Intercultural Communication Center (ICC)Waseda University

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★ICC★ ICC Volleyball Match Experience

Yuriko Asada

Yuriko Asada

I took part in an ICC event called the ICC volleyball match few months ago. As I used to play volleyball back in high school but haven’t had a chance to play it for a while, I got excited when I first heard about the event and signed up immediately.

On the day of the event, we met up at Shinjuku Cosmic Sports Center, and the ICC staff divided us into four teams. My team consisted of four Japanese students and five international students from China, Taiwan, and Indonesia. We briefly introduced ourselves to the other team members and had a free conversation to get to know each other at the beginning. After we practiced in a team for about ten minutes, we played a game against another team.

We were a little awkward during the first game as we didn’t have much communication. We missed balls without anyone’s touching many times and lost the game because we couldn’t change the bad momentum till the end.

So, ahead of the second game, I suggested we make sure to remember each one’s name and decide how we call each other. From my past experience, I knew that it was very important to make it clear who was going to receive, set, and spike the ball by calling their names.

As a result, we did much better in the second game. We tried to call each other’s name not to miss the ball. Even when the other team led the score, we cheered up each other to change the mood. Also, when someone made a fine play, we gave him or her a high five. In the end, we won the game by a narrow margin. Everyone was so happy especially with the huge change from the first game. That game made me realize it again that communication is critical in sports.

Overall, I enjoyed the event a lot. It was very nice to get to know both Japanese and international students and share a good time with them through playing volleyball.

Even after the event, I got to hang out with some of my friends from the same team. Once my Chinese friends took me to a Chinese restaurant near Takadanobaba station. We had Chinese noodle called Toshomen, which they recommended, and it was hot yet so delicious.

Also, I met up with my Indonesian friend on another day. He told me a lot about his home country, and it was very interesting to hear about as I had never had a chance to talk with people from Indonesia. One thing that surprised me was that they don’t have family names in Indonesia, which means their names only consist of given names. Like this case, every time my friends from different countries share their interesting culture, it makes me want to deepen my understanding different cultures as well as Japanese culture. It also motivates me to improve my English to access those cultures.

It is one of the perks of being a student in Waseda University that we can widen our views through meeting culturally diverse people, so I think we should take advantage of it. I’m so glad that ICC provides us with great opportunities to get connected with international students, and I look forward to joining their event again.

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