Journey

My trip (not so) recent trip to Japan was reflective, inspiring and heartwarming. It reflected many cultural differences that I hold with the world around me, and sprouted many novel ideas that will substantiate in time to come. Here’s a peer into our time in Japan:

The Kids & Teaching

Our first flight was directly to Osaka. After we landed, we had some lunch and took a domestic flight to Nagasaki. Naoe Sensei (one of the bosses that sponsored our trip to Japan) was kind enough to pick us up from the airport, with his trusty driver. We then took a short (if you consider an hour+ ride short) car drive to and up the mountain to a community recreation center.

Beautiful sunset.

We got acquainted with the place and had dinner as the sun set. While eating, I sparked a conversation with Naoe Sensei’s driver about cameras (since my camera was Japanese, and most cameras are manufactured in Japan anyways). Using my graceful mannered sign language and limited knowledge of Japanese, I got by with an intriguing exchange. We headed for the showers and did our last prep for the activities that were to start the next day.

The following day, we greeted the kids as they arrived. The kids were super excited. I’ve always been prepared to get kids motivated by providing incentives, it was just refreshing to see them so spirited and excited to learn!

That was my face when I almost, almost lost. (I DIND'T!)

The first day were mainly ice breakers to get us acquainted with one another. We also had to attend a formal meeting/briefing on safety and regulations at the community center. A talent-time of Malaysian culture followed shortly after lunch. We figured the kids would enjoy something interactivity, thus with the wonderful help of Stephanie and Naoe Sensei we managed to secure a couple bamboo sticks for our Tarian buluh which we hope and we believe they enjoyed. We carried on with a couple more activities before wrapping the day up with dinner and babysitting (because it was a community recreation center, I had to teman the kids in the bathroom).

A cute bunch aren't they?

We spent the second day starting off with an activity which reinforced their understanding of directions.

We proceeded with grocery shopping (a simulation of it) and started with a simple anatomy lesson before heading out for lunch.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes was part of our reinforcement mechanism!

When the kids came back, they were surprised to see a crime scene in which they had to heal the “wounded” based on a list, putting to use the anatomy knowledge that they acquired earlier in the day before lunch. We painted blood all over and had crime scene tape strung all around the room. The kids definitely enjoyed “mending” the sick (sticking needles, adhering band-aids and wrapping arms around Joey and Kylar). We had a little bit of extra time in Nagasaki so we ventured out into the hills for a walk with the kids!

(Pretend) dead.

Stephanie applying the "blood".

Happy injuries!

These two were holding each other's hands. When I attempted to take a photograph, they quickly pretended nothing was happening. Nevertheless they were always happy with each other's company.

A view of Sasebo city. There's a significant American population in the city due to American naval base down there.

A vintage-esc image of the kids.

This was us smiling/me hyperventilating after racing to the top with Joey, and Koshi and Yuto.

This picture seems so familial!

Joey was the cute hugable big brother figure the kids looked up to. They loved him! He was wearing a black and white sweater during one of the days and ended up with the nickname Panda!

The kids would come back after dinner on most days to write a reflection of what they learnt during the day. They also prepared a little performance, either a song, poem or a speech to perform in front of their parents on the last day. In Nagasaki, even a local TV producer dropped by to take a couple shots of their performance!

Sensei Nona happily watching her kids!

That was marry and her lamb!

Performing! (and apparently eating burgers)

This picture really shows the proud parents and sensei(s) out there.

That was Sayuko before saying good bye. Good byes are never easy,

This was the general layout of the camp that happened throughout the second camp in Osaka. Only this time we had the help of Ayaka!

The kids were warm and fuzzy. They were always willing to learn, and like all kids, excited and could never stop talking. We bonded pretty well, and caused some tears to shed when it came time to part. We keep in touch (cause apparently almost all Japanese kids are well equipped with smartphones), and it quite often we see a message or two from them. I hope they are well, and I hope we’ve helped them in some way or another. We remind each other that any language or any skill, isn’t learned in a day, nor in a 3-day camp. Rather, it is acquired progressively, over time and through consistency. I hope we helped create habits around those mechanisms to ease the language learning over the next few years!

This photo is among my favorite photos ever taken.

The Culture

This was probably my first (extended overseas) trip without proper adult supervision. I have to note I was the only Malay and subsequently the only muslim in the group.

Kids have approached me time and time again questioning why I got a different plate of food from them. I began trying to shorten my case to a “I’m allergic to chicken”. But I realized that such a statement was quite far from the truth and eventually led to “I can’t eat land animals that are slaughtered differently”. It may have caused some kids to scratch their heads so they defaulted to the allergy explanation themselves. Nevertheless they respected the differences we had.

When it came to praying, it was quite often that I had friends reminding me to pray. They knew I had to pray 3 times a day (at least when traveling). They’ve always been supportive. They stopped and waited when they knew I needed some time. They were also sensitive, aware and cautious about my dietary restrictions when at restaurants as well as when choosing where to eat Japanese fish is amazing!).

Japanese people are very proud of their culture and their jobs. Its often you see people genuinely smiling when doing their jobs. Be it cashiers at 7-11, train conductors or even cleaners, they generally always seem proud and prideful of their work. It touched me when the flight staff lined up on the tarmac after we landed and waved us goodbye as we left the plane. The pilot even came out to wave!

That guy was most probably drunk. Darren wasn't too happy with his arms around him HAHAH.

The lights along the Dotunburi walk were calming.

It’s true when they say the more you learn about another culture, the more you learn about yourself.

The Fam & Experiences

The biggest part of any journey is often those we spend the most time with.

Spending 11 days with the same people, day in and day out was wonderful! From flights, to trains, to busses and cars. Long walks, short naps, breakfast, lunch and dinner, we did it all. All that time didn’t include the countless hours of meetings, screaming, drama and dancing prior to take off. The weekends and weekends that we used to spend putting together games and activities we hoped the kids would enjoy.

When we got back, we were so used to having each other around that we’d meet up every 4 days or so. We grew accustom to each other, and longed each other’s presence. Sooner or later I guess we came (or I came) to our own consensuses that we’ve all got our own paths to walk and that we can always make an effort to see each other around.

Thank you to the ISECE Team, Sensei(s), Stephanie, Ayaka, kids and fam bam for allowing such a wonderful experience to happen.