I stuck with my CIP from last semester, and continued to volunteer at the Kyoto Institute of Technology\u2019s museum and archive this semester as well. Although I was at the same place with the same people, I did learn a lot of new things about the museum itself, and the Japanese work environment in general.<\/p>\n
Although my job often consists of working with old art books, I am sometimes asked to help translate things from English to Japanese and vice versa, correct English presentations and essays, and help set up the new art exhibits. I do learn quite a lot from the old books and have fun figuring out the old kanji, but it is probably in the interactions with the employees at the museum that I learn the most about Japan.<\/p>\n
Through working with people in the museum\u2019s office I have noticed that a lot of importance is put on the daily kyuukei, <\/em>which seems to almost always be around three o\u2019clock (the same as the daily \u2018snack time\u2019 at my host family\u2019s house). During this time the people in the office separate out small snacks for everyone and sometimes even offer tea. I already knew that omiyage-<\/em>giving is an important thing in Japanese culture, but I didn\u2019t so much know how important it is to also bring something for your co-workers! Whenever someone goes on a trip they bring back an easily-sharable snack for everyone in the office. I wish this sort of custom was expected in American offices!<\/p>\n Being the only native English speaker at the museum, I had quite a few requests to work with people to translate writings from Japanese to English (and sometimes the other way around). When speaking Japanese in class or doing homework in Japanese I try to think in Japanese to help my learning. However translating forces you to think in two separate languages, and this experience has taught me how difficult that really is! In some areas where Japanese is very detailed and poetic, English does not have the same kind of flow or beauty. In other places were English is straight and to the point, Japanese can be frustratingly indirect. I also ran into some problems with words that cannot really be translated such as dorya <\/em>(used often when exerting self, moving heavy objects, etc.).<\/p>\n Having the opportunity to volunteer at the museum for the last two semesters has been a really great experience. I learned a lot about Japan, and a lot about the work world as well. I had an internship at an American museum a few years ago, so it was very interesting to compare those two experiences. I feel more confident in my Japanese language ability, and feel more comfortable with communication after this experience. I am very excited to use what I have learned, and to continue learning more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I stuck with my CIP from last semester, and continued to volunteer at the Kyoto Institute of Technology\u2019s muse … \u7d9a\u304d\u3092\u8aad\u3080