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Follow the Tour
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Living LeadershipLearning from Laid-Back LeadershipBy Meghan Lazier, United
States As one of the classic styles, laissez-faire leadership involves letting group members work and accomplish tasks as they choose. I was a designated leader and representative for the WorldSmart crew, but I felt no direct power or influence on the group's stay in Hiroshima. Instead of planning and organizing, I was able to sit back and listen to what the committee had planned. This leadership style worked well in this situation because the expectations for the group's stay had been clearly communicated and the Local Organizing Committee had completed the tasks with their own ideas and approach. Normally, I would never describe myself as a laissez-faire leader. This laid-back style usually feels like there is no control or productivity. Coming from the Western Hemisphere where the democratic style is often the norm, the laissez-faire leader seems lazy in comparison. Yet, in this situation, the laissez-faire style best fit the situation. My advance experience has taught me that when acting in a leadership position it is often difficult to anticipate what leadership style is necessary, and the style that bests fits the situation may come as a surprise. Sometimes it is best to sit back and relax! |
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 Helena Piehl, Sweden; Amelia Brown, United States; Ashley Wilson, United States; Laurence Horan, Ireland; Scott Reeder, United States; Els K Kolster, Netherlands; Kozu Tashiro, Japan; Keaunis Grant, United States; Kathleen Reisch, Germany; Dagny Tucker, United States; Tekla Weiterman, Canada; John Nguyen, Australia; Rebecca Chen, China; and Marco Ramirez, Mexico present 2500 plus one very large paper crane at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial |
Regional Learning"The Moment Time Stopped..."By Farrah Payne, United
States It was an emotional day for everyone, as we tried to comprehend what happened that day. Looking at the "Before" and "After" images of the city was difficult, as well as viewing recovered items, such as clothing and shoes that someone had been wearing, melted rice bowls, a child's lunchbox with the contents burned to ash, a child's tricycle, a wristwatch with the time stopped at 8:15, among many other things. There was a gallery of paintings by atomic bomb survivors depicting scenes and images they remember: people jumping into the rivers for relief from the extreme heat and burns, women trying to protect their children, rivers overflowing with floating bodies. Seeing all of this brought chills running down my spine. There are many times in our lives when we are faced with adversity and challenges, and it is up to us how we deal with it. Listening to atomic bomb survivor Kaiko Teramare recall her memories of that day was terrifying. She was 15-years old when she saw the bomb fall from the plane. She said it was a "shiny and beautiful thing," then there was an "extremely bright flash and it exploded." She saw flames coming from windows of buildings that were on fire. She suffered a number of injuries, both physical and psychological. She lost many friends that day, as well as her younger sister, and she is constantly reminded of what happened when she looks in the mirror everyday. She stated, "This experience tells me how cruel war can be." And later she said, "At that time, I hated the United States so much." However, she no longer has the same feelings, as she understands the circumstances under which it occurred. Her hope, along with many others, is to see the abolition of nuclear weapons all over the world to prevent this from happening ever again. |
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A-Bomb DomeThe Hiroshima Prefectural Commerical Exhibition Hall was constructed in 1915 as a base for promoting the sale of goods produced in Hiroshima Prefecture. The building designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel was highly regarded for its imposing, European-style design. Its name changed to Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall and then to Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. Intensification of the war led the government to discontinue commercial uses of the Industrial Promotion Hall in March 1944. Instead, it housed the branch office of the Chugoku Shikoku Public Works Office of the Internal Affairs Agency and the offices of the Hiroshima District Lumber and Japan Lumber Control Corporation. When the atomic bomb exploded, it ravaged the building instantly. Heat blazing from above consumed the entire building, killing everyone in it. Because the blast attacked the building from virtually straight overhead, some walls escaped total collapse. Along with the wire framework of the dome, these form the shape that has become a symbol. At some point it became known as the "A-bomb Dome." In 1966, Hiroshima City determined to preserve the A-bomb Dome indefinitely and solicited funds from within Japan and overseas. To date, the A-bomb Dome has undergone two preservation projects. As a historical witness that conveys the disaster of the first atomic bombing in history, and as a symbol of the vow to pursue the abolition of nuclear weapons and enduring peace, in December 1996 the A-bomb Dome was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List based on the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. |
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Regional LearningA Harvest of Oysters
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Regional LearningThe Okonomiyaki Sauce FactoryBy Els van 't Zand, The
Netherlands After a video about the factory, two cooks showed us how to make this Japanese pancake. It looked very difficult to do, because we had to flip over the food very often. As I say wec yes, we made those pancakes ourselves, too!! There was a lot of fun, not only because some of us had never cooked before, but also because we had to wear a beautiful hat and apron. After we made these Okonomiyaki, we ate them, and they tasted really good. Not that strange with the best sauce for itc straight from the factory. After the lunch we went into the factory and had a tour there. It was amazing to see how this factory was. We were told that the employees clean the factory themselves instead of hiring another company to do this. As a nice conclusion of the day, in the factory we all got a package to make the Okonomiyaki ourselves at home. |
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Regional LearningStudents Tour Centuries Old Sake Brewery In SaijoBy Jens Illschner, Germany
Due to new technologies, the way of brewing sake has changed in the last years, but to brew high quality sake there are still three things necessary: polished rice, low temperature of the environment and ideal water. Ideal water for brewing sake is colorless, tasteless and odorless. Sake is, together with beer, the most favorite alcoholic drink in Japan. There are two ways to enjoy sake: on cold days you enjoy hot sake and in spring and summer cold sake is the best choice. The best part of our tour, however, was not the testing of sake; it was our guide who sang traditional sake brewery songs. It was not only a great experience to learn more about the process of brewing sake, it was also a good possibility to learn more about the Japanese culture. |
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Host Family LivingHost Families Bring Us Deeper Understanding of HiroshimaBy Naina Goulart, Brazil
Being on a personal level with people whose ancestors were affected by the bomb brings a totally different perspective of what actually happened there. This is really unique, since most of the people only get in touch with this part of history through books or movies when studying this subject at some point in school. As we get to know these peoples' stories, it is amazing how some of them impact you. When it is least expected, a reflection process starts developing as you find yourself talking to a person that at some point on life had the guts to challenge social statements or experienced a tragedy in life. I, for sure, found plenty of role models, people that I really admire. I hope I have gained at least a little bit of their wisdom. As my experience with host families increases, I realize that being in this kind of environment can provide so many different possibilities. You can find friends for a life time, you can have cultural experiences, you get to know peoples' stories and experiences, you share a little bit of you and get to know a little bit of them. Saying "nice to meet you" and "goodbye" becomes constant in WorldSmart participants' lives. And that is the beauty of it. |
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Regional LearningEtiquette and Form Imperative
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Buddhism and PeaceJapanese High Shool Students Discuss Issues with WorldSmart Crew MembersBy Laurence Horan,
Ireland Carrie Cropley, WorldSmart staff member from the United States, expressed her frustration at the inability of the vast majority of us to prevent war and only look on and hypothesize as to why a select few had started it. As a Muslim, Mehmet Baha from Cyprus offered a commonly held Islamic perspective of the US that he has heard often, which was that America was greedy and that freedom and liberation is just an excuse for war. The discussion itself was not in any way groundbreaking, and some people felt that no new ideas or opinions were generated. However, the assistant English teacher in the high school, who happened to be from America, summed up the general feeling of the day when he said that his somewhat shy Japanese students had learned a lot from seeing the ease with which the WorldSmart crew presented their ideas, and having such a wide range of views from around the globe in one classroom. It was also an eye opener for a lot of the WorldSmart crew to see the different approach the Japanese take to communication. Mr. Kamehara finished up the discussion with a brief synopsis of Buddhism and how it related to peace. Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, stated that hate leads to hate and thus revenge is not an option, as it will only increase any problem. Buddhism also emphasizes non-violence in any situation, something which Carrie Cropley believed might be a solution to the end of war. Tom Coreynen from Belgium asked Mr. Kamehara about how you deal with the negative feelings that you have when you can not take revenge. His reply was simple, "You forget." |
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Community Impact DayLettuce Leaves and Pear BlossomsBy Farrah Payne, United
States During the lettuce growing season, plastic is laid on top of the soil to prevent the growth of weeds. After all of the lettuce is harvested the plastic must be removed to cultivate the soil for the next crop. In total, there were 45 rows that we cleaned-each row approximately 100 yards long. By the time we were finished, we were covered in dirt-from our faces to the soles of our shoes! The owner of the pear park and lettuce farm was so surprised at how quickly we worked that we were still able to help with the picking of the pear blossoms after all! After a filling bento lunch of your typical Japanese foods (rice, fish, pickled vegetables, etc.) we were taken to the pear park and were shown our next project. We first were given our equipment of an umbrella and a plastic crate with a PVC (plastic) pipe handle. We were then shown which flowers were okay to pick, as well as which of the trees to pick. The process in which the pears are grown is actually an arduous process. First, the blossoms from certain trees are harvested. From those blossoms, the pollen is then separated and mixed with a pink powder. This pollen-powder mixture is then applied by hand by 15 people over the course of two days to the flowers on the trees in the field. After the pears start growing, the pears that are considered "bad" are then removed to help with the growth of the "good" pears. These pears can grow to a size bigger than a toddler's head! In the stores, these pears can easily fetch at least \500 each-equivalent to $5 US! A bit pricey, but we were told these pears are very tasty! As a thank you from the farm owner, he and his wife gave us a box of 16 lettuce heads to take home to our host families! It was a labor intensive, yet very fun day for all of us! |
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Community Impact DayGreenland Park Becomes Smoke Free with the Help of WorldSmart CrewBy Nelly Gicho,
Kenya During the afternoon session, we replaced the cigarette trays which were on the top of the garbage cans strategically positioned around the park. In place of the cigarette trays we placed "no smoking" stickers which were written in Japanese, since they are transforming the park into a non-smoking environment. This activity made a great impact because we received instant response from the park commending our job. They were very grateful with the dedication we demonstrated on this particular day. To crown it all, 10 of us gathered to reflect on the day's activity, and each one of us had the same response: "It feels much better when we give back to the community." This is a memory that we will always cherish for we live in a communal and connected world. |
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Community Impact DayKurogi Elementary School Impresses VisitorsBy Hanna Svensson,
Sweden We had tea with the principal before we went to the welcome ceremony. They made a couple of speeches and the children played taiko, Japanese drums, for us. They were very skillful and it was really powerful. At the end of the ceremony the children taught us how to play taiko. It was difficult but fun. I had never seen such a nice welcome ceremony before. I felt very welcome and honored. After the ceremony we went to a classroom. First, we went to the sixth grade. We introduced ourselves in Japanese and showed our countries on the map. The children had learned some English and they interviewed us. What fruit do you like? What sport do you like? They all were so cute but a little nervous. What I will remember the most is probably the unicycles. After a lunch together, we all went outside to the big playground. Suddenly all children cycled on the unicycles. They had a little show for us, and I was so impressed by that. I had the chance to try it myself, and after that I was even more amazed by them. Then the children challenged us to a game of hockey! We were running, screaming, laughing! We all were into it, and everybody was doing their best. It was a tough and an even game and we all were very connected with the children. The funny part about the game wascthat all of the children cycled on their unicycles! Before we left the school we taught them "One to One," a song with sign language, and had tea with principal again. The bus came and it was time to leave. The children and the teachers were all waving good bye to us for as long as I could see them. It was very different from the schools I had seen in United States and in my country, Sweden. It was an exciting experience. I will remember the school, the view, the children and all the fun we had together for a long time. |
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Host Family LivingMy Week with a Traditional
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In the CrewAdvance Trip to Korea Filled with Hospitality and Hard WorkBy Luka Planinc,
Slovenia "It was great; it was very different; it was good fun; it was hard working; it was... Being in the South Korea Advance Working Team was really an honor and a challenge, because we had an important job to do: recruit new students for the WorldSmart Leadership Program and try to build connections with people and organizations that would help and work on bringing the WorldSmart group to Korea sometime in the future. So, the week was filled up with presentations about our program-for university students, university officials for exchange studying, city hall leaders, the Japan Council of Local Authorities for International Relations and others. In three days and a half we actually had 14 presentations! Well, maybe it doesn't sound a lot, but we had to carry a computer, an LCD projector, a very heavy voltage transformator, 200 brochures, and our own stuff for the day. Does this sound more realistic now? Well, if I tell you that we had to climb mountain high to get to one university, that our cute little carry-on suitcase got a broken wheel and we had to carry everything by hand, and that most of the schools don't have elevatorsc a nightmare, you might say. It was, I can tell you! But it was a very fun and full of energy, a lot of team work, good conversations and good laughs and some good responses from the students and the government representatives. I think it was worth it! Although the week was full of presentations, for all three of us, it ended up being a big cultural learning experience. There were three of us-Nicole Zilberfarb from the United States; Airi from the Japanese office of Up with People in Tokyo and me. We had really good time being the first time in Korea. It was very welcoming experience. At the immigration desk they asked me how long I would stay in Korea and when I said "one week" they invitingly replied, "But you can stay one month!" The hospitality was the same all through the week with all the people we met. Our first host family was very big; we had more than 100 host brothers and sisters. We stayed in an orphanage on one small island near Busan City. The children were very nice and very curious. It was one rare experience for them to meet foreigners, so we explained a little about the countries that we come from, and we played games with the younger ones. We were really happy to see they had a good time and they seemed like the happiest people in the world when they got signs from us. "Please sign!" or "E-mail address!" they asked us. They laughed when they touched my blonde hair, which seemed so different from their thick black hair. Yet we had to leave already. With "Apa and Oma" (Father and Mother), heads of the orphanage, we went to eat a traditional chicken soup. It was delicious soup, still boiling when brought to us. Each got a whole chicken, but a small one, and,in Korean style, served with many side dishes on small plates. Of course, at least one of them was "Kimchi", the famous Korean fermented and salty, spicy Chinese cabbage, which they eat for almost every meal. I can't say I really liked it, but I tried it. Yeah, many people warned me when I was going to Korea to be ready, that Korean food is very spicy! But, not every food is spicy. The appearance and the content would be more critical for me. I really liked Korean barbecue, also very famous. You have a hot plate on every table, and you roast the meat on your own! Of course, it is served with hundreds of small side dishes. Delicious! Through the whole week we learned from different situations about this Asian culture and the cities of Busan and Seoul, the two largest cities in the country. It was great! I could talk about it for hours, but it is already too much. I appreciate the big effort and a lot of work that Korean alumni also put into this week, because they did it despite their very busy schedule. Thank you very much to Hee-Kyong, Sang Dae, Min Young and others! . |
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Follow the Tour Asia
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