Liu Lilianne
School of International Liberal Studies
ICC Student Staff Leader:
Nov 2015 – August 2017
I was fidgeting, but wasn’t showing it. I was tense, but I still managed to slap a smile on my face. I was sitting outside the temporary walls of ICC, waiting for my turn to be interviewed for the Student Staff Leader position.
It was the welcoming lunch for the new Student staff members, including me. I needed to do a self-introduction, and I felt compelled to use Japanese. My intro totally sucked, as I was telling everyone that my Japanese’s still not very good with an awkward expression that gave away my insecurities. Why did I say that? I mean, there’s no need to feel incompetent considering Japanese is my, what, 4th language in terms of studying, and 3rd language in terms of fluency. Sure I wasn’t fluent but it wouldn’t be fair to compare my abilities without knowing who I am and what I did. Man I wish I could take that self-loathing sentence back. What was I thinking?
First day on the job, the senior student staff was teaching me and the other newbies on how to properly use a cutter. When it was my turn, I made sure to line the edges up very precisely, and it took more time. By the time I was going to make the cut, someone jokingly said “Oh my god a finger might be coming off.” Haha, real funny, who taught you how to make a joke? We never really did get along after that, jokes on that guy though, paper cutting is like my favorite office work now.
The first month at the ICC flew past in the blink of an eye, I still dreaded the times when someone would approach the counter. “Please ask me something in English, please please please…” I prayed in my mind as I struggled to maintain my composure when bombarded by high-paced Japanese questions, it was tough on my self-esteem, but eventually I began to pick up some useful phrases for interaction. I tried to eavesdrop on my Japanese colleagues when they are answering questions from the visitors, and passing the buck to my seniors whenever I got hit with a question that I didn’t know how to respond to. As I look back 2 years later, feeling much more comfortable sitting at the counter, I realize growth must’ve happened sometime in between. So many things had changed. For example, I no longer fear the appearance of Japanese-speaking guests, know how to split the lounge in half with the movable walls and managed to create posters from scratch. I can still remember the sense of achievement I felt as I was ticking off the to-do list before the first event I was in charge of-The Indonesian Culture Night. I had volunteered for the job eagerly because I wanted more exposure to the different sides of being a SSL. Attention to detail was another skill that I had honed as a SSL, especially so at the scene of a country festival, because in those cases, the smallest detail can make a noticeable difference in how smoothly the whole operation goes. From the setting of drinks and snacks all the way to how the reception desk is laid out, I dare say that it really is quite impossible to imagine the backstage work that goes into handling an event at the ICC without ever being a staff member.
The event that really caught my attention to the prospect of working as a SSL was the Irish Literature and Music Night event in my 1st semester at Waseda. The main coordinator SSL became my mentor after I became a student staff myself. I was just someone fascinated by the idea of cultural exchange on different scales right here at my university. Working at the ICC had always been a journey of self-discovery. It was stressful at times and there were moments when I would think about what I’d give to get away for a bit and just rest in the comfort of my room, and then there were times of great sense of achievement at the end of an event or simply an orientation for the new comers on campus when I know I’d made people laugh and was a part of the creation of this wonderful group memory. This was a part time job, but it was never just about the money. I hopped on board with a heart full of questions and I am leaving with some answers.
