Let’s experience the world
Rieko Yamamoto(Faculty of Law, 4th Year)
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〈Editor’s note〉
The English Newspaper Club initiated the discussion meeting on July 15, 2011 at Doshisha under the support of AIESEC. First, Toshinori Shigeie, a former Japanese Ambassador of South Korea, made “a key speech.” Second, four panelists (each 2 students from ENC and AIESEC) talked about “the world from the students point of view.”
I participated the other day in a lecture meeting “Let’s experience the world.” The students who participated in the lecture were people from various countries such as Japan, South Korean, and China.
First, there was a speech made by Shigeie. He had an experience of working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and made various speeches there.
He said, “Greeting someone energetically is the most important thing to do when talking with foreigners. You can easily become friends if you do so.”
I agree with him. When I was in Australia for one month, I greeted a lot of people with a smile, even though I was not able to speak English. I could make lots of friends, and made good relationships. Moreover, he said, “Students should go to foreign countries earlier. It is important to study and experience the world by yourselves.”
After Shigeie’s speech, a few students who have had the experience of studying abroad in foreign countries joined the discussion. There was one story I have in mind: the story of a male student.
He was a student who played soccer enthusiastically in his childhood, and was playing for Japan’s national squad when he was a high school student. By the time he became a university student, he had joined a team in Germany and started on a journey. He returned to Japan once and took the visa because he had passed the test to enter the team when he first went to Germany.
Afterwards, when he returned to Germany once again, he worked hard to join the team. But the people there told him, “We can’t make a contract with you.” At that time, he lost the team, the house, and the meal. Because of this, he had a really tough time. Since he was not able to speak German, he had to live in the dormitory where he shared the room with a lot of people. In addition, he was suspected of stealing from a supermarket. However, he was helped by a Japanese translator during that time. After that, he did a home stay at one family’s house, and could join a good soccer team.
I have heard that his recent dream is to become a pilot. He told me he will go abroad again to study English from next year, even though he can already speak German and Korean.
This story impressed me strongly. I recalled my mother’s words. “A person who has gone through a severe experience is a strong person.”
I also have a dream of going to a foreign country. My dream will come true by my going to Ireland this November. I want to see the world with my own eyes.
Shigeie〈guest speaker〉, Mitsui〈Vice-President of AIESEC DOSHISHA〉, panelists from far right (the photo provided by AIESEC)
