The following post is written by our Australian Intern who joined our 2018 Summer Internship Program:
G’day! My name is Tom and I’m from YMCA Victoria in Australia. This summer I was hired as a Camp Leader Intern at Rokkosan YMCA.
During my interview with the Global Engagement team, I was encouraged to reconsider what I think of as a summer camp. This was useful advice as my prior summer camp experience was limited to a North American context. I was told that Japanese children can be quite shy and not as outgoing as Americans, so it might be harder to get them involved. I gained more experience here in Japan working with different age groups. I found that the kindergarteners are so fearless and friendly, whilst kids aged around 7-15 years old were quieter and preferred to blend in.
My roles and responsibilities were also a little different at Rokkosan compared to Camp Greentop in The USA. Essentially all of our dynamic Rokko Interns took on the roles of both general and specialist counselors. For some camps, we would collectively plan the entire schedule and then lead and facilitate all activities. We would incorporate some classics into the program whilst also creating completely new and innovative games and ice-breakers.
Everyone has their unique strong suits and weaknesses. However working in a close-knit team at Rokko, meant that we could all help each other out and grow and learn together.
The interns have various English proficiencies. As a native English speaker and a fairly vocal person, I’m aware that my confidence may be perceived as inspiring or intimidating. I realised early on in our brainstorming sessions that it was better for me to sit further back from the action. This allowed me to better engage quieter people in the circle and facilitate a more equal contribution from all.
My internship also involved training and mentoring the junior Rokko interns. It was the first time that I’ve been tasked with such a role for an extended period. This tested and enhanced my leadership qualities tremendously.
I learned the importance of the little things too, like responding to Line* messages. It’s also imperative to be on time in Japan. Being late is a serious sign of disrespect. Communication styles sometimes varied between individuals, which was challenging to overcome.
Traveling in Japan is made easier thanks to the friendly locals, who generously help you when you’re looking a little out of your element. My breaks were spent hiking along nature trails, savouring the taste of melt-in-your-mouth Kobe beef, revelling in Osaka’s nightlife, hitting the beach and swimming in Japan’s largest lake.
It’s not surprising that when you’re working, living and socializing with the other interns for two months, you naturally become close and forge lifelong friendships. It provided me with fresh perspectives and new places and experiences to discover abroad.
After spending my summer rooming with my Hawaiian colleague, I learned a lot about Hawaiian culture, food and the island state’s unique intersect between East and West lifestyles. Meanwhile, hanging out with the Taiwanese interns turned me into a connoisseur of Taiwanese snacks and a pro in Taiwanese slang.
One of the perks of living on the mountain was the local viewpoint overlooking Kobe, Osaka Bay, Osaka city, Kansai airport and Awaji Island. It became a special place for us to bond, stargaze, meditate and welcome people to Japan’s glorious Kansai region. Throughout the summer, we introduced our sacred spot to new interns, a Danish couple visiting Rokkosan, and a Taiwanese YMCA group.
If you’re looking to develop both professionally and personally, then I recommend embarking on an internship with YMCA Osaka. You’ll be pushed in unforeseeable and rewarding ways and you’ll be exposed to Japanese culture and other cultures. Plus your global network will expand, so you’ll have friends to stay with when you travel elsewhere.
*Line is a communication app, similar to Whatsapp or Facebook Messenger that is used heavily in Japan.