「KCJS Year」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Roger Wilder: Volunteering at Hanazono Church Aquarium (花園教会水族館）

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I was primarily responsible for taking care of the many aquatic animals that lived at the aquarium (freshwater fish, turtles, geckos, frogs, and more), while also teaching guests about those animals during their visits. It was a great opportunity to interact with local Kyoto residents, while also learning about marine science, animal husbandry, and science communication all in Japanese. Moreover, I had the opportunity to join a tight-knit community, getting the chance to chat and becomes friends with people of all ages while working at the aquarium and spending time together afterwards. Whether you have any prior experience working with aquatic animals, I could not recommend a more patient and welcoming community than the aquarium owner and other volunteers. If you are interested, don’t hesitate to shoot them an email!

Holly Middlebrooks: Volunteering at Mitsuba Kindergarten

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This semester I continued to volunteer at Mitsuba Kindergarten (みつば幼稚園), although instead of going on Mondays from 2-4, I went on Fridays from 1-3. Just like last semester, I acted as a teacher’s aide, assisting the students in going about their daily routine and holding some very elementary English lessons. This semester there were a couple of days where there weren’t as many kids signed up (or not at all due to spring break), so I also was tasked with tidying things up on such days.

Although I love playing with the kids and have got to know several of them very well, the most interesting thing for me this semester was getting to observe how the inner-workings of the kindergarten function, especially when the kids aren’t there. I’ve been able to see firsthand just how hardworking and kind the sensei are, and have come to respect them a lot. I would recommend this CIP for anyone who likes kids (obviously), but even more so, anyone who is interested in education, as I believe that every single sensei excels at directing the students in their own unique, yet effective manner. Also, I believe this is a good CIP for anyone who isn’t as confident in their Japanese ability– you don’t need perfect speaking skills to connect with the kids over a game of soccer!

Nadia Perdue: Participation at Kyoto University Choir

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This semester I participated in the Kyoto University Choir for about 2-3 times a week, 2.5 hours per rehearsal. On Mondays, the upper and lower voices would hold rehearsals separately, but Wednesday and Friday rehearsals were co-ed. Most of the songs we sang were entirely in Japanese, most of which I had not heard of before joining.

I have been in several vocal groups over the past few years, but this was a completely new experience. Aside from the language barrier—such as learning completely terms for music-related terminology that I was familiar with in English—the cultural differences were a completely new playing field. We take our shoes off before entering the ensemble room, clean up when we are done, and tell our fellow singers 「お疲れ様です」at the start and end of rehearsal. Moreover, at the beginning of rehearsals, not only did we do vocal warm-ups, but physical warm-ups, 体操, as well. For about 20 minutes, our ensemble dedicated time to doing anything from a few sets of squats, to full-on core exercises. We also did a few interactive warm-ups, as well, which encouraged me to break out of my shell and collaborate with my fellow singers. It was a wonderful experience getting to combine my love for music with my passion for learning more about Japanese language, Japanese music, and Japanese culture!

Even if you do not have any musical experience, I would certain encourage you to join the ensemble. Everyone was very welcoming to singers of all skill levels, and if you have any questions about anything, ask. Many times, I would feel embarrassed to ask a fellow singer on my part a question like, “What’s this musical concept called in Japanese?” However, as I bonded more and more with the people on my part, I realized that there is nothing wrong with asking questions. Once I understood this, I had a much more enjoyable experience, and learned so much in the long run.

 

Arianna Ruhoy: Volunteering at Mitsuba Youchien

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Every Tuesday I would walk to my CIP at Mitsuba kindergarten where I would say hello to the staff and play with the children there while they were waiting for their parents to pick them up. Mitsuba encouraged a very free and loose environment so other than scheduled breaks to eat and clean up, the children felt free to play whatever games they liked. I got to spend time with them and also help them out whenever they needed. It was eye-opening to see how a lot of the Japanese I studied did not overlap with the Japanese the children used, and it encouraged me to get better at conversational Japanese.

My advice to students who want to volunteer at Mitsuba is to be patient, and ask the other teachers for assistance when you are unsure about anything. Such as when a child may not playing fairly or may hurt another child, it can help to ask a teacher for assistance in handling the situation.

Mitsuba Youchien Playground

Mitsuba Youchien Playground

Lyla Normand: Volunteering at Mitsuba Kindergarten

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For my CIP I commuted to Mitsuba Kindergarten once a week to help out at the kindergarten for about 2 hours (from 2-4). The kindergarten is a 10 minute walk away from Doshisha’s Imadegawa campus so it was really convenient location wise. The kindergarten is not very structured and my job was basically to facilitate the kids’ play time for 2 hours. I usually spent my time doing puzzles with them, or drawing with them—essentially anything the kids wanted to do. 

It’s a really tiring job but it’s plenty of fun if you like kids. The 3 year olds were more shy so I was mostly approached by the 5 year olds to play. I’d recommend this CIP if you enjoy spending time with kids! It’s definitely rewarding but a very draining experience. I don’t think I learned much Japanese from this CIP but I made a few enduring memories with some of the kids that I’ll treasure. They’re very friendly children and I was expecting to have to try very hard to connect with them but they actually approach you! It was gratifying watching some kids open themselves up to me over the course of my visits. 

My advice would be to think carefully about what you want to get out of your CIP before you make a decision! I did enjoy spending time at the kindergarten but I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone. I didn’t learn a whole lot about Japanese culture or language from the CIP but I learned how kids minds’ work and how best to mediate their conflicts. I think you could transfer these skills to work at any kindergarten or institution with younger children.

Yue Ma: Volunteering at Elderly Activity Center

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This semester I’m continuing to volunteer at the Elderly Activity Center. Similar to last semester, I go every Monday to help coordinate the 生きいきサロン. Most days I get ~20 minutes to lead a fun activity related to Chinese culture, but there are also days when I do more assistive work such as moving chairs, checking in on group activities, o just chatting with obachans. This semester I’m also taking advantage of my CIP to conduct independent research on aging in Japan, and I had the chance to talk more in-depth with several obachans participating in the 生きいきサロン. Partly because of that, I’m able to build deeper relationships at CIP and feel like I’m more welcomed and accepted there. I would highly recommend anyone interested in social work or working with elderly people to volunteer here. The staff are amazing and always supportive of my project, obachans are sweet and passionate about talking to young people, and the center seems to be pretty short of hand. For students who are not as nihongo jouzu yet, don’t be afraid of going out of your comfort zone, you will be surprised by welcoming and understandable people are. Even though talking to obachans with strong kansai accent felt so daunting initially, my mastery of the dialect has improved so much over the two semesters of interacting with them.

Emile Carlo Convocar: Kendo

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For my CIP activity this semester, I attended weekly practices at 京都妙覚寺道場 to continue kendo while in Japan. I got to hone in on my basics by continuously sparring against very strong senpais and senseis, who were all eager to help me become a stronger kendoka. Through this experience, I’ve come to learn the importance of basics in kendo and in routinely refining and perfecting one’s form and techniques, no matter how far along they are into their kendo journey. My advice to incoming KCJS students, especially if you decide to do a martial art for your CIP, is to be willing to fail and be okay with not “getting it” immediately. Take it one step at a time and in every practice, focus on one aspect of your martial art that you want to improve upon. If you do that, I believe you will have a fulfilling CIP experience by the end of the semester.



Tsuki Carlson: Volunteering at Mitsuba Kindergarten

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This semester, I volunteered at Mitsuba Kindergarten (みつば幼稚園) for my CIP. Every Wednesday from 2-4pm, I would walk over to the Kindergarten and spend time with the kids (ages 3-6) playing games, reading picture books, drawing, and of course, supervising along with the other sensei to ensure a safe environment. The kids are incredibly excited to spend time with us volunteers, so it was really easy and heartwarming to connect with them. By the end, they were always sad for us to leave, and it was gratifying to know that we had make an impact on their day.

Through this experience, I not only gained an understanding of the Japanese kindergartens themselves and the free-nature structure of this environment, but also how to communicate with children in both a disciplinary and playful manner. I had not previously considered the cultural differences that may take place in the early education systems, but through observing the sensei-student dynamics and finding my own place within that, I feel grateful to have gained a new perspective through this experience.

I would advise anyone who enjoys spending time with kids to take part in this CIP— I was expecting to have to make a big effort to connect with the kids, but we were immediately warmly greeted and after just one visit, they remembered our names and those relationships deepened over the semester. This CIP is high energy and sometimes loud (you spend more time talking with kids than adults), but the community is so vibrant and anyone who is interested in this environment would be welcomed with open arms (literally, by the kids!).

AJ Gallagher: Kyudo

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For my CIP activity this semester, I chose to do Kyudo, which is the traditional Japanese sport of archery. I call it a sport, which it is, but it’s more focused on the actions, form, and mindfulness than it is on actually hitting the target. Slowly feeling yourself improve and go from practicing with a rubber band, to a real bow, to a bow and arrow, to finally stepping out into the dojo and shooting at the target was an incredibly fun journey, Overall, I really enjoyed it, but it was pretty uncomfortable at first being the only foreigners in the dojo. It was also Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 or 8, which meant that for people who are living far away from the dojo you can be stuck on campus from noon until 6. Also, the sensei is INCREDIBLY kind and patient, but also talks quickly and in thick Kansai accent, so I’d steer clear of this as a CIP if you’re not confident in your listening ability.