In WISH, we have a lot of information about different kinds of events and activities. At first, I had no idea what is Tohmon Sai, but what attracted me is that I may have the chance to meet new friends during this activity.
It took us a while to practice how to make Hashimaki, which we sold during the Tohmon Sai. The day before the festival, the RAs (Residence Assistants) took us to the supermarket to buy the materials, and after that, we started practicing on the second floor of our dormitory. Everyone was separated to different groups, such as decorating and cooking. We cooperated with each other and discussed the schedule for tomorrow.
We got up really early, especially on a Sunday and arrived at Waseda around 9:30. Then we started selling hashimaki until 3:30, where all of the things were sold out.
It was really tiring to prepare and to sell, however, among the activity I met a lot of people, not only my partners, but also people who are the alumnae of Waseda. I saw many people came back to the campus to immerse themselves in nostalgia of their university life and this scene induced me to work harder in order to help those alumnae to feel the hospitality from the campus. In addition, there were some alumnae selling things next to us and we had a little chat about the history of Waseda and how it has changed.
During this event, I met many friendly friends in which we shared different cultures and helped each other. It was this event that let me feel the satisfaction to accomplish a mission with partners. So, thanks to Tohmon Sai, which gave me an unforgettable memory in my first year.
SILS J.C.
