My Overseas activities as a volunteer

I am teaching Japanese Language at Yangon University of Foreign Language as a visiting professor. I returned to Japan on 21st of July taking year-end holidays. I had a plan to go back to Myanmar in September after taking recreation and collecting teaching materials.

At the moment, universities are closed in Myanmar. The only university opens now is University of Foreign Language, which mainly care about government employee's foreign language matters. There are about 1,000 students studying English, German, Russian, Korean, Japanese, Malaysian and Thailand. Among them Japanese students are the most. They amount to about 500. By judging it we can know the interest of Myanmar people in Japanese Language.

The classes are five days a week system. I take the duty of five periods of 100 minutes classes. The supports they arrange for me are a house to live, the chance of using furniture free, transport between the university and residence, allowance of meals, and etc. These are the things, which I have primarily asked form the very beginning. Although the allowance for meals is 10,000 Kyats (30 US$) per month, I can manage to go on using it because it is cheap to have meals in Yangon. Cost of return to Japan is my own expense. It happens so, because it is a job of a volunteer. I can say nothing about it.

Since before I became a pensioner, I had lined with my own style abroad for a long time. Enjoying life with appreciated thing, style & rating, I had been living with a good judgement and self-examination. I had a longing for a happy life for the second life. The dream had come true. Filled with satisfaction, I spent a lot of times eating a lot to make myself pot-bellied.

Nowadays, I have been serving in one of the overseas volunteers group. The objective of the group is for the members to learn Japanese Language. If there are people who want to study the Japanese Language, the members must teach them at their own Japanese. Japan has lost her way after the period of the collapse of Japan's bubble economics. It resorts to the policy of going hither & thither. In spite of the situation thus happening, people are not disappointed. They take special interest in Japan. Those who want to be well versed in Japanese are so many in the whole world.

Especially in the South-East Asia, they are a lot of people who show ardent and strong interest. To tell you the truth, it may be an ironic word. Hence, the activity of teaching Japanese for the overseas social activity is a suitable function. I think the importance of the matter is very great. In Japan, since Meiji era, it has adopted an open-door policy and paid attention to the whole world. But inattention to world regarding Asia is unchangeable both in pre-war & post wartime.

Now, Japan is facing a problem of economic blockage. May be it is a relevant fact. From now on, it is based on the social relationship & basic social class people. Japan has become a nation with a well - laid foundation stone to a place in Asia.

I have digressed a little from the main point. The association including me has made fixed studies. Then we have to practise. But the association is a small one. I come to know that sometimes we are in a difficult situation, which cannot be decided. However this fact stimulates and the only thing I could rely on is myself. I believe so and I get benefits from learning the importance of performing boldly.

As I have been serving as a Japanese Language Teacher, I must take my age into account. I cannot keep on working in the future, so at the present time I have to work harder with enthusiasm. Last year I had worked for about 6 months according to the programmed of the Ministry of China. This year since April I have been working in Myanmar.

There are a lot of things to be worried about my family, especially about a housewife, about my health, about the peaceful situation of country I am going to, & about the management of expenses. Nobody knows these items will be a checked at some time.

Until now, there is no suffering form body or mind. But we cannot have a good command of a foreign language easily. That's a point of our impatience. We have got this taste both in Myanmar & China. Studying a Language depends on our willingness, we know. We have studied our Japanese Language when at school. And we neglected foreign Languages. Now in the classroom, I'm teaching the Japanese Language. Using the ways and means of how to learn the language, I'm teaching the learners. When I myself learn a foreign Language, I find it difficult to learn the methods.

It is a laughing matter, so I have nothing to do but to make me amused. If a person wants to learn a foreign Language, he will have to go abroad. It is said to be the best. For me, while I am in a foreign land, the people who want to learn my Japanese Language surround me. Because of this fact, I may have been hiding my less diligence. I suppose so.

So far, I compare my Japanese religion with Myanmar religion. They are of the same religion. When I come here, I see quite a difference between them. For example, I won't get an opportunity to throw a part with local people. Because there is no traditional drinking custom.

In China, there is such a custom, though. In the beginning, I was feeling there. After a long stay, it has become convenient for me to deal with people. It bears some fruit. I think so. In addition, the quantity of alcohol to be drunk is becoming less. Hence, the conservation of my body weight will be some combination automatically. I feel happy to have a foreign experience a lot.