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.

My CIP was spent at the Kyoto Municipal Zoo, in Oyazaki Park. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I have wanted to work with animals ever since I was a young child. Whenever anyone asks me what I want to do with my life, I say “A large exotic mammal veterinarian at a Japanese zoo,” which is simply an amalgamation of all my interests. I have been working for four years at a small animal clinic, but never have had the chance to work at a zoo, so I was very excited at the opportunity to volunteer in Kyoto and get that much closer to my ultimate career.

My time was spent almost entirely in the goat pen of the Children’s Petting Zoo, where I explained facts to visitors and did my best to answer their questions. I also was there to assuage the fears of kids unsure about petting the animals. Much of my interaction consisted of speaking in a friendly tone and saying “The goat is nice. Would you like to try and pet him?” I was also briefly assigned to the petting room where we helped visitors hold rabbits and guinea pigs, but this required more Japanese than I could quickly explain to a young child so the goat pen ended up being a better fit.

My co-volunteers were probably the most unique part of my CIP. The vast majority were female, usually older middle-aged ladies who spent every weekend at the zoo, giving up mornings and afternoons. Before I had decided on a CIP, I had looked forward to building camaraderie with Japanese peers, and in this way the make-up of the volunteers was somewhat of a disappointment. I was an outsider in age, gender, and nationality. This did not manifest itself in any sort of coldness. Quite the opposite, the other volunteers were always very kind and patient and eager to answer my questions, and quick to start a conversation when there was a lull in visitors. Not only this, but at the start and end of every session, we would discuss any questions or problems we had during the day. The meetings made the group feel more like a company, which in some ways it was since “Kyoto City Zoo Volunteers” is an established organization. It was comforting when I needed help to know I would have somewhere to voice my concerns. While I was working with these other volunteers, the majority of my Japanese interactions happened ‘in field’ so to speak, with visitors.

Looking back on my time at the zoo now, it is hard to remember exactly what I expected out of this CIP, particularly since I had not seen a zoo before, except as a visitor. I think I thought I would be working in more than just the children’s zoo, perhaps with more variety of tasks. But at the same time, staying only in one area gave me much needed time to practice the explanations and phrases I picked up over time. Over the weeks and months I became familiar with the routines and explanations, and even learned all of the goats’ names by heart. Being immersed in an activity and environment that had felt so foreign and awkward at the start was by far the most rewarding part of my CIP experience. I could feel my confidence grow week to week, and by the end I was happy to engage visitors whole heartedly, where before I would timidly watch from the edge of the pen.  When I had begun, I was unsure exactly if and how to initiate discussion and this is where my job of showing kids how to pet the goats came in handy. I learned to let the customers come to me, and then greet them with a hearty “Welcome, good morning!” pat one of my favorite residents of the pen, and let things unfold naturally. For some visitors, I was just as interesting as the animals, and I ended up giving a ten second biography of how I ended up in a goat pen in Kyoto at least a few dozen times.

I am very happy I got the chance to volunteer at the Kyoto Zoo. It gave me a chance to feel how Japanese work together, and just get used to a zoo as a work environment. I did end up finding Japanese friends outside of my CIP, so the difficulty of forming friendships outside of work was less of a problem. I would say, though, that if I were to do things over again, or were staying the entire year, I might like to try a circle or club so I could get more time with Japanese my own age, if just for the chance at more Japanese practice.. I am happy, though that I felt at ease and comfortable in the routines of the program by the end of the semester, because it gave me tangible evidence that my Japanese, or at least my social skills, were improving. I am also glad that I am at least a bit closer to realizing my career as a ‘large exotic mammal veterinarian at a Japanese zoo,’ even if I’m going to need a bit more Japanese under my belt

私はラシェル・シュイナードと申します。ラシェルかシェリと呼んでください。シカゴ大学の三年生で、専門は政治学です。私の学位論文は日本の女性と日本の政治についてですから、日本に留学することに決めました。今、私はBクラスに入っています。私の家族の中にたくさん子供がいますから、私はいつも子供が好きです。

私のCIPは京都大学の病院でにこトマというプログラムをしています。にこトマは病院の子供の病舎でボランティアが病気の子供と遊ぶプログラムです。水曜日と木曜日ににこトマの人とボランティアは子供といろいろなことをします。例えば書道を習いますし、十月にハロウィーンのパーティーをします。病気の子供はちょっと悲しいですが、子供と遊ぶのがすごく楽しいと思います。子供と話している時、簡単な日本語が使えるので、日本語を使う時は問題はありません。それに日本の子供は他の国の子供と同じですから、子供といる時は楽しくて簡単だと思います。

他のにこトマのボランティアは普通の中年の女の人ですから、話している時にですますを使います。私はちょっと恥ずかしがりやですから、子供といる方が好きだと思います。今、私は子供と遊ぶのを楽しみにしています。皆さん、がんばりましょう！

子供の時からずっと私の夢は動物のいるところで働くことだった。最近、もし誰かが将来何がしたいか聞いたら、私は「日本の動物園で大きい哺乳類の獣医になりたい」と答る。もし、獣医になれないとしても、動物園で象の檻をそうじさせてくれたらうれしくなるほど、動物と働きたいだ。だから、京都市動物園が私にボランティアをさせくれることが決まったとったん、私はルンルン気分になった。動物園での経験ができるようになって、そこで日本語を練習する事を楽しみになった。

私のCIPは「京都市動物園のボランティアズ」という協会でのボランティアだ。毎週土曜日、自転車で京都市動物園に行って、チェックインして、京都市動物園の中にある子供の動物園に行く。子供の動物園の中には、ヤギとか、モルモットとか、羊とか、ウサギといった動物がいる。この場所は子供が動物に気楽になれて、動物に興味を持つ事を目的にして、子供に優しい動物を見せてあげるところだ。

最初の日、同僚に自己紹介をした後、よこえさんというボランティアとヤギのおりに行った。ヤギの檻のボランティアの仕事は、お客様にようこそといって、子供たちにヤギのさわり方を説明してみせて、色々な質問に答える事だ。私は日本語がまだ上手ではないから、子供が聞く質問が分からない時よこえさんが説明してくれる。でも、時々簡単な日本語なら使えた。「どうぞ」とか「ヤギさんは優しいよ」とか「さわってみない」などだ。子供の相手だけではなく、ヤギのうんこもそうじした。

二回目の日は、よこえさんと「ふれあいコーナー」で働いた。この建物では、子供たちがウサギとモルモットを見る。もし、子供が動物を持ちたかったか、ボランティア達はウサギやモルモットを持たせてあげる。勿論子供の両親は写真を撮る。この時、持ち方を説明する表現をまだ習っていなかったから、私の仕事は持つことだけで、よこえさんが子供たちに話してくれた。

まだ、ボランティアをした日が四日しかしていないから、まだ上手ではありませんが、もっと新しい動物の事が習いたいだ。これから、お客様と話すこともとくいになりたいだ。だから、ボランティアをたくさんするつもりです。暇な土曜日に、京都市動物園にぜひ来てください。楽しみしています！