(photo by author)
by K.K.
School of Social Sciences
I am from Myanmar and I love sharing my culture with people! This is the main reason I decided to participate in this ICC Outreach program at Waseda Setsuryo Junior & High School in Osaka.
ICC Outreach Program is about Waseda international students teaching their cultures to students at local schools. Not only I got a chance to have a peek into Japanese high school students’ life, but I also got to go to Osaka and make new friends.
I was paired with a Japanese student and as a team we made a lesson plan. Together, we thought about the topics which might interest the students including quizzes and games because we wanted it to be as interactive as possible. Rather than just presenting the facts which are on the internet, we both thought it would be special to introduce my Myanmar. We even wore Myanmar traditional attire to make it more unique!
We departed Tokyo station on Dec 17th, via Osaka to Ibaraki station, where we were welcomed by two Waseda Setsuryo teachers. After a 30-minute bus ride, we reached the school compound, where the staff greeted us and showed us the classrooms where we would have our lessons the next day. After that, students who live at the dorm welcomed us with hot tea and Japanese sweets. I remember it was such a cold and windy day and we were all tired from traveling, so that single act warmed up not only my body but also my heart. Dinner was served in the dining hall with the dorm students. I got to talk to some of the students in the lounge afterwards where they asked for advice on university classes, circles and part-time jobs.
The next morning before the lessons began, the school organized an event to make our own Christmas trees with the high school students. We even made original origamis to decorate the trees! It was such a fun event.
I was a bit nervous at first, but the presentation was a success! We started off by giving a short introduction of ourselves and moved on to my life as a high school student in Myanmar so that the students can have a comparison with their life in Japan. We also conducted a quiz and handed out name tags in Myanmar language to those who got most of the answers correct. The kids actively participated in the quiz and those who had their names written in Myanmar language looked super happy. Lastly, we all danced together to a Myanmar song. Overall, it was a unique experience and I totally enjoyed it!
After finishing our lessons, most of us spent the day in Osaka for sightseeing. I became good friends with my partner and I also made some new friends.
This was a wonderful experience of sharing each other’s cultures. I am so glad that I decided to join this program.
A fun lesson (photo by ICC)
