The first and probably the most prevalent thing I learned from entering the Katano city orchestra was that it was not all that different from any other orchestra. The overall idea of an “orchestra” was not changed in any way. The conductor, Kimura-san, stood on a podium and swung his baton just as any other conductor, and reiterated passages when he wanted something different. It was easy to follow along, especially with seven years experience of playing the viola. Orchestra practices let me relax and recover from culture shock, as if returning to this little bubble where I actually knew how things worked that trancended both Japanese and American culture. Even following along with the conductor didn’t require all that much mastery of the language, since Kimura-san sung passages and made it clear as to what he wanted to change.
There was only one really noticeable culture difference that stuck out to me. The orchestra would stand and bow together at the beginning and end of practice. It was quite a shock to me the first time it happened, as I had not been expecting such a formality. Another tricky thing about practice was getting the measure numbers right. I had to harness my Japanese counting skill and listen closely to know where the orchestra was starting from. And the last thing that kind of bothered me was that I didn’t have an assigned seat. Usually there is a certain placement of orchestra members, and for the sake of a good concert, one is suppose to sit in the same spot for every practice. I never really knew where I was supposed to sit, so that was a little odd to me.
Speaking of the concert, I think the orchestra played their very best. Beethoven’s 9th symphony is no easy feat, but we somehow managed to pull through really spectacularly. I am really happy that I was able to play Beethoven’s 9th.
「KCJS Year」カテゴリーアーカイブ
Hillary Fens: Doshisha “Photo Club” Member
Officially, I joined a photography circle at Doshisha for my CIP. I went in not knowing what to expect, and I’m coming out of it not really knowing what happened. I did not really do anything special to become a member, other than express interest in photography and in joining their circle. I noticed many things – namely, that not all circles are as serious as they are made out to be, and the theme of a non-sports-circle may have little or nothing to do with its members’ interests.
These were actually my two preconceived notions on circles – first that, as a circle, there would be a hierarchical order to the club members and that the club bonded them as friends; second, that, as a group branded with “Photo Club”, the members would be interested in photography.
Well, in my case, neither ended up being true.
This particular circle is pretty nebulous, a problem that prevented me from feeling like a full-fledged member of the club. The club only set out to have regular meetings because I had come into the club asking about meetings. So, they decided to meet every week on Fridays.
I thought this was exciting at first – I’m in a circle and we get together every week, great! They were excited, too! However, our “schedule” quickly devolved into members ignoring other members to get out of having to meet. While I never neglected to contact the members, after a while, I started hoping they would just ignore my contact – it was tiresome to go through excuses instead of just having it put directly: we don’t want to meet with you.
The times we did meet for dinner, our language barrier was a huge issue. It was hard to socialize in such a stiff setting. We were friends under very contrived circumstances. Even my one go-to topic, photography, was not successful in soliciting get-to-know-you small talk.
I did make one friend, though, and she seemed to be the only one who legitimately enjoyed photography! With her, language was almost a non-issue, because she had spent time studying English in America. I am happy to be a year-long student so we can hang out more next semester.
Actually, after having made this friend, my weekly CIP event became inviting her out on Friday nights for dinner, along with KCJS friends + other Japanese friends.
Lucia Carver: DJ Circle
I want to start off by saying that the CIP requirement is an excellent effort on the part of KCJS to ensure that students are being exposed to friends and social situations outside of the KCJS environment. It is absolutely crucial that all study abroad students get out of their comfort zone and leave the safety of other English-speakers and events planned by KCJS; in fact I would say that this is by far the most rewarding part of studying abroad. Knowing that you were able to make friends and contribute something not as a study abroad student but as a valued member of a club or such is an incredibly satisfying feeling.
I joined the DJ circle over at Ritsumeikan, a neighboring university, as I had a difficult time finding contact information for Doshisha’s DJ circle. My experience there reminds me quite strongly of my experience in the volleyball club at a Japanese girl’s high school when I studied abroad in Osaka during my junior year of high school. That is to say, there was a lot of frustration involved. Despite pledging to be a member of the club, it was apparent that I wasn’t receiving all of the appropriate information; one time when I went to our regular practice space at the normal time, no one was there. I later asked one of the circle members whom I had added on Facebook where everyone had been, and he informed me that practice had been canceled. I had received no notice.
This made me feel as if I was being treated as less than a full member, which needless to say was quite a frustrating experience. I wanted to participate as fully as possibly but without the necessary communication about events and the like, I felt as if I was simply showing up for practice and that was about it.
However, whereas in America I would perhaps get angry and have a few words with the club president, I realized that it was unlikely the president realized this problem was even occurring. One of the responsibilities of being a study abroad student in Japan is that you must be as proactive as possible. If you feel that you are not being accepted fully into the group as a real member, nothing will change unless you take charge of it yourself and eliminate the problem. I am going to speak to the club president this week and reestablish what it is that I joined the club for, and to reach a level of understanding on both sides so that I can begin to feel like a full, contributing member.
These sort of cultural differences in communicating wants or in the way we make assumptions about another’s understanding of our feelings are difficult to grasp for all international students, but especially for Americans in Japan. We come from very different cultural contexts, and speaking as someone who as of now has lived in Japan for a total of 1 and a half years and studied the language and culture for many, I still struggle with these fundamental yet frustratingly subtle elements of communication. However, working through these frustrations and feeling glimmers of understanding are truly the most rewarding part of being immersed in a foreign culture.
Rebecca Gabriel : English Teaching Assistant
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
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.
Calvin Krogh: Kyoto City Zoo Volunteers
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
Sandy Chang: Assistant English Teacher
Frustrating, awkward, and culturally shocking. At least that`s how my community project started. Or I guess, that`s what I had to go through to truly understand the `Japanese experience`.
Frustrating. Starting my community project, I thought everything was going to be straightforward. I was to come in on Wednesdays from 1:00 – 3:00 to the classes Mr. Ueno assigned to me. But after the first day of volunteering, Mr. Ueno informed me that the following Monday was a holiday and the students were also taking the Monday after that off because of a Sports Festival. I realized that Mondays were a convenient day to have tests and holidays. Therefore, I was frustrated that I couldn`t come to help at the Middle school more. I tried to come on another day of the week but couldn`t because I had KCJS classes. Even more, I ended up changing which classes I helped with. The teachers were confused as to which classes I was helping with on that particular Monday, as well as not knowing when a class was moved to the morning instead of having it in the afternoon.
Awkward. Because I was only able to come a few days, I was not able to get to know the students well. It was also because we were both shy to talk to each other because of the language barrier and because there were over 60 students, too much to know one another. Therefore, when I arrived early I did not know how to occupy myself. The students would stare at me shyly. I would try starring at the wall as if it was the most interesting wall in the world. When I stepped into the classroom, the students were in their cliques, so I felt intrusive if I joined their conversations. They also did not remember who I was or my name at times. I felt very much like an outsider, and it was very hard for me to become an insider especially with the language barrier and the age gap.
Culturally shocking. When I came to Japan, I expected to be disappointed that all I had read in mangas and seen in anime were going to be proved wrong. They were nothing but stereotypical representations of Japanese culture. Instead, I found myself surprised that the Japanese students were similar to what I had read and seen. The uniforms were the same, the personalities were the same, and even the rituals (such as the awing when someone from a different class came to visit) were the same. I also found it hilarious when, once, I turned back from talking to Mr. Ueno, the boys were changing their clothes to go to PE in front of me. They didn`t seem to mind my dropped jaw as they happily skipped out of the room. Furthermore, the Japanese language itself made me upset when I realized the students were speaking to me in des/mas form. It further isolated and labeled me as a ‘soto’ stranger.
Despite these overabundant emotions, overall I had a wonderful time. I gained much experience and started to become a part of a Japanese community, something I could not have experienced in America. It was very interesting to observe Mr. Ueno and Mrs. Ogaya teach English. Mr. Ueno was nice and informal with his students. He liked showing movies and examples of American culture to his students. Mrs. Ogaya was fast, efficient, and playful with her students. In her classroom, we played bingo and sang jingle bells to keep up with English. When both teachers taught grammar, they related structures to Japanese grammar. This confirmed my reasoning to learn Japanese; teaching English can be more efficient if you know the language of your students. Oppositely, the classes were mostly taught in Japanese, which I found counter-active to the students’ learning process. Students mostly spoke Japanese and had little time to practice speaking English.
As time passed, I also learned how to deal with the problems I had at the beginning of the community project. I explained to Mr. Ueno that I would like to know when I would be helping out and he sent me schedules of when and with which classes I would help with. To avoid awkwardness, I tried to come exactly on time to classes (which isn’t exactly a solution, but oh well). When I was early, I would shop around the area before going in. One time though, I was late to class and was very apologetic. During passing time, I would go to the bathroom (sigh, quite sad I know) or try to make conversation with some students in the classroom (yay). Although des/mas form made me upset, it made me even happier when the kids used plain form with me. As suggested by one of the other helpers at the middle school, I signaled to them that it was okay to use plain form with me by using plain form with them too. This was hard for me since I am so used to speaking formally. The ending of my community project felt like it was just the beginning. I had finally gotten into the uchi, communicating well and joking with the students. Mrs. Ogaya was sad to see me go. This experience has motivated me even more to become a teacher.
Cecilia Dolph: Assistant English Teacher
In class, Fukai-sensei asked if we thought we had become a member of the group we were participating in for our CIP. I couldn’t think of an answer, so I thought about it the next time I went to Ohara to teach and I came up with a lot of reasons why I think I have become a member of the teaching staff at Ohara. It happened so slowly and in such small, subtle ways that I hadn’t noticed.
The first day of my CIP I received my own desk in the teacher’s room where all the teachers have a desk to do work between classes or during off periods. When I go back to my desk between classes, all the other teachers are there taking a break as well so I’m presented with many opportunities to have conversations with them. Some of the time we talk about the school or the students or the days classes, but most of the time it’s relaxing conversation about an event someone went to over the weekend or a TV show someone watched the night before or an article in the newspaper or a picture someone took on a trip. Through complicated examples and a long discussion, I learned the breakdown of the meaning of the word for the structure of a specific kind of Chinese poetry, which all started with a conversation about a comic in the newspaper. I really feel like a part of the group when I can have comfortable conversations like these with a group of people I don’t know very well and who are all much older and wiser than I am. In front of the students I’m only supposed to speak English, so these conversations with the teachers give me the chance to practice my Japanese, especially honorific forms.
There are so many small things that make me feel like a member, like being able to get up during a break and make myself coffee or tea or hot chocolate in the kitchen whenever I feel like I need some, or the students and teachers calling me Cecilia-sensei, or being invited to the end-of-the-year party exclusively for Ohara teachers. Every week after school gets out, I’m driven to the train station by one of the teachers and we have casual conversations about Ohara or Kyoto or America. I think being able to relax and not feel nervous while I’m helping teach classes or talking to any of the teachers is a good sign that I feel like a part of the staff at Ohara.
Even though everyone at Ohara has helped me out in so many ways, like letting me get a feel for what it’s like teaching and showing me how a Japanese school works, I suppose coming to the school and letting the students hear English the way it’s supposed to be spoken and letting them hear a proper English accent is a small way of giving back to the school. I might read through a conversation in one of the textbooks and notice something that doesn’t sound quite right. Being able to fix that and teach what sounds right to the students is beneficial for the kids. Because the students don’t get the chance to meet and talk to a foreigner very often, being able to go to the school and play with the kids is a great opportunity for them, so I’m happy I’m able to provide that opportunity and see the students be excited to learn English.
Japanese and American schools operate in very different ways. The way the day is broken up into periods and the subjects students learn are very similar, but there have been some large differences that I’ve noticed while volunteering at Ohara. For my elementary and middle school in America, all the students went to the cafeteria at lunch time and picked up their own tray of food to bring back to their classroom to eat. At Ohara, the students go to the kitchen to pick up their lunch, but it comes as a tray of rice and several pots filled with the day’s lunch that need to be divided up and put into bowls. The students work together to make sure everyone gets a bowl of each item on their lunch tray, along with a carton of milk and a straw, with the work being done by the students and the teachers overseeing, making sure that everything goes smoothly. I usually eat lunch with the 1st graders, and it’s great to see kids so young learn about teamwork and responsibility without even realizing it.
A similar situation was when the students were preparing for their culture festival. The students did all the preparations for the gym, like rolling out mats, setting up chairs and bringing in instruments, with the teachers only supervising to make sure there weren’t any problems. Thinking back to the time when I had chorus concerts or plays in elementary or middle school, there were no students involved in doing any sort set up; everything was done by the teachers and janitors. Also, Japanese schools incorporate a cleaning time where all the students get involved in cleaning their classroom and the hallways by themselves. In America, the janitors do the cleaning of the entire school. I think it’s great that the students have to do this sort of thing themselves because they learn the importance of organization and teamwork and cleaning, valuable life skills, starting from when they’re very young.
I’ve learned a lot from my CIP at Ohara. In the future I plan on applying to the JET program to be an assistant English teacher, so the practice I’m doing by working with the English teachers at Ohara and occasionally teaching a class solo is very valuable. I’ve been learning how English is taught as a second language in Japanese schools, which I can work off of when I go to a different school to teach in the future. Not only have I learned valuable information and skills from the teachers at Ohara, I’ve also learned a lot from the students I’ve been working with. Being able to help them with homework or watch them learn English or just playing with them after school has helped me understand what they like and the ways they like to learn.
Since I’m studying abroad for a full year, I have the opportunity to continue this CIP next semester. I’m really looking forward to working with the teachers and students at Ohara and learning more from them. I have a lot of fun each week when I go to volunteer, so I’m happy I get to see more of the people I’ve met since I’ve started my CIP at Ohara.
フィリップ・クアリング：ＮＰＯ京都コリアン生活センター
昔話など：京都のボランティアの経験
日本に来たときに、ＣＩＰで何をするかまだ分かりませんでした。アメリカでは,医者になりたいので化学などを勉強していましたが、ＫＣＪＳではぜんぜん理系の授業がなかったから、病院でボランティアをするとかとか実験室で研究の助手がしたかったをはたらきたかったのですが、外国人にはどちらもちょっとむずかしかったです。
当初ＣＩＰとして太鼓をしようと思っていましたが、それをするのは毎週じゃなかったし、趣味だけでしたかったので、たいこにしなかったんです。私は「どうしようかなあ」と思いました。。。その時、文化の先生にコリアンセンターについて聞きました。去年はKCJSの学生が三人この場所に行ったとおっしゃいました。私はどんなセンターかわからなっかたけど,「楽しくて、いいところだ」と言っていただきました。メールをした後で、在日韓国人のお年寄りのためのセンターだとわかりました。
私は日本語の話し方より聞き方のほうがいいとおもうけど、お年寄りのにほんごはわかりにくいので、辛抱は大切なことだとおもいます。。でも、交流が好きです。日本に韓国からいらして違う経験があるからお年寄りの昔話はとても面白いと思います。毎週の水曜日、いった時はいつも楽しみにしています！
エリカ•ネビル：マンガの教室
「我が輩は漫画家である。」
自分のニーズに合ったマンガの教室を探すために、たくさんスクールを見学して三週間後にやっと「二条美術研究所」という教室を見つけました。
「二条美術研究所」は二条城の近くにあって、二条城前駅から歩いて五分しかかかりません。場所は便利ですが、あまり安くありません。入学金が２００００円する上に、週に１回の場合は毎月月謝が１７０００円です。教室は先生のご自宅で行われています。親切なご夫婦がマンガとかデッサンなど、あらゆる絵の描き方を教えてくださいます。先生は子供や大人で、五人ぐらいいます。珍しい教室だと思います。
月曜日と木曜日以外の曜日に教室があります。火曜日と水曜日と金曜日は１８：００から２１：００までで、土曜日と日曜日は１０：００から１３：００までと１４：００から１７：００まで。普通、水曜日の１８：００に行っていますが、何曜日に行ってもいいです。
毎回クラスで先生が私に新しい課題を出してくださいます。例えば、第１回目のクラスの時は男の人と女の人のキャラクターを描きました。その前はそのキャラクターの六つの表情を描きました。楽しいです！