Intercultural Communication Center (ICC)Waseda University

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My Experience with ICC – Event Reports (2015)

photoOh Xuemin
School of International Liberal Studies (SILS)
Graduated Sept 2014

When I came to Tokyo alone for university from Singapore, I did not know much about Japan, or know many people at that time. I heard about ICC through one of the school orientations, and thought that I could get to know more people through ICC events.

ICC events were a huge part of my university life. In my opinion, the activities were very meaningful, well organized and a good platform to meet people of similar interests. Below are just some of the activities I participated with the ICC.

Field Trip to Nikko

11The first ICC event I joined was way back in Year One, when I participated in a day trip to Nikko. I joined the activity alone and we took a bus to Nikko and visited a few places, including the famous Toshogu shrine. I couldn’t remember much about the places I visited, but I definitely remembered making many friends during the trip, and some remain good friends even till today.

Bamboo Shoot Digging in Tokorozawa Campus

2Through ICC activities, I not only had the chance to get hands on and harvest vegetables, but also visited Waseda University’s various campuses with the help of ICC. I participated in the bamboo shoot harvesting activity back in 2012 in Tokorozawa campus. I have never harvested vegetables and it was nice to sweat it out in the fields once in a while and harvest some fresh food. I learnt that it was not an easy job at all, you have to know when the specific vegetables are done and start digging for them; sometimes you stuck the spade in too hard and pierced the vegetables. I remember the freshly harvested cooked vegetables tasted absolutely delicious. The activity also allowed me to see another side of Waseda as the campuses was located in the outskirts of Tokyo.

Talent Shows and International Student Karaoke Contest

32I love to sing, and it was very nice to be given the opportunity to participate in relevant competitions organized by the ICC. The most recent karaoke competition I participated in was the ICC International Student Karaoke contest held in June 2014. It was a rare chance for us to perform solo on stage. The prize given for the competition was also quite attractive, which attracted many amazing singers to audition for a spot in the final. I never knew that there were so many outstanding singers until I joined this competition. Above it all, it was a very special thing to have people from 8 different countries singing Japanese songs. It was the power of globalization that brought us together, something that was difficult to achieve in the past.

Outreach Programs

Another series of ICC activities that greatly impacted my university life was volunteering in elementary schools to aid the English teachers from these schools. It was an eye-opening experience to catch a glimpse of how a public school in Japan worked, and how their English curriculums were designed. For these activities, I either volunteered about 1 to 1.5 hours of my time being an assistant to the English teacher of the class (usually a foreigner), or spent time introducing my local culture to these elementary school students. I am glad to be able to make a difference (albeit a small one) in their lives through teaching them English and culture. I remembered some of the children being quite surprised to learn that a person who speaks English as a first language is not necessarily a Caucasian. I felt that my being there was an important lesson on the awareness of globalization and the avoidance of stereotypes. It also further deepened my interest in education as a future career.

* * *

I never thought that I would miss going back to school. However, after starting a full-time job, while I do love what I do now, I miss my university life immensely. Four years in university is shorter than you think. On top of learning a lot in studies, I am glad that I have made use of many opportunities provided by the school. Like they say, life is not just a passing of time. Life is a collection of experiences. Make the most of it!

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