Sa Puso ng Japan (Part II)

I grew up in a very exclusive family (exclusive in this article is operationally defined as: closely connecting to only few familiar people)..Supposedly, I should have grown up shy and withdrawn, but it didn't happen...I grew up to be an extrovert and drawn to people. This is in fact a proof that sociability factor is never inherited, genetic factor is a rule-out! Ever since I was in kindergarten or even younger, our teachers encouraged me to make friends with others and develop a certain bond with another person. And it is true indeed when they say that having good friends and strong bond of friendship with another person is probably one of the best things that would happen to us in our lives.

In fact, friendship is what we believe as gift from God and one that should be cherished in our lives. Without the warmth of having friends, our lives can be empty and feels like we are living in a black hole sucking us into oblivion of coldness. Yes, the world is indeed a better place if you have friends by your side. I am totally overwhelmed because God opened so many rooms in my heart for new friends. We were drawn by fate and perhaps luck! We may had short emotional bonding, but the quality of our interaction was something deep and lasting. I may say our meeting was part of God's larger plan--we had no choice--we were simply put together for an experience of a lifetime! I am talking about the 23 student ambassadors and the 8 Supervisors I spent almost 12 days with in Japan and the Philippines for the Jenesys Program. Allow me to look into the reasons why I loved each and everyone of them:

Let me start with the 23 young "bagets" in random order: -Jeimee (I love her for being so free-spirited, beautiful and energetic..) -Marvi (I love her for being so cute and funny! I specially love her as the Aichi's Flag bearer--so proud and gay!) -Jerrine (her beauty projects sunshine and youthfullness) -Mervin (although he would correct me when ever I call him "sonny"..i love his being deep and quiet) -Kit (I love his innate antics and funny moves..a great dancer as well) -Jason (jason's innate goodness radiates like ths sun! ) -Jayve (my co-supervisor! I love how she carries herself despite of the little "issues" and I terribly miss her laughs!) -Myat (Small but terrible--goshh--i love how young she looks indeed!) -Quennie (I love her funny but smart moves, her affectionate character and the whole package!) -Third (my once prodigal son whom I learned to love! I love how proud he is with his sexual preference!) -Mund-Mund (My younger brother--so affectionate and courageous! funny with "r" words though!) -Bryl (I will definitely miss his allergies--but impressed with his leadership skills) -Guia (the shy, quiet but runs deep woman!) -Nicole (blessed with beauty+brains+free spirited persona!) -Jon (my guy version! i love his maturity and his blog articles--"iba-blog ko yan!" -Price (I love the way he calls me Ate! Love his funny antics and criminal mind!:-) -Shella (her leadership skill is totally impressive! Responsible and trully an "ate" of the other ambassadors!) -Chu (her silence is her plus point! Silent but runs deep as well!) -Pupple (I love her openness and smiling persona!) -Givette (so young and so fresh--her trademark would be her hair!) -Marko (super talented and assertive Marko! I so love his dancing skills) -Prince (I cant help but admire his intelligence and talent--my new RNB idol!) -Tim (So loving his direct-to-the-point, no non-sense ideas! and...i almost forgot.. his eating skills!)

These students made me appreciate Japan more than I could imagine! Thank you guys for being soooooo fun and so trusting the whole trip! I am soo blessed to meet all of you!

And of course--additional 7 rooms were opened in my heart--the rooms for my co-supervisors: -Ms. Cherry (I so love her accomodating attitude, simplicity and courage. Thank you Ms Cherry for sharing a piece of yourself to me!) -Ms. Eper (the ever motherly and kind-hearted woman! I admire how she manages her family well and how active she is as a woman!) -Ms. MAe (my new kumare--single and ready to mingle! I love her affectionate persona..so intelligent and charming!) -Sir Leo (his seriousness at times moves me to my deepest core--but--when Sir leo is funny-he's really funny in its truest sense) -Sir Dominic (i sooo loving his funny and free-spirited personality! I will never forget "katinko" because of him!) -Sir Randy (The ever-gwapo and quiet supervisor--sooo goodlooking in his "purple barong"..I so loving sir randy's appreciation of my "corny" antics! soo appreciatve and kind. and of course, Sir Jeff (my ever reliable partner, I soo love him for being so responsive and sensitive to the needs of the group!..) I cannot help but count my newest blessings--the gift of presence and friendship with the special people I mentioned above! Because of our efforts in developing this relationship now, not only will each of us enjoy a close unique friendship with each other, but we will surely pass on to others the wonderful gift of future strong relationships. Really, what can be more important and rewarding than that? Not much, it ranks right up there at the top!

Sa Puso ng Japan (In the Heart of Japan)-Part I

It’s been 2 days since we left Japan (with the Student Ambassadors and Supervisors from the Philippines) and I can brutally and melancholically admit that we sincerely miss Japan: it's people and its climate (duh!). I can't help but admit that after arriving from this trip-- I closely follow the news everyday by watching BBC and NHK World (and would be sooo delighted when the news is about the land of the rising sun!) and started appreciating doreimon!. I even started following a Japanese human rights advocate's tweets although I had never used twitter since I activated my account. Truly-the experiences I got from this country would be enough to sustain me for a lifetime!

LEARNING FROM THE JICE My country, the Philippines, and Japan share many things in common due to complicated historical events. The geographical similarity especially makes it more easily for us to feel empathetic towards eachother. The warmth Filipinos boasts for was likewise shared by the Japanese People. Meeting first hand the people at the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE)confirmed this impression. Our JICE coordinators showed to each of us that working with others requires self-control, and it carries the rewards of pride in contributing to the group, emotional security, and social identity. The notion of harmony within a group, requires an attitude of cooperation and a recognition of social roles. If each individual in the group understands personal obligations and empathizes with the situations of others, then the group as a whole benefits. Success can come only if all put forth their best individual efforts. Decisions are often made only after consulting with everyone in the group. No wonder, the whole program went smoothly and organized. Thanks to Obayashi-San, Mori-San, Takahashi-San and all the JICE people. In the Philippines, much was shown from Tomino-san and the other JICE coordinators.Truly, working in a group in Japan requires the development of successful channels of communication, which reinforce group interdependence, and the sense of difference from those who are not members of the group (like us, the Filipino Supervisors of the Jenesys Program).

DEVELOPING CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING I have been travelling for the past 15 years and it has been consistent that when confronted with new culture--it is impossible to avoid culture shock altogether as much of what a person has learnt (I was guilty as charged!). Our trip to Japan at first led all of us to feelings of disorientation (e.g. time difference,bidet, bowing and even the multiple use of "sumimasen")and helplessness (eating the whole bento box, confused what to eat in the mouth-watering and amazing buffets). Japan as a country values its cultivated traditions and practices as much as it values keeping in touch with the future. Whether grounded in history or in religion, Japanese customs are still widely practiced to this day. That made our visit more exciting and a superb learning experience. One of the major attractions of traveling throughout Japan was trying different local cuisines in every town we visited. While sushi is in fact a large part of Japanese heritage, myriad flavors from all around the world have contributed to Japan's robust foodie culture, attracting more and more culinary figures worldwide to try the new eastern hot spot. Thanks to the JENESYS Program--we savored different cuisines while we enjoyed and indulged in the beauty of the countrysides! Truly--visiting Japan is an endless discovery!

ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT After studying Japan's disaster management and risk reduction, I slowly looked into the rather loose discipline in my country that alerted each of us (students and ambassadors)especially to the potential risks but with much worse conditions we might face someday in the Philippines. Many reflections though hadbeen made on the prevention management, quality of medial profession, efficiency of bureaucracy, and on people’s citizenship. After the east-asia great quake, JAPAN is "open for business" and "recovering at surprising speed," from the earthquake that devastated the country. If you imagine that the whole of Japan is covered by debris, that is completely wrong. Most of Japan remains unharmed by the disaster, and the streets have leapt back to life. As one would expect, rich countries with high-quality institutions and populations with high levels of human and social capital recover more quickly, and are most likely to intelligently allocate resources toward improvements over lost capital stock and infrastructure. This reality proved Japan's resiliency as a country.There is no doubt that Japan has the will and strength to rebuild. I know my country will learn from Japan as a country and as an organized institution.