Halloween Party 2017
“Trick or Treat! Happy Halloween!”echoed throughout the shopping ar-Vol.１7

cade. Photographs of the event reveal

December 2017

Contentsa colorful collection like a page in a
picture book. Despite the rain, children gathered in costume, creating a

Halloween Report1

Former ALT Rohan
Mitchell’s “Art ofTransition”

2

Vietnam Folk Tales

3

lively afternoon! This year, the parade
float featured “Yubaba” from Spirited
Away. Each year, our esteemed volunteer, Ms.
Kawabata, creates a masterpiece like that of a professional. Everyone at SIEA is grateful for your work!

Fall Events Report:
Saijo Industry Fair

3Dates with Diana

4

Events &Announcements

4

Thank you everyone
who submitted a design to the Halloween
illustration contest.
The award of excellence was given toMitsuki Ishihara!
Ouka Okamoto,
Yuna Shitsukawa, andKii Fujimoto received
honorable mentions.
Congratulations!

Saijo’s CIR Diana dressed as
Uwajima’s “Ushi-oni” (cow demon) inmemory of her matsuri merriment,
and CIR Anh Thy wore a cute Minnie Mouse costume.→→→→→→→→HappyHalloween

International Relations Saijo
is a quarterly newsletter
published in Japanese, English, and Vietnamese by the
Saijo International Exchange Association (SIEA).
We welcome your comments,Well now, which “Kao Nashi”(No Face) is our ALT,Megan?⇓⇓
The correct
answers is...
Left: Balloon
Right: Megan!

questions and submissions.

Saijo International Exchange Association 164 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 〒793-8601
TEL(0897)52-1206 FAX(0897)52-1230 E-mail: kokusai@saijo-city.jp URL: http://www.city.saijo.ehime.jp

2International Relations Saijo

The Art of Transition

In April 2011, I got an email that
forever changed my life. I found out
the delightful yet daunting news

that I’d be going to Japan as an ALT on the JET Programme—wow! Although I was very excited about the opportunity, I also felt gripped by anxiety— would I be an effective ALT, how would I handle culture shock, would
I be affected by the aftermath of the March earthquake? Moreover, I’d be
far away from all my family and friends. I wasable to get over my initial concerns eventuallywith a fresh coat of positive energy, and boarded a plane with 14 other enthusiastic Jamaicans. I was on a new life-enhancing journey thatwould never make me look at the world in the same way.
Fast-forward to January 2015 and here I am with almost four years of wonderful
ALT experiences but standing at a crossroad of decisions. Staring at my contract
with pen in hand I deliberated—should I throw away a comfortable job with asteady income or dive into my artistic passion full-time? I chose to dive and I’ve
been living as a freelance illustrator/graphic designer
since. This is something I really wanted to do and the transition was smooth, especially since my wife supported the decision.
I majored in Visual Communications at an art college in Jamaica and was working in an advertising agency for two years before coming to Japan. Even as anALT, I continued to create designs and illustrations for practice, competitions orvolunteer work. I love the rush of creatively producing something from scratch,regardless of how challenging a project may seem. I’m happy with my current pathso far although it has been difficult at times to navigate the journey. Being incharge of your own time and having the freedom to create comes with a great deal of responsibility. It requires
planning your own daily schedule and having a routine that keeps you motivated to work. Admittedly, that has

been an ‘up and down hill’ struggle and working from the solace of my apartment doesn't necessarily help.
There’s no way to sugar-coat it, the life of a freelance artist truly requires tenacious discipline—I’m still working on that.
I usually work with publishers, writers, people in the musicindustry, start-ups and non-profit organizations to help conceptualize and visualize their visions, passions and dreams throughartistic creations. I’m currently working on a few personal projects to manifest ideas that have been floating around my mind
for some time. It would be nice to share my experiences with people artistically through their own eyes and interpretations. Ulti-mately, I want to be a part of something phenomenal and makeart that will inspire others to greatness.

Rohan Mitchell※All illustrations by Rohan Mitchell

Saijo International Exchange Association 164 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 〒793-8601
TEL(0897)52-1206 FAX(0897)52-1230 E-mail: kokusai@saijo-city.jp URL: http://www.city.saijo.ehime.jp

3International Relations Saijo“Vietnam Folk Tales I want to share with the people of Saijo!”“Son Tinh, Thuy Tinh”

The Japanese phrase “earthquakes, thunder, fire, and fathers” is popular as a symbol of terrifying things. InJapan, “earthquakes” come up first when people discuss fears of natural disasters. In Vietnam, people most fear
disasters involving water. Let’s read “Song Tinh, Thuy Tinh” to learn about these disasters in Vietnam!
Once upon a time, the 18th Emperor of ancient Vietnam had a beautiful daughter, My Nuong. Her beauty was
so renowned that many men asked for her hand in marriage. The Emperor wanted to find the best husband forhis daughter, so he held a contest. Finally, there appeared two very talented men. One was Son Tinh, the Mountain Spirit. The other was Thuy Tinh, the Sea Spirit. Where Son Tinh pointed, mountains rose from the ground.
Where Thuy Tinh waved his hand, strong winds began to blow storms and water flowed abundantly. It was difficult to choose between them, so the Emperor decided, “Tomorrow, I will grant permission to marry the princess
to whomever arrives with specially selected wedding gifts.” The next day, Son Tinh arrived first. The Emperor
was delighted with all the gifts and agreed to let Son Tinh marry his daughter. Thuy Tinh arrived afterwards.
Furious at his loss, Thuy Tinh chased after the couple. He unleashed heavy rains, which transformed into astorm, and flooded the area with water to defeat Son Tinh. However, the more Thuy Tinh submerged the kingdom in water, the higher Son Tinh raised the mountains. After many days, Thuy Tinh was exhausted. He lostthe battle but did not give up on his quest to marry the Princess. So, every year, Thuy Tinh unleashes stormsand floods. This legend teaches us that the god of nature causes the typhoons and floods in Vietnam.
Vietnam is a long, narrow country on the eastern edge of the Indochina Peninsula with almost half of its mainland bordering the sea. For this reason, Vietnam is an easy target for typhoons from the coast of the Philippines.
Historically, the damage of typhoons and floods repeats itself. In 2017, 14 typhoons reached Vietnam, taking thelives of about 170 people, at least.
However, no matter how much Vietnamese people are saddened by disasters, we ardently tackle reconstruction. Perhaps, this attitude is similar to that of the Japanese people, who also frequently suffer from natural disasters. In Vietnam, people have felt awe for nature since the beginning of time. We revere nature for its beauty
and many graces.

60th Saijo Industry Fair

World Café

On November 11 and 12 (Sat./ Sun.), SIEA hosted Saijo Industry Fair’sWorld Café at Saijo Agriculture High School.
This year’s theme was “Meet the Arabian World.” Visitors could get aglimpse of a dwelling and try traditional ethnic clothing. Six
research students from different countries throughout Africa participatedin our workshops, and both days were crowded with visitors.
CIR Anh Thy also sold 400 fried spring rolls, and everyone joined CIR Diana
in an American square dance. At the end of the day, everyone joined in danceoutside ~ “Woo!” It was a day of fun! We look forward to next year!

Vietnamese fried spring rolls!

Arabian Corner

Research students from Africa

Everyone gathered to square dance!

Saijo International Exchange Association 164 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 〒793-8601
TEL(0897)52-1206 FAX(0897)52-1230 E-mail: kokusai@saijo-city.jp URL: http://www.city.saijo.ehime.jp

4International Relations Saijo
Dates with Diana

During the 3 years since SIEA’s
establishment, SIEA has joined forces
with the International Exchange Promotion Association (Susumeru Kai) to increase opportunities for cultural exchange. To deepen intercultural understanding, we introduced American square dancing during
Saijo’s Industry Fair last November. Having done so, I
later received a call inviting me to join a square dance
lesson from Ms. Mitsuko Okino, a veteran of theEhime Overseas Cooperation Agency (EOCA) with 20years of experience in square dancing. From that moment, a new partnership was born.
Ms. Okino’s friend had invited her to join a square
dance lesson about 20 years ago. After that, she washooked. Ms. Okino formed a square dance circle in Matsuyama and even dances with other devotees abroad.
She says she loves square dance because anyone canjoin in the fun regardless of age, nationality, gender, oroccupation and square dance helps people get along
even if they are meeting for the first time.
I was also captivated by square dance. I first encountered it when I was a first-year middle school student. As ours was the only class to make a square
dance presentation at our school, it was a pure coincidence. The more dances I learned, the more I came tolike it. However, I had not square danced again until

last year’s Industry Fair. While it is common for people to square dance in rural America and the Appalachian cultural region, there is no such custom in larger
cities like my hometown Los Angeles, so I had few opportunities to continue square dancing.
Last year, I recalled the appeal of square dancing
after I participated in my first Saijo Matsuri. The sightof everyone uniting as one moved me deeply. It is rare
for the people in Los Angeles to unite in such a way.
However, when I performed the square dances in middle school, teamwork was of the utmost importance, soI think that experience echoed the sense of unity in thecommunity that I felt during the Saijo Matsuri.
I believe that dance is a tool for communication.
Many people do not have the confidence to speak in
English, but I think that intercultural communication
is not limited to English. Through square dance, I
wanted to illustrate the manyforms of communication. This
year, I had the opportunity tointroduce square dance toSaijo once again with thehelp and passion of Ms. Okino. Together, we hope to increase cultural exchangethrough square dance!
Nowadays, square dance is not only enjoyed inAmerica, but also throughout many countries in theworld. Through dance, a new international community
has come into being!

Events & Announcements【Tanbara-cho International Exchange Association】
18th International Exchange Speech Contest◇Free to Watch!◇◆Date：December 24, 2017 (Sun.) 13:00~16:30◆Place：Saijo City Tanbara Community Center 1F Hall◆Contents：Speech Contest①Foreign residents’ Japanese language speeches②Elementary students’ speeches③English language speeches(middle・high school students)④Japanese residents’ foreign language speeches◆Inquiries: Tanbara-cho International Exchange Association Office
TEL:090-2781-6502(Mr.Ando)＜3rd International Exchange Café ＞◆Date：December 17 (Sun.) 13：00～15：00◆Place：Tanbara Community Center＜4th International Exchange Café ＞◆Date: February 7 (Wed.) 18：00～20：00◆Place：Saijo Industry Information
Support Center (SICS)
Participation Fee：300円 (general)
200円 (members)※Checkdetails onHP！
☞【English Speech Contest】◆Date：Jan. 7, 2018 (Sun.) 13:00～17：00◆Place：Saijo City Library 2F Large Conference Room
①Assistant Language Teacher’s (ALT) Japanese speeches②Elementary・middle・high school students’ English speeches◆Recruitment Period for Entries：Dec. 1~31, 2017
Applications by E-mail：toshihisa.ishikawa.r@gmail.com◆Inquiries：NPO Regional Revitalization・Individualized
Medical Care Toshihisa Ishikawa
Tel：080-6808-5059
EditorNotes

2017 has ended suddenly, hasn’t it! This year was fullof activity, and half of our staff changed. In 2018, wealso hope to give the community opportunities to learn
about new cultures, meet new people, and learn foreign languages for cultural exchange. Have a happy
new year! (石)International Relations Saijo Staff
Yuki Teraoka （寺）Miho Ishimura (石）
Diana Marie Linton (ダ）(English Translation)
Nguyen Bui Anh Thy (ア）Read in fullcolor！

Saijo International Exchange Association 164 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 〒793-8601
TEL(0897)52-1206 FAX(0897)52-1230 E-mail: kokusai@saijo-city.jp URL: http://www.city.saijo.ehime.jp