in the world. Everywhere I looked they were screaming, clawing at each other, jumping off the slide, hanging upside-down from monkey bars. To be honest, I was a little terrified.

Then I heard the first “Hello!” Many other small voices hesitantly followed, tiptoeing towards me as to get a closer look. My reply resulted in an explosion of giggles from the investigative party. I can certainly say spending time with these children allowed me to see a unique facet of Japanese life.

Most of the time I felt the kindergarten wasn’t much different than that in the United States, there was one apparent difference. When children got frustrated, or angry, sometimes just a little too energetic I often saw them hit (or even tackle) their teachers. Thankfully, because I am a foreigner I was granted a “barrier” from the children’s physical attacks. But the teachers I encountered weren’t as lucky; I witnessed countless numbers of secret ambushes. The teachers seemed more like “human piñatas” than “figures of authority.”

As an American, I found this shocking. I’d grown up with the idea that a “good parent” or a “good teacher” was someone who set strict boundaries and, when those were crossed, consequences. I’d assumed that these standards were the same no matter where you were in the world. But after volunteering at the kindergarten I realized rules aren’t considered nearly as important as fostering the development of a mutual child/teacher friendship. To me, this seemed more effective than the strict rules placed in American schools. All in all, it was an eye-opening experience that allowed to me to experience teaching English and, in turn, gave me new insight into Japanese culture.

Eun Bi Lee: Kamigyo History House

投稿日時: 投稿者:

For reasons I’ve already explained, or rather complained about, in the previous blog post, I had a pretty late start to my CIP. I felt rather unmotivated by the time I first visited my CIP site because it had not been my own choice to participate at that particular place, but more of a last minute option given that half of the semester had already gone by without me having done anything other than writing polite emails and wandering around Doshisha campus hoping that a student sadoubu would welcome me. In any case, the CIP activity I am currently involved in is volunteering at a machiya called Kamigyo History House. After the very first week, I still had my doubts for I couldn’t exactly understand the purpose of the machiya. Of course, we had learned in our Japanese class that the city of Kyoto has implemented laws for the purpose of protecting and preserving the remaining machiyas, and consequently maintaining the status of Kyoto as the ultimate touristic spot in Japan. While it was obvious that the core purpose of this particular machiya was to provide information to tourists regarding the traditional way of life and architecture of an ordinary house from back in Heian period, its location made it hard to see the practicality behind investing resources and sacrificing possible profit by preserving the machiya. Sequestered from the busier part of the city by tall mansions and combinis, this machiya is quite difficult to find, especially for tourists. I myself got lost and walked around in circle for about half an hour within a couple of blocks of the machiya until a 日本人 volunteer came to my rescue. To my surprise, however, visits from Japanese tourists – some coming all the way from Tokyo – frequented whether it was their genuine interest in machiyas or the pouring rain that drove them to stop by. Moreover, the fact that it has not been commercialized like many other touristic spots in Kyoto meant that it was run entirely by the sponsorship from the private owner of the machiya and by the volunteers, who were usually old ladies incredibly knowledgeable about Kyoto, its history and its traditions. It has been interesting to observe how so many different players come together harmoniously for the sake of preserving a piece of the past. I have come to enjoy my time spent at the machiya, whether assisting other volunteers give information to tourists or helping the director with the various lectures and events, because I believe I have been able to witness one of the core values of Kyoto, and probably of Japan – appreciating the past and learning from it, rather than solely deeming it as old fashioned.

Michie Adachi: Zenryuji Nursery School

投稿日時: 投稿者:

Hidden in the historic Gion district notorious for spotting Geisha and experiencing traditional Japanese culture, you will find the Zenryuji Nursery School. With Zenryuji Temple to the West and Yasaka Shrine to the North, it is located in a special place. Commuting here with fellow KCJS-er, Trisha Martin and being greeted by a sea of shining, smiling faces of the children at the nursery school every Tuesday was truly a pleasure. No matter how difficult my morning Japanese lessons, or how tired I was, the children, little bursts of energy, always refreshed me.

All throughout high school, I worked at an afterschool childcare program for K-4th graders, so I assumed that this Japanese equivalent would be rather similar. However, the differences were striking. I’ve never seen a group of such well-behaved children in my life. From putting away their backpacks to folding their clothes, these young children, mostly 4-6 year olds, performed these tasks with almost military efficiency with only a short prompt from their teacher. Before every meal, they wash their hands (twice!) and sing a song showing appreciation to God and their parents for providing the food. After every meal, they brush their teeth and neatly put away their chopsticks and other eating utensils without being asked. I constantly question whether these little creatures are human beings or robots!

My last meal...so yummy (and free)!!!!

After a couple of visits, I quickly became accustomed to their daily lunch routine and subsequent nap schedule. However, for about a month, Trisha and I still felt like outsiders. We felt as though we were an interruption to the smooth flow and efficiency of the operations at this daycare rather than helpful volunteers. And then, unexpectedly, the awkwardness dissipated. The other teachers started asking us to do small chores, such as clean off the tables and even plan little games to entertain the kids while their lunch was being set-up. The kids themselves also started treating us differently, approaching us without fear and freely talking to us as friends rather than foreign specimen. While the children’s strong kansai dialect and simple sentence structures challenge our language comprehension abilities, hand and facial gestures facilitate our communication.

My experience volunteering at the Nursery School has definitely opened my eyes to another side of Japan. Through the children’s eyes, I can see a picture of Japan that is not clouded by excessively polite speech and tatemae. I truly value their insights and being able to see how Japanese education and childcare transforms these little people into Japanese citizens.

[Update]: Today was my last day at the daycare. The children have a performance this weekend for their parents, so I got to witness the dress rehearsal…such organized chaos!

Brandon Syms : Assistant English Teacher

投稿日時: 投稿者:

My experience with CIP has been excited, yet a little unfulfilling. I say that because although I enjoyed going to the school to partake in the activities with the students often I was unable to because I was scheduled on a Friday and it seems that many field trips and holidays fall on that day. I originally decided to become an Assistant English Teacher for my CIP because I was thinking of doing the JET program and I wanted to be sure that this type of work would be something I would want to do. I got quite a few other things out of the experience as well. For instance, I got an insight into the Japanese education system. The thing that shocked me the most of is how relaxed the atmosphere is while still managing to maintain the same structure. The teacher has a friendly relationship with is students and yet he still holds together this structure. The role I played was at first more difficult that I had expected. Not using Japanese with the Japanese teacher was strange to me. I felt as if it kept the students outside of the conversation. Something I realized about the English classes in Japan, is that it is taught in much the same manner that Japanese is taught to native English speakers. However, I still don’t quite understand why it is done in such a strange manner, yielding very few that are able to fully master the other language due to things like limited vocabulary and intense grammar. A suggestion that I have to offer to the English Education Department is to perhaps focus on two things, vocabulary themes (lists that cover all the words of the same theme) and more frequent speech practice. I understand that not all students want to learn English but with the way it seems to be structured, those who do want to learn won’t be able to do so to the extent of their full potential.

On a lighter note, I really enjoyed getting to know one of the classes, I remembered a lot of their names and they really enjoyed my lessons. One lesson in particular I really enjoyed because I got the chance to explain the grammar point in Japanese to the students. Unlike Japanese classes in America, English classes in Japan are taught in English at the middle school level. I can only imagine how difficult that must be to grasp if you do not understand the language of instruction. When I explained it to them in Japanese, they were more enthusiastic and they began to correctly use the grammar point.

Being a foreigner in that setting is also very interesting. Unlike adults, children are not as accustomed to foreigners since they wake up early and go directly to school where they socialize with other Japanese children and leave later to go home where they spend time with their family. So as a foreigner I at first felt a little awkward because I didn’t understand from their point of view why I was so astonishing. But little by little I grew very comfortable and eventually feeling more prideful able being a foreigner. For the most part Japanese children thing foreigners are cool and mysterious. So all the students are just very curious of me and about where I come from. I think in all, my experience was different. I am just glad that I got the chance to see what a Japanese school is like in a hands-on way. I’d recommend it but only if you can go more than once a week.

Anthony Shimamoto: Volunteering with the Homeless

投稿日時: 投稿者:

My CIP of choice was participating each week on Monday evening by heading to the Kawaramachi Catholic Church to go on a night patrol of the streets of Kyoto in order the provide the homeless with tea, warm clothing, blankets etc. The number of volunteers fluctuated each week but generally there was around 4-5 members in each patrol. The three areas of the city that the groups would patrol through were Sanjo, Shijo and Higashiyamadori. The route that I most frequently traveled was the Sanjo route.

At the base of the volunteering organization are around 4 key members who come each week and who over a number of years have come on good terms with the homeless in the local area, almost always being able to recognize each homeless person by appearance and they always knew their names. Upon meeting the homeless the conversation would generally devolve into one concerning the living conditions and needs of the person as well as possible insight into any information about new homeless people who have moved in the area. These members were extremely thorough in their note taking and all three groups would convene together at the end of each patrol to go over the name of the homeless person, a detailed description of where they were found and a short summary about what was talked about. These members who were regulars each week also had a great intuition about the different locations that the homeless would find to sleep in. The most common spots being in the stairways to the underground parking lots where it was warmer and where one would be spared from the wind.

In general it was quite an enlightening experience being able to come into contact with the Japanese homeless population. The most part the homeless people that we encountered were around 60 years of age and always male. Perhaps the most interesting part of the interaction was the civility of the  homeless when interacting with the church members. Often times they would reject items like hand warmers if they felt that they didn’t need them and one time a homeless man who had extra sleeping bags gave them to the church members so that they could give them to other people who needed sleeping bags. Overall working with the homeless was an interesting experience that allowed me to gain insight into a part of Japanese society that is often not very visible.

 

Ann Chunharakchote: NICCO Volunteer

投稿日時: 投稿者:

My Community Involvement Project (CIP) is helping the PR officer edit and compose reports in English. Every Tuesday, I would spend 2-3 hours at the small office of Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development (NICCO)  located in a machiya (Japanese traditional house) that serves as a casual office complex. The atmosphere therefore is naturally homey. NICCO is like one big family united by a common vision and goal to make the world a better place. Despite the fact that the people of NICCO are really warm and kind, I had difficulty feeling like I was one of them. There are several reasons why I am still an outsider. The first and most obvious reason is because showing up at the office once a week was not enough. Secondly, I did not share the same amount of dedication and stamina as the people of NICCO did.  The people at NICCO are very serious about their work. Although we all sit very closely to each other in the tiny office, people do not make small talk or chit chat.

I have done volunteer work since high school, but I never thought about actually pursuing a career in this sector. Sadly, volunteering is a side-project not a top priority to me. The opposite, however, goes for the people of NICCO and I truly admire and respect them for that. These people would travel to countries such as Malawi, Pakistan, and most recently the Tohoku region to rebuild the lives of the disaster victims. But because my selflessness and passion did not measure up to their level, I did not feel like I belonged there. Furthermore, because the nature of my responsibilities did not require frequent interactions with others, I also could not develop deep relationships with my colleagues and the other interns.

The most interesting thing I experienced at NICCO was when I had to write two letters of apologies. One of them was an actual letter of apology and the other one was somewhat a different type of  letter of apology. The reason I call it different is not because the NICCO staffs intentions were not sincere, but because we had to apologize to the person that had to cancel last minute. At least in the West, the party that cancelled last minute would be the party that is expected to send the letter of apology to the organization. But as I have learned from this situation, in Japan, if a person had to cancel last minute, it is because they were forced to. Therefore, in Japan, you have to apologize to that person for causing them to make a last minute cancellation even if you really had nothing to do with it.

I am positive that if my Japanese skills were advanced, I could contribute more to NICCO and also fit in to the organization better. Due to the nature of my responsibilities, and the fact that my supervisor can speak English, there have been times when I had to resort to English. I try my best not to, but because I need to make sure that I understand her instructions perfectly, I have committed the crime of using English during my CIP.  Because my tasks involved public relations, it is crucial that I know exactly what I am doing or else the results may reflect poorly upon NICCO.

Nonetheless, my CIP experience at NICCO has been a positive one. Despite the fact that I never became a real member of the organization, the people of NICCO are perhaps one of the most caring and selfless group of people I have encountered and for that I am truly grateful.

 

 

Samantha Lee: Hospital Volunteer

投稿日時: 投稿者:

At Nico Tomato, we usually gather around a table and make holiday cards for the children.  I wish that there had been more opportunities to interact directly with the children, but it’s also interesting to talk with the other volunteers and listen to their thoughts and opinions.  One day the subject of giongo and gitaigo came up in the volunteer’s conversation.  They asked us whether there was an English equivalent for chiinsuru, as “chiin” is the sound that the microwave makes when it is done heating up the food.  It’s interesting how there are so many commonly used giongo and gitaigo in Japanese, whereas onomatopoeia isn’t as often used in spoken English.  For example, in Japanese the act of tired being can be described with several different expressions such as, hetoheto, guttari, and kutakuta.  Depending on which one you chose, a slightly different nuance will be conveyed.  However, giongo and gitaigo can sometimes contribute to the language barrier.  Students typically learn several of the most commonly used ones but there’s a whole world of giongo and gitaigo that isn’t taught in the average Japanese class.  Because of this, giongo and gitaigo sometimes have the effect of confusing a non-native speaker.  It can also be harder for non-native speakers to conceptualize the various giongo and gitaigo and use them in the correct situations, as they haven’t grown up learning them like a native speaker.

In October we helped out with the Halloween party.  The children had fun dressing up, and there were several racks of costumes and shelves of accessories for them to choose from.  After they took pictures, everyone went on a mini parade down the corridor with orange balloons.  It reminded me of the Halloween parades that we had in preschool and kindergarten.  I was a bit surprised at the number of Halloween decorations and events in Japan, as I thought it wasn’t really observed here.  It seems that it’s been growing in popularity over years, but still isn’t a widely celebrated holiday.  Costumes and pumpkin flavored snacks are associated with Halloween, but the traditions of trick-or-treating and carving pumpkins haven’t appeared to have been carried over to Japan.  I think it’s interesting to see how foreign holidays are adapted in Japan.

Volunteering at Nico Tomato has been a great experience.  The other volunteers are all very friendly and they really made the effort to welcome us into the group.  The volunteers work very hard to plan events and make the children’s stay at the hospital more enjoyable. I’m glad that I was able to join Nico Tomato and participate in their activities.