Mar 2007 Newsletter: Pangaea Ring - Ms. Kayo Umegaki, Pangaea Volunteer
Hi, Pangaean! My name is Kayo Umegaki. I was called "Ume" by Pangaean.
I'm glad to have this opportunity to introduce myself in the Pangaea newsletter. I joined Pangaea as an internship from my university, and then helped the office work and activities as part-time until last year. Now, I'm studying Child Development in a graduate school in Boston. The experiences in Pangaea affected me in many aspects, so I'd like to share them in this letter.
In the activities of Pangaea, I could learn a lot of things: the pleasure
and importance of working hard for one goal, the current situations of the
non-profit organizations in Japan, how to facilitate children and so on.
Especially, the importance of "the interpersonal encounter and connection"
was the most precious one for me, because through the sharing many things
and experiences with Pangaean whose age and jobs vary, I could know various
kinds of life and values of people. They influenced my own value and I
could decide to study abroad after graduation from my university in Japan.
In this regard, I also could have a lot of support from Pangaean, so I
really appreciate Pangaea to have me.
In addition, during eight months since I came here, I learned the importance of "knowing the differences among people", because people are really diverse in the United States and knowing differences provided me a kind of comfort in such a society, while I was bewildered by differences in people's appearance, language, the way of thinking and expressing, and manner, between in the United States and Japan at first. I became able to enjoy such differences since I know that people also have similarities such as smile and sadness, and we can share such joy and sad for the same interest.
The importance of "interpersonal encounter and connection" and "knowing the differences among people" is the one, which Pangaea is now promoting to the world now. I finally can realize their real meanings here, while I couldn't figure out in Japan because most people have the same appearance and language. I consider that this realization will spread more in the next generation with the diffusion of the Internet and globalization, thus I really hope the growth of Pangaea.
That's all! Thank you for taking time for this reading. Hope to see you all soon!
p.s: I'm doing an internship in a program in the United States. The supervisor is really similar to Yumi, the president, thus I also can realize the people's universality here. The similarities are that they talk and laugh with big voice, react nervously to each things, and think seriously and considerately about followers, while they pretend to be cool, and so on. That's so fanny, but I really feel that people are the same, regardless of culture, ethnicity, language and appearance.
Kayo Umegaki, Pangaea Volunteer
In addition, during eight months since I came here, I learned the importance of "knowing the differences among people", because people are really diverse in the United States and knowing differences provided me a kind of comfort in such a society, while I was bewildered by differences in people's appearance, language, the way of thinking and expressing, and manner, between in the United States and Japan at first. I became able to enjoy such differences since I know that people also have similarities such as smile and sadness, and we can share such joy and sad for the same interest.
The importance of "interpersonal encounter and connection" and "knowing the differences among people" is the one, which Pangaea is now promoting to the world now. I finally can realize their real meanings here, while I couldn't figure out in Japan because most people have the same appearance and language. I consider that this realization will spread more in the next generation with the diffusion of the Internet and globalization, thus I really hope the growth of Pangaea.
That's all! Thank you for taking time for this reading. Hope to see you all soon!
p.s: I'm doing an internship in a program in the United States. The supervisor is really similar to Yumi, the president, thus I also can realize the people's universality here. The similarities are that they talk and laugh with big voice, react nervously to each things, and think seriously and considerately about followers, while they pretend to be cool, and so on. That's so fanny, but I really feel that people are the same, regardless of culture, ethnicity, language and appearance.
Kayo Umegaki, Pangaea Volunteer
Posted by: kumakinoko | 3. Newsletter , 4. Pangaea Ring
