{"id":426,"date":"2015-03-26T15:48:40","date_gmt":"2015-03-26T06:48:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/?p=426"},"modified":"2024-03-18T16:10:06","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T07:10:06","slug":"my-experience-with-icc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/icc\/other-en\/2015\/03\/26\/426\/","title":{"rendered":"My Experience with ICC – Event Reports (2015)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"photo\"<\/a>Oh Xuemin
\nSchool of International Liberal Studies (SILS)
\nGraduated Sept 2014<\/h6>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Field Trip to Nikko<\/h3>\n

\"11\"<\/a>The 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Bamboo Shoot Digging in Tokorozawa Campus<\/h3>\n

\"2\"<\/a>Through ICC activities, I not only had the chance to get hands on and harvest vegetables, but also visited Waseda University\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Talent Shows and International Student Karaoke Contest<\/h3>\n

\"32\"<\/a>I 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.<\/p>\n

Outreach Programs<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

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!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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