「Volunteering」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Michie Adachi: Zenryuji Nursery School

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Carter Rice: Kamigyo History House

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As a volunteer at Kyoto’s Kamigyo History House, I was able to gain more insights into Japanese culture and language. I was lucky to work with many volunteers who have lived in Kyoto for most of their lives. Through my interaction with them, I was able to learn more about Kyoto’s history, such as the original city plan and four guardians.

It was a wonderful opportunity to practice Japanese in a more formal setting. Prior to this experience, I had never interacted with customers in Japanese. I had to learn new phrases and practice giving a tour of the history house; at times it was challenging, however, my fellow volunteers were always encouraging. Occasionally, customers would ask me questions either about my personal background or American culture, which I found frustrating, as I was there to share in Kyoto’s history. Yet in interacting with these customers, I was able to learn more polite expressions that I may not have used otherwise.

I am thrilled that a historical treasure like Kamigyo History House has been preserved, and I’m especially glad that I could help in the efforts to share it with the general public.

Meg Beneville: Niko-Toma Volunteer Program

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Meg Beneville:
Niko-Toma Volunteer Program at Kyoto University Hospital

For my Community Involvement Project, I’ve been volunteering once a week at Kyoto University Hospital through a program called “Niko-Toma”. “Niko-Toma” is a wonderful organization that aims that brighten the lives of children in the hospital, most of whom have serious illnesses and spend long periods of time there.
Niko-Toma plans many fun events for the children, such as holiday parties. My volunteer duties have been extremely varied so far. Many times I help out in the office with the other volunteers, sorting through supplies for future events, folding newsletters or making ornately decorated cards. The other volunteers are most middle-aged Japanese women, who are very warm and welcoming, and chat with me in Japanese while we work. It’s great language practice, and very satisfying to feel like I’ve become a part of the group.
Aside from helping out in the office, I’ve also had some great opportunities to interact with the kids. The Halloween party was absolutely adorable- so many cute kids in costumes, and many parents who were delighted to have such a great photo op. One of the older patients there was a 17 year old girl who I had a fun time talking to. We took a picture together on her phone and exchanged email addresses so that she could send it to me, and we’ve become “internet penpals” since then. She’s very creative and funny, and I hope talking to me is an entertaining distraction that helps to break up the monotony of her hospital stays. I’ve been back to visit her in the hospital and we have fun talking in person as well, although I had to wear a mask since she has a compromised immune system, and this made it more difficult than usual to understand and speak Japanese.
All in all, I’m very happy with my experience at “Niko-Toma”. It’s been very rewarding so far, and I hope my volunteer efforts are making a difference to the kids in the hospital.

Rachelle Chouinard: Volunteering with Nico Toma at Kyodai Hospital

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As I explained in my previous post, my CIP this semester has been volunteering with Nico Toma, an organization which holds events for children in the long-term care ward for children at Kyoto University Hospital. Aside from spending time with the children in the ward, I’ve also spent a considerable amount of time with children outside of the hospital, as my host sister and her young children often come over for dinner. My contact with my temporary host mom and her young children whom I lived with while my Okaasan was on vacation for several weeks has also given me ample opportunity to see how Japanese children are socialized, especially at the age when they are really beginning to be able to express themselves. Throughout my contact with Japanese children, it has become clear that Japanese children and American children are extremely similar in most ways; they talk about the same sorts of things, are shy in the same ways, and express their opinions in the same adamant ways, especially around the ages of two and three.

I have, however, noticed some differences in the ways in which Japanese children refer to themselves. Many of the young children I have come into contact with under the age of four referred to themselves only in the third person, it’s always “Miwa wants this” or “Miwa feels that”. Initially I was very surprised by these conversations with children, as it struck me as very unnatural, in comparison with American children, for whom the ability to use the word “I” represents a crucial step in the psychological development of the child. Children are liberally encouraged to use the word “I” to express their own wants and feelings, and in America this phenomenon is often spoken of as a crucial step in the development of the child’s ability to distinguish itself from the world around it, as the use of such language reinforces these boundaries. I find this delayed use of the word “I” among Japanese children very interesting, especially in regards to its role in the socialization of these children. Does this delayed use of the singular pronoun have meaning in the context of the development of the individual’s identity? Although referring to oneself is admittedly more complicated than in English, is that the only reason to delay the use of “I”, especially when children are being taught concepts that are just as abstract, such a basic verb conjugations? Does this process further the group socialization of Japanese children by delaying the use of the singular pronoun and thus reinforcing group consciousness and cooperation when children are finally taught to refer to themselves as part of a group, maintaining the psychological distance between one’s name and one’s identity? Although I have been unable to come up with any concrete reasons for this phenomenon, I am very interested in hearing what other people think about it, if anyone else has noticed.

I guess, in closing, although my experience with my CIP was different than I expected, it was overall a very rewarding experience. Most of my time was spent conversing with other volunteers about aspects of American culture and the differences between Japan and America, but the considerable amount of time that I did get to spend playing with the children was very enlightening. I love playing with kids, and I spend most of my free time back home volunteering for a day care or babysitting, so while I enjoyed the chance to do an activity which as comforting and familiar, I was somewhat un prepared for the emotional commitment. Knowing that all of the children I was playing with were ill, and seeing them all connected to tubes and machines, some of them even unable to spend half an hour doing a quiet activity without having to return to their room, was much more upsetting than I had anticipated. I guess it was just the difference between understanding something intellectually and seeing it in person. Overall, though, volunteering with Nico Toma has been a very beneficial experience, as I am now able to more comfortably converse with older Japanese women and had a chance to do something good with my time.

Rebecca Gabriel : English Teaching Assistant

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My CIP, teaching at a middle school, was quite enjoyable.  I happened to be lucky: out of the three who taught at the middle school, I had the least amount of canceled classes, so I got to see the students more. I taught 9th grade mostly, as 8th grade was cancelled almost all the time.  I recently switched to a different 9th grade class, which made me a bit sad (I was almost finished remembering their names!!), but I really like my new class as well. I also got to teach the third 9th grade class, so I’ve seen them all at this point.  I’ve never taught in an officially before; I was always the girl who you’d ask for help on home work in high school. But, I always enjoyed that, and I’ve enjoyed this as well.

One of the many interesting aspects about teaching at a Japanese middle school was that I got to see how English is taught as a second language in a language I am trying to learn.  For example, we just learned the grammar pattern for “language I am trying to learn,” or “noun modifying sentence that comes directly after.”  In Japanese, it is the opposite, but from the student’s perspective the English phrase is written the other way around.  (I couldn’t begin to count the number of times I said 反対 while I helping them.)  They would often rearrange phrases to make a grammatically correct sentence (something I personally never did while learning a language).  For example, this past week a question would have “I like,” “the season,” “summer,” and “is” and they would have to put it in the right order.  (This is harder than it seems. As I was walking around helping them, I noticed that almost every student put “Summer I like is the season.”)   It’s also nice that I can explain some in Japanese as well, which usually earns me a 「日本語うまいね」 or some variation.

Another thing that they do is using games as part of the learning process.  I never thought I would play “rock, paper, scissors” against a class of middle school students.  If they won, they could ask me a question and get a point for their team.  I discovered that I am 「じゃんけん、強い！」 that day.  They did things like that all the time.  It was interesting and a bit strange to be able to understand the teacher in Japanese explaining English grammar.  I could really sympathize with the students, being in a similar, though reversed, situation.

I found it really interesting seeing a Japanese middle school from the inside.  I have heard many scary things about the intensity of the Japanese school system.  This one was surprisingly laid back.  The students all talked through class, for example, or even slept on occasion with no one bothering to wake them up.  They were also very rowdy and talked rather casually with the teachers.  They also use some kind of reward system.  A winning team or the first ten people to finish a crossword would get to make another step on their world map.  I only got gold stars and the like until about 4th grade or earlier, but they still do things like that in 9th grade.  Another difference was that the teachers moved from room to room instead of the students.  This nicely avoided “traffic jams,” but the teacher did forget his marker on occasion.  They also ate lunch in the classrooms where it was brought to them and changed in them after gym. (I walked in twice by accident, and twice a boy was just wearing underwear in the back. And no, I have no idea what that was about, but he got clothed quickly while the teacher ignored him.)  They cleaned the school themselves. There were always a few students with brooms around that would say “Hello” to me or bow.

It was much less formal and less strict than I thought it would be.  They are really friendly students, always making jokes.  I somehow developed a joke with the boy who is always changing in the back.  It’s a nice example of how laid-back they classes can be. (It’s all in English except the first two lines)

N: “Who do we like in Fahrenheit?”

Together: (while pointing fingers at each other) “JIRO!”

Mr. Ueno: “So, you like a man?”

N: “Yes, I like a man.”

Mr. Ueno: “You like men?”

N: “No no no, I like women!”

Once they know that I can speak Japanese and if I speak informally with them, they respond in kind, which was nice for talking to them.  I have some great memories from this experience: playing janken with everyone, the “Jiro” joke, and the time I did a Kamehameha wave with them to name a few.  It makes me happy that I can keep on observing all this and that I can teach again next semester!  I believe I’ll have another school next semester, my host brother’s.  I kind of hope I get his class!

Angela Sham: Nico Tomato Volunteering

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I started this CIP thinking that I would be spending most of my time playing with the children of the hospital, setting up activities and helping to make sure these activities went smoothly. This hasn’t been the case! Because of my schedule, I actually end up spending more time with the other volunteers and the leaders of Nico Tomato – namely Kanda-san and her wonderful crew of eager workers.  It is a different experience from what I expected, but I have come away with some interesting insights into the social hierarchy of Japanese volunteer groups, and more than enough hospital gossip. The times I did get to play with the kids were few, but memorable. One time I was waiting in the hallway for a coworker and a kid in a wheelchair stopped next to me, flipped open his DS and showed me how to play the game he had. I recorded some simple English phrases, and he repeated them – very cute!

Reflecting on my time with Nico Tomato, more than anything I hope I was a little helpful to the group. Even though I often couldn’t be there for activities, I usually helped with busywork – assembling cards, organizing newsletters, delivering things from one section of the building to the other. The ensuing conversations were always interesting. For example, I entered into a debate about how the annual Christmas card should look (and the Christmas card is indeed a serious matter, the amount of effort that goes into these holiday cards is almost staggering), but I realize I had never been put into an argumentative situation before. I sat back and listened to how the other workers suggested changes to their superior, who was making all of the final decisions. I learned how to politely argue! I hope I convinced Kanda-san that the red ribbon was better, in the end. Some things I really loved about my experiences with Nico Tomato were getting to see these glimpses of daily life, of learning Japanese perspective on things like Halloween, American style weddings, and being able to provide answering foreign perspective to an equally interested audience. I’m thankful that I was able to spend time at Nico Tomato! It felt like a short time, but I always felt welcomed by Kanda-san and the rest of the volunteers.