「KCJS 24 (2012-2013)」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Michael Li: Volunteering at NicoNico Tomato

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This semester I continued to volunteer at NicoNico Tomato which has been both relaxing and a learning experience. Every week I would help out with whatever activity or task needed to be accomplished and always had the opportunity to communicate with others and actually use what I learned.

Last semester I had noticed how detail oriented and truly devoted they are towards helping the children. I continued to see that same drive when they brainstorm various activities that should be held for each day of the week, which the head of NicoNico Tomato usually facilitates. Although one may think that the Japanese would be passive about voicing their opinion, that is not the case in these discussions. Other volunteers would constantly chime in or pitch another solution. Because I have been volunteering for the past seven months, I have noticed various interesting cultural differences, and similarities, in speech and communication. For example, when the volunteers are all talking amongst each other they would casually use various proverbs. Recently they used one to illustrate how the weather is constantly fluctuating between being cold or hot. However, the types of proverbs used differ by generation—in both U.S. and Japanese cultures.

Furthermore, I noticed the difference between the choices of words used by various generations. For example, the older generations would use more direct and blunt words versus the younger generation who would put it more softly and less directly, such as the use of 「いらない」versus 「大丈夫」. When tea is being served and someone politely refuses, most usually use いらない while I use大丈夫. In comparison to the U.S., people speak more directly to others which would be more aligned with the older generations.

While there are cultural differences in speech and communication, similarities can also be drawn between the two countries as well. I have truly enjoyed my time volunteering at NicoNico Tomato.

 

 

 

Yumee Cho: Assistant English Teacher at Ohara Gakuin

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Volunteering as an assistant English teacher at Ohara Gakuin was a tremendously rewarding experience for me. While I had never taught in a classroom setting before, I had always wanted to do so and through the friendly and supportive faculty at Ohara, I learned many things about Japanese, English, and teaching overall.

Ohara Gakuin is a combined elementary and junior high school, so the grade levels go from first to ninth grade in one building. The classes are small, ranging from 6 students in the smallest and thirteen in the largest. But regardless of class size, the students were all friendly and energetic, and the small town vibe gave it a close knit air. Yet I felt easily welcomed by the students and faculty and after a few weeks some students began to recognize me in the hallways, and I started to recognize students I’ve taught before.

Fortunately since Ohara is a combined school, each week I would be in a different class, with the exception of the first and second graders who I met for a few weeks combined. This way I got a chance to teach at a variety of levels, but I have to say the lower levels were definitely the most fun because of the sheer energy.

Maeda-sensei, the Head English teacher at Ohara is a wonderful teacher and really knows how to get along with children, and how to get them to learn at the same time as playing group games and activities. When she told me how she was glad that I spoke in a loud and clear voice to the children, I felt immensely proud because at some points I wondered if I was shouting, the overall atmosphere in Japan being much quieter than the States.

I’m extremely grateful I had this unique and rewarding opportunity in the midst of such friendly and welcoming people here in Japan.

Lee Nisson: Pottery and Sculpture at Yuuraku

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This semester I decided to take a Japanese pottery and sculpture class at the Yuuraku classroom in Katsura. Not unexpectedly, from the very beginning I turned out to be the odd man out as a young foreign student in a Japanese sculpture class dominated by おばさん (middle aged women and housewives). Whereas in the US, a foreign college student branching out into various classes is something that wouldn’t cause anyone to bat an eyebrow, but my presence to most people in the small classes was evidently a surprise. While in America that surprise would likely be channeled into small talk, it would take a week or two before most of the other sculptors besides my teacher, Katayama Sensei, would become brave enough to question me. However most of the time I was quite content to listen to them gush about their kids and small talk while I sculpted much like the way an American class would work.

Moreover Katayama Sensei wasn’t shy about telling me that she hadn’t had much experience with foreign students. Nevertheless she was always quite kind in helping me form my creations. Using rather simple Japanese we were able to overcome the barriers of technical terminology that sculpture sometimes requires. Recently she showed me a dual Japanese-English picture guide to Japanese sculpture that has helped us both understand each other quite well, and recently we have tasted the fruits of our labor.

For example, this is my first cup:

This is only half of what we did this week:

Regardless my experiences trying to express my ideas and wishes therein have been very helpful for my Japanese. My weekly visits also allowed me to move in from the periphery of the classroom dynamic that I found myself in during the first week or two as the Japanese began to drop the honorifics from their speaking habits in favor of casualness. They still kept a healthy dose of Kansai dialect though!

This process has matured to the point where, when we aren’t all concentrating on keeping our creations from spinning out of control or lopping off a side of a piece due to negligence, the people of the Yuuraku classroom and I have very stimulating conversations. Often they have to do with comparing each other’s work as any work space would, yet due to my inherently foreign characteristics the conversation tends to gravitate towards what adventures I should have in Japan or what they would like to do themselves.

In that way despite my class largely consisting of middle aged women I can probably say that we’re becoming friends. For beyond the new pottery techniques I’ve acquired and potter culture, the ability that people have to connect to each other with very little in common has been the most useful insight into Japanese culture I’ve had the pleasure to experience.

Merrick Williams: Klexon

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For the first half of this semester, I had been having difficulty finding an appropriate CIP to participate in. However, as described in my last blog, I have for the past month been attending a conversation circle called KURESON. Since joining, I have been to three or four of the regular meetings, as well as just recently a sakura viewing party and BBQ. From here I will be continuing to attend the regular meetings as well as hoping to participate in a strawberry picking outing that should happen sometime in the second half of April.

I have met lots of very nice people there, and since at the meetings the conversation is primarily in English, it gives a very different perspective on the Japanese manner of communicating. Particularly, it is a strong reversal of what is the normal social interaction between foreigners and Japanese in Japan, where the Japanese can speak fluent Japanese but the foreigner, if not fully fluent, is left a little uncomfortable and maybe left out.

Speaking in English with them puts everyone on different footing, where, since they are not fluent, are forced to be more blunt and clear with explanations and answers because they don’t know more subtle or nuanced ways of explaining things. This immediately changes the relationship between the two conversers, as I feel that the Japanese members are forced to open up a little more than they maybe would previously.

However, this then carries over later, when, for example, at the hanami party, when everyone spoke primarily in Japanese, since the ice had already been broken everyone got along very well and chatted with everyone else. To me, it felt like everyone was on more settled ground and were able to mix better, and everyone ended up having a great time.

This idea of hesitance was very present in our conversations in English however, which led to some interesting realizations about the way Japanese people speak about themselves in relation to Americans. For example, whenever they were asked what they do, the usual response is just “I work at a company” or “I’m a student.” In English these are such vague remarks that one almost feels uncomfortable continuing the questioning, but in Japanese is just a form of modesty that is then usually followed by “ah, what company?” or “what college?”

I’m excited to continue KURESON for the next month and continue to participate and meet up with members. It’s been a great experience!

Astrid Brown: Doshisha Exchange Student Association

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This semester, I decided instead of continuing on with my CIP from last semester (Soft Tennis), that I would try something new and join the Doshisha Exchange Student Circle. Though the name seems to imply that there are many foreign students, in reality it is mostly Japanese students who are very interested in meeting people from foreign countries, so I thought it would be a really great fit for me.

 

Though there was spring vacation right in the middle of the semester, DESA still had quite a lot of activities planned. I was able to experience many new things such as watching sumo, going to a setsubun festival and eating at a ninja themed shabu shabu restaurant.

 

Since I knew a few DESA members from the previous semester, it was really easy for me to become part of the group. It was really great to have members recognize me and actively want to meet up outside of the usual meeting times, which was very unlike my CIP last semester. Many of them could also see my improvement within my Japanese ability, which I was surprised about, but also was a really great compliment. Often I would be asked about my opinion on certain trips and I was invited to all the 飲み会 and dinners that were planned, even though these were not exclusively for exchange students.

 

In comparison to my CIP last semester, DESA was a lot more relaxed. Though there was definitely a seniority structure, it was not as strict as in soft tennis. The members actually wanted to be friendly with me, while last semester they were really uninterested and put off by my lack of speaking ability. The carefree attitude helped me want to be there and speak Japanese more, which is what the CIP experience should be about.  I think the reason for these differences is because DESA is full of members who are interested in meeting foreigners so they were more open to me joining. Sports circles also tend to be more traditional and therefore have a stronger kohai/sempai structure while in DESA there is no such thing as more ‘skilled’ members so there is less of this type of hierarchy.

 

In the end, this CIP was a really great experience for me and I was able to be a member as well as going sightseeing with the exchange student groups. Hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to spend more time with the DESA students before I leave to go back home next month.

Aarron Lee: Participating in DESA

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I took this picture. Roppongi Hills skyview, you should totally go check it out sometime.

Coming to Japan in August last year (Fall semester), I had initially participated in Kyuudou as my CIP activity outside of classes. In the latter Spring semester, I participated in DESA, which is a student organization that introduces you to Japanese students via activities, events, etc. In retrospect, I regret not doing it vice versa, where I should’ve joined DESA in Fall, and Kyuudou in Spring. Why, you may ask?

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Kimberly Wong: Volunteering at NicoNico Tomato

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Volunteering with NicoNico Tomato in the pediatrics department at Kyoto University Hospital has been a great experience thus far, both in the context of Japanese culture, as well as volunteer work.  Although we do different things every week and I never know what to expect, the other volunteers are all very warm and welcoming, and so working with them at Nico Toma [what we call NicoNico Tomato] is a relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

Nico Toma makes a huge effort to brighten up the pediatrics department in the little ways it can, from seasonal decorations to holiday cards, to posting photos of the children to arts and craft activities – it’s a very craft-focused group overall.

In the midst of coloring and cutting paper alongside the other Japanese volunteers, volunteering at Nico Toma has also been an interesting and rewarding cultural experience.  From sharing in afternoon tea-time to just observing how hard everybody works, Nico Toma has a relaxing atmosphere to just casually interact with Japanese people.

As far as cultural observations, the energy and detail Nico Toma volunteers put into their many crafts is very impressive.  At times it can be frustrating to adhere to how meticulous they are about minute details, but I also appreciate their efforts to always do the best job possible, in whatever it is they are doing.

However, something that has been made clearer to me by working at Nico Toma is the Japanese’s love for plastic wrapping and presentation.  For a special bazaar event, Nico Toma set up a small market-type event for children at the hospital and their parents to buy toys and other small gifts.  As we prepared for it the previous week, I noticed how much plastic is used.  Any accessory or small item was packaged in a clear plastic.  While I recognize that presentation is important, many of the goods wrapped would be fine unwrapped.  This isn’t inherently bad, but I thought the level of plastic usage was a bit ironic given Japan’s mentality to reduce waste.

Nonetheless, Nico Toma has been a very fun experience.  I always look forward to volunteering every week, and although a lot of the volunteer work is helping with crafts and other events for the hospital, there are opportunities to interact with the children as well.  From helping the children with an afternoon calligraphy activity to chatting with the other weekly volunteers while gluing and cutting construction paper, I’ve found Nico Toma to be a great community of volunteers who are committed to doing what they can to brighten up the hospital.

ジョセフ・ラックマン：アイアイハウス（社会福祉法人、ボランティア）

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アイアイハウス（社会福祉法人）

私は毎週一回ボランティアとしてアイアイハウスという社会福祉法人に通っている。そこで障碍者のお手伝いをさせていただいています。秋学期の留学生にとって、最初は京都での友達や知り合いがあまりいなくて、文化的な価値があるアクティビティを見つけるのは大変だったが、私たちのネットワークが広がれば広がるほど京都での生活が面白くなる。日本のほとんどの大学は私たちの春学期に休みであるため、春学期にいいＣＩＰを目つけるのは難しいが、案外もっと価値があるＣＩＰが見つかるかもしれない。やっぱりＣＩＰの価値は本当に留学生の努力によるだと思う。

秋学期は、どんなアクティビティをすればいいかよく分からなくて、テニスにした。すぐグループを見つけて、入って、グループのメンバーになれたが、後悔している訳でもないが、もっといいＣＩＰがあるはずだと思っていた。それで時間がたつとともにいろんなサークルに入ってきた。今は太鼓や英会話や幼稚園でのボランティアや今のアイアイハウスのボランティアをやっているが、その中で分かってきたのは、テニスより私にとって価値がある活動はいっぱいあるということだ。
アイアイハウスでは、毎日２０年代と３０年代の障碍者の世話を見ている。京都に引っ越して来たすぐ後英会話の先生をし始めた。知り合いのお家で週一回英語を教えている。この人はアイアイハウスに勤めているので、知り合いの紹介をきっかけとしてアイアイハウスでボランティアをし始めた。アイアイハウスの障碍者は二つのグループに別れている。一階の人達はもっと重い障害を抱えている。ほとんどは車椅子に座っている。二階の人達の障害はもうちょっと軽いが、どちらでもユニークな問題が明らかになる。最近はよく二階の人達と仕事をしている。実は、二階の人達は毎週水曜日にパン屋さんをしている。誰でも出来る仕事はあるので、障碍者たち皆はそれぞれの役割を見つけ、精神衛生と体調を維持しながらアイアイハウスのために働いている。その上、アイアイハウスの人達皆は私にとても優しい。たまに職員さんに食事に誘われた。お正月の時、私がホームステイの家にいられないことを分かった時、アイアイハウスの職員さんは一週間ぐらい私をご両親の家に誘ってくれた。

時間がたつと共に私の障碍者たちとの関係が進化してきた。本当に嬉しかったのは、最近皆が私の名前を覚えてくれたことだ。たまにこの人達が障害を持っているのを忘れる。コミュニケーションの仕方が違っても障害者より普通の友達として見えてきた。この人達と時間を過ごせば過ごすほど皆のそれぞれの特徴や性格が分かってくる。僕が予想していたより面白い。障碍者の行動を見学することで日本とアメリカの人の考え方が根本的にどう違うか分かってくる。

サム・アレン：弓道と京都市ボランティアサークル

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京都大学の近く武道館センターで、一学期間弓道のレッスンを受けたが、手をけがして学期続けられなくなったから、新しいCIPを探した。ボランティア活動をしたかったから、よく調べてから、選択肢を三つ見つけた。

まず、京都市青少年センターという色々な活動をしているところがあったので、そちらの説明会に行って、イベントやカフェでのボランティア活動のことをよく聞いた。しかし、場所は結構遠いし、ボランティアが必要な時間が合わなかったから、探し続けた。

先生からバザールカフェという場所でのボランティア活動を聞いた。同志社大学のすぐ傍にある雰囲気がいいカフェで、料理をしたりウェイターをしたりすることができる。そこでせいじさんと話して、今木曜日から日曜日まで自由にそこでボランティアできる。

また、京都市内のボランティアサークルの説明会に行って、今回すごく良いと思った。ボランティア活動は大体二つある。毎月二回小学生と楽しい習い事をすることと、他のは京都市内の掃除とか環境を守る活動だ。

チェルシー・カゼアー：子供のボランティア

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ボストンでは、子供と一緒に働いて、日本でも、これを続けたかったです。だから、CIPとして、京都大学病院にあるの「にこにこトマト」というボランティーアグループに参加することにしました。

一週間に一回ボランティアをしています。にこにこトマトでは色々なことをします。時には、うんざりするくらい長いこともあります。例えば、一回目はバレンタインデーのおかしとプレゼントを作りました。大変でしたが、すぐ気がついたのはにこにこトマトの目標です。子供達の幼少期を大事にしています。つまり、病気の子供達はずっと病院にいて、大変な日常生活を我慢しなければなりません。だから、大切なのは子供のために立派な思い出と幸せを作ることです。そのいうこととにこにこトマトのボランティアの真心にもものすごく感動しました。そして、次にバレンタインデーで、作ったプレゼントを子供達に渡しました。子供とご両親の笑みを見て、プレゼントを作った時間は全然くたびれ儲けではなくて、価値があると思いました。

にこにこトマトでボランティアを始めてもう一ヶ月になりました。一つの希望はもっと子供と一緒に遊ぶことです。