Activities Report for the 2006 August JICA Participants
Benin Bolivia Chile China
India Kyrgyzstan Laos Madagascar
Mongolia Niger Nigeria Pakistan
Peru Philippines Solomon Islands Thailand
Vanuatu Venezuela
Meeting the Interns

As the JICA interns arrived at the hotel, they were greeted by their host families and KIS. Afterward, KIS held the interns' introduction ceremony with the host families. As always there were pleasant conversations and it was a happy and harmonious event. This year there was no CIR for about a month, and along with it being the Obon season, this time of year tends to be the busiest for KIS. We had to make two sets of materials for each event, one for the KIS members and one for the interns. Just when I was thinking, "phew, this is too hard", a great help appeared. Kyota Ishikida, who was a sophomore on an internship program from the International Education College, offered to volunteer for ten days. Able to freely use strong English and to complete jobs quickly, he was a huge help. Also, the Kazuno City CIR, Stacie, was able to do some interpreting. Thanks to the help of a lot of people, we were able to go forward smoothly with our events. I am so grateful for everyone's participation and cooperation. For now we have about a month and half before the interns leave and we still have lots of events. Make sure to come and enjoy them with us.

JICA Interns' Welcome Party

Date:
 Aug. 24 (Thurs), 6:00 pm
Place: Tenshikan


The Welcome Party was held on August 24 (Thurs). A large number of people wearing various ethnic clothes, yukata, karate outfits, etc gathered into the meeting hall for the party that had atheme of "harmony". On top of the tables there was Japanese somen, watermelon, green beans, and more, typical of a Japanese summer!! We had told the JICA interns beforehand that there was going to be a karate performance. You could tell at the party that there were looking forward to it and wondering what exactly they would see. "Did the samurai also do karate?" "…Well, there were some samurai who knew karate but samurai were mostly did kendo…" "Ooh…" It is really hard to explain martial arts!! Starting with the performance of the kids from the Bushinkai Karate Club and ending with the strong performance of their instructors, you could tell from the loud applause that it was definitely a show worth seeing.　After the show, the interns also joined in and tried some moves.　I think this will become a great memory for the interns. To the people of the Bushinkai Karate Club, thank you so much for showing us such a wonderful show that couldn't have been seen elsewhere. (Ito)

Flag Painting

Date:
 Sept. 2 (Sat), 10:00 am
Place: Central Park


Toney Tevi (Vanuatu):
I am very honored to have been asked by KIS to paint the flag of my country. It made me feel really proud to have placed my national identity in a foreign land and for that reason it will be here for generations of my fellow citizens to come over to Kosaka and realize that a Ni-Vanuatu has already been here. I therefore am very grateful and would like to thank KIS and the Town for allowing my country flag to be painted at the Kosaka Central Park. Arigatou gozaimasu.

Wilson Rafiau (Solomon Islands):
I would like to thank KIS for arranging this flag painting ceremony to paint my country's flag, it is the highlight event for me. I am so proud that this ceremony has enabled Solomon Islands' flag to fly high…and also to give a message to the next Solomon Islander coming here in Kosaka in the near future the chant, "GO SOLO GO!!!"

Okuni Shokai

Date:
 Sept. 15 (Fri), 7:00-8:30 pm
Place: Tenshikan


I was very impressed by the proud faces of the JICA participants as
they introduced their countries in the Tenshikan on September 15th. Also, the interns were able to meet people outside of their host
friends and enjoy games like name bingo and the O/X quiz with all of
us. 　(Yukiko Oike)

2006 International High School Forum
Date:
 Sept. 15 (Fri), 7:00-8:30 pm
Place: Tenshikan


Yuji Fujiwara, Freshman, Environmental Studies:

This was my first International Forum and at first I was at a loss and was not able to communicate with the interns, but as time passed I was glad that I could talk more normally with them and have a fun time.　

Shun Hatazawa, Freshman, General Studies:

In participating in this International Forum, I was glad that I could get to know people that I haven't had a chance to meet before. I very much want to participate in activities like this in the future.

Yuetsu Fujiwara, Sophomore, General Studies:

This was my first International Forum. I was very nervous about talking with the interns and wasn't able to speak very freely. But, I am glad that I was able to talk some with them and have a very valuable experience.

International Cooking Class

Date： September 30 (Sat)
Cooking: From 3:30 on
Eating: From 6:00 on
Place： Sepamu
Cost： KIS Members \500
Non-KIS Members \1000
Junior/High School Students \300
Eating is one of the most enjoyable things in life!
So let's have everyone show up for this event! We will be having some of the best dishes from the home countries of some of our interns. We've had applications from about six different countries. Please come around 3:00 to help out. If you're just looking to eat, then come by at 6:00.
Let's Have a Talk

Date： November 3 (Fri)
3:00 - 5:00
Place： Tenshikan
Cost： Free
※What if you suddenly pass gas in front of others?
※What if after eating at a restaurant, you realize you forgot your wallet?
※etc
We will be sure to have some rather interesting and revealing conversations.

We'll also have an "World Cup Darts Game" and see which nation triumphs.
Japanese Class

4:30 - 5:30　ＭＩＮＥＴＥＣ
8/29（Mon）, 9/5（Mon）, 9/20（Tues）,
9/26（Mon）, 10/11（Tues）, 10/18（Tues）,
10/31（Mon）, 11/14（Mon）
 This is a Japanese class geared toward the JICA interns. The content of the class will focus on conversation. If you're available and have an interest in teaching Japanese please come by and help out.
Farewell Party

Date： November 16 (Thurs)
6:30 - 8:30
Place： Sepamu
Cost： KIS Members \500
Non-KIS Members \1000
Junior/High School Students \300
Elementary and below are free
This will be the last event with the interns. Let's give them a proper farewell while recounting our past memories and enjoying various performances.