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Omura, located in Nagasaki, Japan, has a population of 86,000 people. The city was founded February 11, 1942. In the opera Madama Butterfly, set in nearby Nagasaki, the place name Omara in the line "ed alla damigella Butterfly del quartiere d'Omara Nagasaki" refers to Omura. Kumamoto is located in the center of Kyushu Island and is the prefectural capital of Kumamoto prefecture. It has long history and plentiful nature, as it is called the “Forest City”. Typical sightseeing spots of Japan, such as the Kumamoto castle built about 400 years ago, beautiful Japanese style garden, Higo Zogan, and traditional folk handicraft like Shodai-yaki pottery, will surely fascinate you. Moreover, you will be satisfied with beautiful water, air and delicious foods that plentiful nature brought. |
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 (Front row L to R) Alexis Bell, United States; Jens Ilschner, Germany; Governor Shiotani, Japan; Tomi Otudeko, Nigeria/United Kingdom; (Back row L to R) Hiro Nishimura, United States; Els Kolster, the Netherlands, Els van't Zand, the Netherlands, Tom Coreynen, Belgium; Allison Myers, United States; and Mr. Jun Sakamoto, Japan
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Living LeadershipDelegation Learns Leadership Skills from Kumamoto GovernorBy Jens Illschner,
Germany I was very nervous when the governor entered the room, but her warm and friendly personality made me feel welcome. The Governor of Kumamoto is a dainty woman with a great charisma. Mrs. Shiotani told us about her experience of hosting a student from the United States and gave us an advice about how to be a good leader. Her hot tip was the most simple tip I ever received: "Listen to the people." Of course, she told us, a smart head necessary to make the right decisions, but at first you need to listen. Mrs. Shiotani is one of 47 governors in Japan, but only four are women. My host family told me that she is very popular in Kumamoto, and that she has big chances to get re-elected again. After 30 minutes, this ceremony ended with our presentation of a letter from the governor of the state of Colorado, and a group picture with all of the signatures of the current Up with People crew. I really enjoyed this short but rich visit. I now have the feeling of having a new and powerful tool in my tool box. I hope I can use this experience in a wise way in my future life as a leader. Our delegation |
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Regional LearningTaking Care of the Orphans and the Elderly In JapanBy Laurence Horan,
Ireland After lunch, the crew met with the director of the G.I.N. site, which houses almost 200 people each night, and he explained the history of the organization and its founding principles. He explained that although life expectancy in Japan was one of the longest in the world, dementia is becoming a bigger problem now. G.I.N can take in and care for a certain number of these patients, but can do little to stop dementia itself. It was also a revelation for a lot of WorldSmart members to hear about how babies are cared for in Japan, and how different cultures show love. Traditionally, Japanese mothers carried their babies on their back, slept in the same bed and breast fed them. This all changed when Japanese doctors went to the United States and brought back the U.S. model to Japan. In the 1950`s breast feeding was not encouraged in the United States, and the children placed in separate rooms to sleep. Although the U.S. model changed again to encourage breast feeding, the Japanese model is still the same today as it was in the 1950s. Also, in Japanese families there is no kissing, hugging or saying 'I love you' to babies as in the United States. In the 1950`s only part of the U.S. model was brought to Japan, and the doctors did not see the benefit of the traditional Japanese way of expressing love. This is causing some problems for the emotional well-being of the children of Japan today, according to the director of G.I.N. This sort of meeting is a big part of what Regional Learning is about for the WorldSmart leadership program. |
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Regional LearningThe Sound of DrumsBy Ana Barbu,
Romania Time passed and the moment to go and see the drum performance arrived. There I met Yoko; Kozue; Silvana Jud, Switzerland; Crystal Sanderson, Canada; Farrah Payne, the United States; Scott Reeder, the United States; Leo Gomez, Mexico; Shuji, and their host families. When we arrived, we saw a very big drum and five smaller ones. Finally, they started to play. I felt the rhythm invading my body and my heart. I imagined a battle and lots of soldiers preparing for fighting. After 10 minutes of listening, we tried the drums, also. It was a great experience and I'm glad that my host family took me and my roommate to see that. When we talked with the people who played on the drums, we found that is very hard to do this, and they practice once a week as a group. Also, they have been doing this for 10 years, and they play at the beginning of big festivals. After we left, I realized it was one of my best experiences, and sometime it's better to go with flow… and everything will be great! |
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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 was…that 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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Community ServiceA Smile ForeverBy Nelly Gicho,
Kenya Let us explore more on this question. On 15 April the Up with People group demonstrated what I will call service at heart, and impacted more than 250 mentally challenged and disabled people in Omura, Nagasaki City. This marked one of the unique, dramatic, emotional and captivating community activities we have been involved in. We got in queue to file into the auditorium to meet our noisy and appreciative audience. They welcomed all of us warmly-61 participants from 21 countries! To have a better contact we made introductions in our respective groups. We smiled, and they smiled back, and we all exchanged cards bearing our names and countries written in Japanese. Soon there were dialogues in every corner. The ice was broken and every other thing rolled automatically. After introductions and conversation, there was a live orchestra from Omura. Dancing, jumping and shouting followed. Everyone took to the stage. The day's mission was intensified through an Up with People sign language performance of the song, "One to One." In chorus we sang, "One to one will change the world, by giving to another..." At this, our audience joined in unconditionally. To bring everything at home, a Japanese game known as "Janken" (rock, scissors, paper) engaged everyone. Two people stand opposite each other, shaking their fists two times and then the third time each person makes the sign for rock, paper or scissors. Paper covers rock, rock breaks scissors and scissor cuts paper. If one loses, then he or she joins a chain of people at the back. The chain started with two people and grew to 200 people; even those in the wheel chairs were in the chain. This game went on and on but time was not on our side and so the end of the day came. To say good bye we made two opposite lines at the entrance to honor the presence of each audience member. They left with smiling faces. We reviewed the day's achievement, and every one described their experience in one word that ranged from love to phenomenon; smile, happy, peace, care and many more. It was incredible, for our hearts spoke louder amongst special groups in our community--a voice that will always speak in their hearts. |
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Community ServiceOmura Honored by Up with People's WorldSmart StudentsBy Alexis Bell, United
States Each student was with their entire host family and was assigned to groups with other students and other host families. The Omura Up with People crew put up plaques with each of our names on the trees we planted. The event began with a moving speech, then we dug the holes with shovels and a great deal of group effort. It was a ton of fun and good work out for those who jumped in and did the digging. For many of us, including myself, the day offered some time to reflect on the week or spend time chasing my host family kids around in the fields of Omura. We planted the trees and it really improved the scenery, which was already stunning. We planted trees for environmental reasons in addition to the symbolism of planting a tree and having it grow. The mayor gave a speech ending with his hopes that we will return to witness the growth that happened as a result of our impact. We established relationships with many people in Omura and hope to further develop each one. The WorldSmart crew and host families alike touched and were touched by many of the encounters made by this visit. Planting the trees was a perfect way to end a great week. It was also wonderful to spend the day outside with such wonderful people and attitudes, breath taking views and an impacting, ever- lasting experience |
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Experiential Learning: Theory in PracticeLearning How to Reduce UncertaintyBy: Carroll Minihan, United
States Traveling in an international group of 50 students to three regions of the world and staying with countless host families offers many opportunities to apply theory. The uncertainty reduction theory (Berger & Calabrese) explains situations that have occurred in my daily life throughout this tour. This theory suggests that in everything we do in a relationship, we like to control the stimuli in order to reduce uncertainty. We do this in three ways: 1) observing, 2) asking (direct), and 3) by inquiring about other people through a third person (indirect.) Since living in Japan for the past four weeks, I have seen first hand the accuracy of the uncertainty reduction theory. I hadn't traveled outside of my country, the United States of America, before this. I am relatively unaware of the customs, traditions, language and norms of daily life in Japan. I have found myself often observing before doing anything. One of my host families and I were sitting at dinner when, they offered me a plate of food. I had no idea what was on my plate. I didn't know how I should even go about eating the things that were before me or even when to begin eating. I simply waited and watched when and how the others ate the food. This is the first way of reducing uncertainty, through observation. Sometimes it is easier to get information in ways other than observing. It may be more helpful to ask people directly. If I am wondering what time to wake up in the morning for breakfast I will ask directly. There are situations that are suited for direct questions. Rather than waiting for my host mom to tell me when to wake up or when to shower or when it is appropriate to go to bed, I simply ask her directly, and some information is more appropriate to ask about. However, there are times when observing or asking directly is too uncomfortable or just cannot be done. One of my host families spoke very little English so it was difficult to get information by asking them and it included details that were not observable. At this point I sought out a Japanese student that I was traveling with to help me understand. I asked a third person to get the information, consistent with the axioms outlined by uncertainty reduction theory. So, in summary, in Japan I used all three ways to get information-by observing, asking and inquiring of a third person. These measures are taken to feel a sense of control over our environmental stimuli, which, in turn, reduces uncertainty. So, when you feel uncertain or unsure of what to do in any kind of situation, the uncertainty reduction theory can help you find a way to get the answer to any of your questions. These are not recommendations; they are hypotheses about human tendencies. It is amazing to examine how you use these techniques in your everyday life, even without realizing it. People innately seek out information in order to create comfort and certainty in their lives. This is theory in practice. |
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In the CrewMy Surreal WeekendBy: Tony Sheehan,
Canada Saturday at KGU Saturday was the WorldSmart Celebration day! This week, our celebration would be held at the Kumamoto Gakuen University. More importantly, we would spend the day with students talking about various social issues. I have not always been so interested in the functionality and pains of our society. In a near past, my focus was often about finding the best club, with the best music and the best night to go out. I believe there are times to be crazy and times to be serious. I guess one is now taking more and more of a place in my life. We all have to open our eyes one day and learn a little more about what's out there. This was indeed a tremendous learning opportunity. We were mixed with the students and split up in four groups. The first group talked about ways of protecting the environment and ensuring that it remains a very important resource in the eyes of the public and the corporate world. The second group participated in a hunger banquet sponsored by OXFAM. The third group tried to find innovative solutions in order to help the Japanese youth build a more multicultural understanding. The final group, my group, talked about how the Japanese society offers some gender inequalities that should be looked upon and changed. These actions should help women penetrate the corporate world, improve their working conditions and facilitate the marriage of work and raising a family, thus resulting in a rising birthrate and a generally more healthy society. Many students that we met during the day showed up at the WorldSmart Celebration in the evening. Following the mayor of Kumamoto and the principal of KGU, Hiro Nishimura, chief operating officer of Up With People, talked to the audience to explain the three purposes of the WorldSmart Celebration: 1. We want to take the time to thank the sponsors, volunteers and host families 2. We want to show in pictures what we have done during the past week 3. We want to share our ideas about our world and the community we are visiting, hopefully raising awareness and inspiring actions that will better our daily lives. As it has been many times before, the WorldSmart Celebration was a great success! I had the chance to exchange ideas with an American professor teaching at the KGU. I also traded e-mails with a very sympathetic and social student from Casablanca. Yasser is studying finance at KGU and is thinking of joining the program. It's always great to meet nice people along the way. After a day of serious thinking, my more crazy side was yelling and carried me to a salsa club in downtown Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan. Baha (Mehmet Baha) from Cyprus, my roommate for the week, was more than happy to play the bongos with his newfound Japanese friend. For my part, I was busy dancing salsa remembering my days in Guanajuato, Mexico. I had a great day, a great time… I'm having the time of my life. Sunday on Mt. Aso We wake up to the joy of having a host family day! Up and running around 9 a.m., we jump in the car for an hour and a half ride. We finally arrive at Mt. Aso, get out of the car and enter a nice wood building… It was Baha's first time. We both knew that this was only our initiation before the real thing, for as I had previously convinced Baha that he absolutely had to try the true onsen experience. But our host mom, misinterpreting Baha's uneasiness, thought he could only bear a private room. Our host mother handed us the key. We hesitantly unlocked the door and entered the private room. It was a small locker room with a door leading to the bath. We strip out of our clothes and open the second door to reveal a fairly small bath, yet easily big enough for the two of us, alongside two showers. As is the custom, we both sit down on our little stool and grab the detachable showerhead hanging on the knee-height harness and wash ourselves before entering the steaming bath. With a nice view on the inner garden, we just relaxed in the hot water and freed our minds from any concerns and torments. We had a very nice conversation about our goals in life, our different career choices, the differences between Cypress and Canada… We finally agreed that we had to visit each other in the near future. Upon this conclusion, we figured it was now time for the big bath. We exited the bath, put our clothes on and left the private room. We made our way towards the main bath. The first room was a big locker room with numerous mirrors, sinks, little baskets in the role of lockers and even hair dryers and styling gel for the final touch on the way out. Many naked Japanese men were in the locker room either making their way into the onsen or heading out with a satisfied and relaxed look on their face. With a newly earned natural ease, we took off all our clothes and made our way to the main bath. The Mt. Aso onsen featured a sauna, three huge baths, a hot tub, all made of nice blackish rocks. The wooden tepee-like roof covered two of the three baths. We headed for the outside bath, dipped in and laid there, without a word, for an unknown period of time. The sun on my face, the sound of the nearby waterfall, the hot water relaxing all my muscles, all combined with the pleasure of having the chance to live an extraordinary global education experience with great people made me feel lucky, alive and happy. After the onsen, we joined our host parents and enjoyed a great meal at a nearby restaurant. We then made our way by car to the top of Mt. Aso to see the still active volcano. A picture here, a picture there, we got back in the car and drove towards our house in Kumamoto. During the ride back, Baha and I were rather silent. Both very satisfied with our day and acknowledging our luck, we enjoyed the end of our ice-cream bought near the volcano and gazed into the beautiful scenery offered by Mt. Aso. My WorldSmart experience is definitely not easy, but it certainly has its great moments. And when those moments come around, I do my best to remember every second of them. I will certainly remember this weekend for a long time… |
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ＪＡＣ -UpwithPeople JapanAlumniClub-           |
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