Monday, January 24, 2011

Japan Will be in Our Hearts Forever


“Japan will be in our hearts forever,” was one of the phrases mentioned by the participants when the JENESYS Programme was nearly coming to an end. Perhaps this was why the JENESYS Programme was so unique; it touched each and every soul of the participants; it had the power to create the ever all embarrassing moments when tears came flooding out from the eyes of literally everyone more than once, beyond the understanding and comprehension of those who first felt that parting could be so difficult.

In a society where the values of respect, tolerance, care, and accommodation have been embedded in every citizen, I have always said, “Never underestimate the Japanese’s hospitality.” Throughout the programme, all volunteers had shown dedication beyond their own tasks and responsibilities, they treated everyone with great compassion. The places that they have brought us to: the Kiyomizudera temple and the Arashiyama in Kyoto, the Peace Memorial Park and the Disaster Reduction Centre in Hiroshima would be entirely different, if there were no signs of constant welcoming smiles and friendliness on their faces.

But beyond their great hospitality, I found that the Japanese are bonded from one to another, civilised for the sake of the community and disciplined for the sake of others. One of the situations that we encountered was in the Kansai Airport, Osaka. At that time, we were all rushing to the first lavatory that we could immediately caught sight of, which was just located not more than 10 metres from the escalator. Immediately, we were informed by the airport officials to avoid congesting to the washroom as it hindered others from walking past the route. And, you will most likely gasp when you enter their washrooms, because of its unusual cleanliness that you can almost never see in Malaysia. As some people put it, “You can always sleep in the toilets of Japan.” If you were in Japan, you will also realise that the fire extinguishers, unlike in Malaysia are placed literally at the corners of the floor, without any form of containment.

What’s up next is how the Japanese put things at their own hands when it comes to the environment. Virtually everywhere there are recycle bins, but finding a trash bin is a difficult task in Japan. It has become a habit of the local people to carry their trash with them back home. Walking down the streets, there are cyclers along the clean pathway. Cycling and walking are few of the preferable transport means to the Japanese.

Overall, the JENESYS programme has taught me a lot. Besides those mentioned above, I have also learnt the importance of peace and harmony, the effects of an atomic war, ways to prevent disasters and how to face one when it hit you and of course, love.


Michael Fork

JENESYS 2010

Sunday, January 23, 2011

My Experiences in JENESYS Program



Hi! My name is Nor Aqilah, JENESYS returnee 2010. I will start my story from the very first moment I know about AFS.

One afternoon, my 2nd sister was surfing the internet for information on student exchange programs because she wanted to apply for it. She found AFS, but unfortunately she can’t apply for the AFS program because she was already beyond the age requirement. So she asked me to apply instead. At first, I don’t want to apply because I know I am not qualified. But everybody in my family supported me. So I just applied.

A few week later, after I came back home from school, I found a letter from AFS in my mailbox; I was so happy that I was jumping around with my sisters. I read that letter and it asked me to go for an interview at JPN PERAK on 7th Jun 2010. I went there with my sisters. The best part was that I was the first person to enter the interview room. Luckily, I’m not a nervous and panicky type of person, so I went inside the room with confidence. In the room, I talked about myself and answered their questions. I did some syair since I’m not really good at dancing and singing. Then I went back home, relieved.

About 2 months later, I got the letter for the Selection Camp in Kuala Lumpur. And I got a place in JENESYS Program. This is where the real story begins.

Before departing to Japan, we had to attend a pre-departure orientation for 2 days and 1 night at Hotel Maluri Cheras Kuala Lumpur. We did games and some sessions to prepare ourselves in Japan. It was fun.

On 4 Dec 2010, at 11.50pm I boarded the Malaysia Airlines flight MH52. It took about 6-7 hours from Malaysia to Kansai Airport in Japan. We arrived in Japan at about 6.30 am. As we arrived there, we were welcomed by the JTB people. We then took a bus and travelled to Osaka, about an hour’s journey. When we arrived in Osaka, we had to attend an arrival orientation. In the hall at Otsu Prince Hotel, more than 400 JENESYS scholars from other countries were gathered. We took this opportunity to introduce ourselves and make friends. I met people from New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, and more. In that orientation I was in the group called Country Mix 9 or also known as CM 9. We stayed one night at Rhiga Royal Hotel.

The next day, we went to Kiyomizu-dera (temple) in Kyoto. The view at the temple was really nice with the variation colour of the leaves, red yellow and orange. It was a view that I’ve never seen in my life. The weather was cold; it’s about 9°C. I learned about Japanese beliefs when they come to this temple. For lunch, we went to Arayashima to eat udon. The udon was served in a very unique way. It was really delicious. I ate all of it and nothing was left behind except for the meat, because I’m a Muslim.

After lunch, we started our journey to Hiroshima by shinkansen or in English, the Bullet Train. It is a very fast train, travelling at about 300km/h. It is the fastest train in the world and is considered to be never late. It took about an hour and the half from Kyoto to Hiroshima. When we arrived in Hiroshima, they brought us to Okanomiyaki Restaurant for dinner. It is one of my favorite food in Japan. I love it so much. We stayed at Rhiga Royal Hotel and my room number is 2705. We stayed for 2 days and 1 night.

Dec 6 2010, our first study trip in Hiroshima was the Peace Memorial Park. I learned about the Bomb-Dome, Cenotaph and Children Peace Monument. We cannot make noise while we were there. We ate udon again for lunch, but this time we ate it in a traditional Japanese style. After lunch we went to the Hiroshima Reduction Centre. Here, I experienced man-made earthquake at the size of 7 magnitudes. I also learned about how to escape from smoke when a building is on fire and rode the fire truck. After that, we went to the Hiroshima Memorial Museum. I didn’t have a chance to explore the museum because it is the time for me to do my prayer. So, I have to search place to take ‘wudu’ and pray. I decided to pray at the bus parking lot, I prayed between two buses.

Dec 7- Dec 12. This was the time when all JENESYS scholar would spend our 5 days at our host community and family. My host community was in Kumamoto. My host parents live in condominium. I shared host family with one Indonesian girl named Ferralda. I’m the only Malaysian in that Kumamoto group. I tried my best to be a good ambassador of Malaysia. My school was at Kumamoto-Kita High school, we spent 2 days there. There, I explained about Malaysia culture, food, education system and our flag. I also brought a replica of the PETRONAS Twin Tower and showed it to the Japanese student. I also explain what I know about it to them. The Japanese student was really nice and friendly. Time flew really fast, I was reluctant to go back to Tokyo and I cried a lot at the last night.


We went to Tokyo from Kumamoto Airport by flight. When I arrived at the Tokyo Airport, I was so happy to meet my fellow Malaysians, you won’t know how much I miss Bahasa Malaysia. Dec 14 was our last day in Japan. That day, all 559 students from all the different countries were gathered in a big auditorium for a closing event which is the JENESYS Festival 2010 and Pre-Departure Orientation. There were a lot of dances from about 10 countries. It was a happening event. After the event, we travelled from Tokyo to Narita and stayed at Marroad International Hotel Narita.

The next day, we went to Narita Airport. Our flight was at 10.30 am. And this is the time all of us from Malaysia felt sad and happy at the same time. Sad because we had to leave Japan, happy because we are coming back to our country, a land where we belong. The conclusion of my experiences is this, I learned to be myself and confident. I appreciate my country more and wish to bring changes. I gained a lot of wonderful experiences that helped me to be matured. I made a lot of friend from many countries, which is better than chatting with them. These are the experiences that I will never forget and wish to share it with people. Thank You AFS Malaysia and Japan for giving me these unforgettable moments.



NOR AQILAH BT SEDEK SHAH,

IPOH PERAK,

JENESYS 2010.

Monday, January 3, 2011

YP & SP Volunteers Needed

Hello all,

It is time for the much anticipated annual Year Program Pre-departure Orientation Camp! So busy busy busy with preparations and organizations! We need help! Hence we are looking for willing, fun-minded, hotel food loving, great with crazy kids returnee-volunteers to join our camp facilitator bandwagon :)

We are in need for *facilitators that can stay for the whole duration as well as returnee with fresh experience to pass on to the next generation in the country orientation (2nd day of camp).

Send us an email at suyin.chia@volunteer.afs.org.my / chengyee.chong@volunteer.afs.org.my if you are able to join us with the following details:

Who:
All YEAR PROGRAM & SEMESTER PROGRAM returnees only

Camp Date:
14th - 16th January, 2011

Location:
Quality Hotel, Shah Alam

Stay required:
YES for main facilitators / NO only for country briefing volunteers

We will answer any inquiries ASAP! Your favorite student exchange organization thanks you :)



If you don't qualify this time around, don't feel bummed out! There's more events and activities happening REAL soon! Have you checked out our ADAPT page yet? :D


*New returnees / first time volunteers are highly encouraged to apply. Relive the memories. Pass on the experience!

ADAPT - AFS Deaf Awareness Project



AFS is kicking off 2011 with another fun, yet meaningful project called the AFS Dear Awareness Project (ADAPT). Inspired by hearing-impaired volunteers of our own, ADAPT aims to raise awareness for the deaf community among society members like us by introducing and learning Malaysian Sign Language (MYSL) in a fun way! There’s even a Flash mob zomgoodness!


What are we doing you ask? Well for starters, we are launching a 2 week pledge to post your ADAPT M.Y.S.L profile pic and AFS badge on Facebook starting 8 January! Then, we're going to close the event with a BANG by having a flash-mob signing the song "Imagine" by John Lennon (inspired by Glee!) at a yet undisclosed location within Klang Valley!


So YES! Come join us at our Facebook page where you can find tips and guidelines on how to be a part of this campaign (and also see who is already involved!) Hurry! Download the step-to-step guide today on how YOU can be a part of ADAPT on Facebook and join the flashmob!