On October 10st, we welcomed 21 first-year students from Hyogo Prefectural Nishinomiya-Imazu School to our university, and they were given various experiences. Seven Vietnamese international students were recommended by their advisors and played an active role as collaborators.
Professor Maeda gave a lecture on the theme of "Be International and Global".At the end of her lecture, Ms. Maeda asked the high school students, "How should I interact with foreigners?"The teacher's answer was, "Don't deny the other country's culture. Each country has its own culture and is proud of it. Denying the other country's culture means denying the other country and the person themselves." It's the same thing. We can't get along."
Our international students who came to Japan are interested in Japanese nature, culture and people and want to know more.I felt that I should continue to do my best to understand each other.I was very moved when I heard the teacher's answer, "He thought about various things for foreigners."
After the lecture, I entered a workshop with international students. 21 high school students were divided into 7 groups, and one international student participated in each group.Two themes of Vietnam's New Year and marriage customs were introduced to high school students in an easy-to-understand manner, with the aim of motivating high school students to engage in future inquiry-based learning by exchanging information about different cultures.
The theme I introduced was Vietnamese New Year.When I introduced a dish called banchung, which is indispensable for Vietnamese New Year, just like Japanese New Year dishes, I used photos and videos to make it easier for people to imagine what it is.Based on what I said, the high school students drew a picture based on their own imagination and decided on a representative picture.I felt that I was able to fulfill my role because everyone drew well.
I answered the teacher's questions about the Vietnamese New Year one by one as much as I could. Interesting questions such as "How much is in Vietnam's New Year's gift?"
After the workshop, I was asked questions such as "Why did you come to Japan?" and "What surprised you about coming to Japan?"
"How much effort did you put in to come to Japan, and how happy you were when you received permission to enter Japan."There were many difficulties, and there were times when I was depressed.At that time, when I remembered when I started, I was able to regain the feeling of working hard again.
It was fun to be able to share Vietnamese culture and various things through the exchange meeting.I was nervous at first, but the high school students were easy to talk to and I was able to spend time comfortably.I realized that it is important to understand the culture of one's own country before investigating the culture of another country.
I hope that the future activities of Nishinomiya Imazu High School and the international students who cooperated this time will be the catalyst for good relations between Vietnam and Japan.
Faculty of International Communication Department of Tourism Vietnamese student: Nguyen Thuy Linh
⇒Faculty of International Communication Department of Tourism page
