SIEAInterviews with our language instructors!

① Hometown ② Their reason for studying Japanese ③ Favorite place in Saijo④Foods they like/hate ⑤ Words for our readersVol. 28
November 2020&217(176^ĞůĨ-ŝŶƚƌŽĚƵĐƚŝŽŶƐĨƌŽŵKƵƌ>ĂŶŐƵĂŐĞ/ŶƐƚƌƵĐƚŽƌƐϭdŚĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚϮĂŶĚƚŚĞ&ŽƌĞƐƚƐŽĨŽƌŶĞŽ͞KƵƌtŝĚĞtŽƌůĚ͟ǆŚŝďŝƟŽŶϮ

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4/ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂůZĞůĂƟŽŶƐ/E&K('ĞŶĞƌĂůDĞĞƟŶŐŶŶŽƵŶĐĞŵĞŶƚƐͿϰJ （English instructor)①New York, America②I first learned about Japanese culture in high school and I've been interested in it
ever since. I was very surprised by the differences between Japanese and American
culture at the time, and that's why I started my Japanese studies.
③ I love the mountains and the sea, since they’re both nearby and full of nature.
④I eat just about anything, so I don't know what my #1 favorite food is, but I’m nota big fan of mentaiko and pickled plums.
⑤The whole world right now is facing extremely troubling times. Despite all that,everyone's doing their best. Let's take care of ourselves, keep moving forward, andget through this together!

Cho (Chinese instructor)①Jilin Province, China②I worked for a Japanese company and that was my reason for starting my Japanese studies. Later, I left the company and went to a Japanese language school for ayear.
③I like the mountains and rivers.
④My favorite foods are tomatoes and cucumbers, and I don't hate any foods inparticular.
⑤Language opens up new, unknown worlds and possibilities. Why don't you give
the world of Chinese a try?

Anh (Vietnamese instructor)①Hanoi, Vietnam②Ever since I was a child, I’ve been interested in East Asian culture and I wanted tolearn kanji. Even though its resources are scarce and it's often plagued by natural disasters, I looked up to Japan as an economic powerhouse, and that was why I decided toadvance my Japanese studies.
③Mt. Ishizuchi. I climbed it last year in October. Even though the trails were steep andthe vertical chains were a bit scary, the view from the summit was so beautiful thatwords don’t do it justice. I want to go again this year.
④I like sushi and I don’t like anything made with onions.
⑤I’m Anh, a Vietnamese person who loves Japan. It's only been a year and a halfsince I moved to Japan, but I've grown to love Japan more and more. I want to keep
studying Japanese while working and experience many things. I want to become friends
with people who love Vietnam, and build a bridge between Japanese and Vietnamese
culture. I look forward to meeting you!

/ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂůZĞůĂƟŽŶƐ^/:KŝƐĂŶĞǁƐůĞƩĞƌƉƵďůŝƐŚĞĚďǇƚŚĞ^ĂŝũŽ/ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂůǆͲĐŚĂŶŐĞƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ;^/Ϳ͘&ĞĞůĨƌĞĞƚŽĐŽŶƚĂĐƚƵƐǁŝƚŚǇŽƵƌĐŽŵŵĞŶƚƐ͕ƋƵĞƐƟŽŶƐ͕ĂŶĚƐƵďŵŝƐƐŝŽŶƌĞƋƵĞƐƚƐ͘

Lee (Korean instructor)①Korea②I started studying Japanese in middle school because I wanted to watch Japanese
anime like “Hajime no Ippo” and “One Piece”.
③Hachidoyama and Kamegamori. Nature is everywhere and the views are stunning!
④Like: Pork Steak and ramen Hate: Tofu and cucumbers⑤If you see me outside, please say “Annyeonghaseyo” to me!

Saijo International Exchange Association (SIEA) 164 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 〒793-8601
TEL(0897)56－5151 EXT:2292 FAX(0897)52-1386 E-mail: info@saijo-iea.jp URL: http://www.saijo-iea.jp/

2International Relations SAIJO☆The Environment and the Forests of Borneo☆

“The Environment and the Forests of Borneo” was held on August 8th(Sat.) at Saijo City’s Welfare Center. Due to concerns about the COVID19 pandemic, there was apprehension about holding the event but theevent was ultimately held without any trouble. In addition to the in-person
attendees, nearly 40 people from around the country participated using
ZOOM in a completely novel event format.
The event commenced with a lecture on “SDGs and International Understanding” by Mr. Shoichi Yamashita, the Ehime desk representative ofJICA Shikoku. Starting with an explanation on “Millennium DevelopmentGoods” (MDGs), the predecessor to SDGs, Yamashita first discussed its successes and shortcomings before
introducing the series of events that led to the adoption of “Sustainable Development Goods” (SDGs).
After Yamashita’s presentation, Mr. Tomoo Arakawa, director of Borneo Conservation Trust Japan (BCTJ),
lectured on environmental conservation in Borneo in great detail.
Attendees were shocked to hear the extent to which palm oil produced in Borneo is used in their daily lives.
They also learned about palm oil itself, and how it is primarily gathered and produced in oil palm plantations.
Attendees also participated in various workshops, learning about the actual situations in these oil palm plantations, the palm oil industry’s connections to Japanese corporations, and other related topics.
Even though the forests of Borneo may seem distant and disconnected from our lives in Japan, they’re deeplyinterconnected. Through understanding and recognizing the problems the planet faces, we can then plan andact accordingly. The event was a good opportunity to reflect on our actions to help protect the environment.

“Our Wide World” Exhibition

From August 4th to August 31st, the International Relations Promotion Team held its “Our Wide World” exhibitionat the entrance to the Saijo Branch Iyo Bank. Equipped with easy-to-understand displays, traditional tools, andclothing from a myriad of countries, the exhibition helped to convey a sense of just how large our world is. The“Our Wide World” exhibition was a lot of fun and allowed visitors to experience many countries they’ve never seenor visited before.
Saijo International Exchange Association (SIEA) 164 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 〒793-8601
TEL(0897)56－5151 EXT:2292 FAX(0897)52-1386 E-mail: info@saijo-iea.jp URL: http://www.saijo-iea.jp/

3International Relations SAIJOMy First German MealMy Language Course

My Study AbroadExperience

My Host Family and Me

My Favorite Place:

Living in a Different Culture
After studying abroad for 7 months, I can say that I’ve
learned a lot and grew significantly as a person. Of all thethings I’ve come to learn and understand, the most important thing I learned was who I really am. The fundamental difference between living in Germany and Japan
lied in whether I was considered a minority or not. In Japan, since I was part of the majority, I didn’t think too
much on who I was and just conformed to society. On theother hand, Germany was the first place overseas where I
was a minority. When I tried to build a good community
there, the one thing I was most conscious of was my own
identity. I was just a foreigner and my German was terrible; at that rate, no one would pay attention to just an ordinary Asian like me. I learned to highlight my individuality
and autonomy, figured out exactly who I was, and conveyed my self to everyone I met. As a result, my newfoundidentity became the basis for many of my friendships and I
learned to acknowledge and respect the individuality ofothers a lot more, too. Living in a different culture has
definitely been a great opportunity to rediscover my roots.

Volunteering at a Refugee CampOne of the aims of my study abroad program was to volunteer in refugee
camps, which I visited 2 to 3 times a month. My volunteer work mainly
consisted of holding volunteer language classes. In between volunteer
activities, I talked with some refugees and learned a lot about the refugee
crisis and their daily lives. What stood out to me was the fact that almost
all of the facilities were managed or supported by German companies andvolunteers. Germany helped the refugees regardless of their citizenship,
and I feel like that symbolizes what an ideal leader of today’s globalized
world should be doing.
On the other hand, compared to other G7 countries, Japan’s refugee
recognition rate is extremely low at a meager 0.2%. In addition, the current refugee recognition system itself is littered with flaws, and for applicants, it is not remotely fair. In fact, in April last year, an Indian man who
went through a cycle of detentions and had his application rejected committed suicide in one of these refugee camps. I want more people toknow about the harsh predicaments refugees face when they come toJapan. The fact that the rights of socially disadvantaged people are notprotected means that if we ever became disadvantaged people in the eyesof society, we’d be left by the wayside too. This is also something that I
want Japanese people to understand.
（Saijo High School SaoriIshioka）

Christmas inAmerica

Everyone at theRefugee CampMy BelovedTeacher, TheirPartner, and Me

Dresden Memories

Saijo International Exchange Association (SIEA) 164 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 〒793-8601
TEL(0897)56－5151 EXT:2292 FAX(0897)52-1386 E-mail: info@saijo-iea.jp URL: http://www.saijo-iea.jp/

4International Relations SAIJO
From Hue, Vietnam

The rainy season in Vietnam lasts from June to November. The rainyseason brings heavy rainfall and flooding, and the central regions of Vietnam are especially vulnerable. Saijo’s sister city, Hue, is located in oneof these central regions. In fact, heavy rains and typhoons are so frequent
that it is often said that “Hue’s local specialty is rain.”
Even though the construction of hydroelectric and dry dams havedecreased the amount of damage incurred, every year, heavy flooding
continues to occur until these facilities are built. Notably, in 1999, historicamounts of flooding occurred in Hue, and the event still remains in thehearts of its citizens today. One village watched as hundreds of housesfloated away. The sight of many people on their roofs waiting for days forhelp and of others breathing their last breaths will forever be ingrained intheir minds.
As a result of that event, the Hue government decided to allocate moreresources toward disaster prevention. Hue’s collaborative disaster prevention projects with Saijo are a part of this effort. For instance, Saijo’s“Education on Disaster Preparedness for Middle School Children” is one
such project.

determined.
In addition to floods, in the summer, hot winds blow in from neighboring Laos, causing a “maddening” heat wave to sweep over Hue. Despite
living in such a harsh environment, the people of Hue are said to be themost kind in all of Vietnam.
Even though rain can inflict significant damage, it is described with tenderness and beauty in songs. One famous song has the following verse:“If you go to the city of Hue, send her rains my way.” For people fromHue who currently live far away from their hometown, the rains of Hue
certainly bring about a sense of nostalgia.
To help the people of Hue in these trying times, Saijo sent comfortingwords and donations their way. We hope that Hue recovers as soon aspossible.

Hue

In September of this year, a typhoon hit Hue, toppling over countlesstrees and utility poles and inflicting casualties for the first time in years.
Then, heavy rain fell continuously from October 6th to October 12th due
to a tropical low-pressure system, and the entirety of Hue faced severe
flooding, with some areas submerged. The water levels even surpassedŐThe Submerged Symbol of Hue, Đại Nội Őthe records set in 1999. The total extent of the damage has yet to be“World Study” Intl. Understanding Lectures Have Started!
As of 2020, SIEA’s newest project, the “World Study” International
Understanding lectures, is now underway.
The lecturers, including Professor Bunji Matsushita (visiting professor in the Department of International Studies at Juntendo University), the board chairman for the non-profit International Exchange Support Association, have each gone on trips around the world, visiting amyriad of countries. This wonderful lecture series offers attendees theopportunity to listen to fascinating stories about various countries, whilelearning authentic English. Children attending the event watched andlistened with their eyes aglow, as if they had gone on a trip themselves.

International Relations INFO
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Editorial Little by little, SIEA is resuming its lectures and events. We still
Comments can’t let our guard down, so with social distancing measures inInternational Relations
SAIJO Staff：
Minoru Tokumasu
Maiko Kosugi
Nguyen Bui Anh Thy

Readable inF

full color！
mind, we’re planning many fun events for all of you in the near
future! Look forward to it! - Kosugi
Saijo International Exchange Association (SIEA) 164 Akeyashiki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture 〒793-8601
TEL(0897)56－5151 EXT:2292 FAX(0897)52-1386 E-mail: info@saijo-iea.jp URL: http://www.saijo-iea.jp/