As we finish packing our bags and prepare for the big day tomorrow we thought it would be a good idea to start this blog off by sharing some of our thoughts and expectations before the trip!
Vesa
"Culturally this trip will be very rich and rewarding. My knowledge of the Japanese culture consists mainly of small fragments tied together loosely - if at all! My picture of the whole Japanese cultural entity is vague and lacking. I know of Sushi and the Samurai, and that there are a lot of people in Tokyo. I also know about the 3/11 disasters. I hope that after this trip my picture will be clearer and more comprehensive. Surely I won't be a Japan expert after just two weeks, but at least I'll know something about the everyday life in Osaka.
Professionally I look forward to - naturally - the food and related things. New dishes, techniques and presentation. My goal is to share these experiences and the knowledge gained to my own students and colleagues. One of the purposes of this trip for me is to pave the way for future student exchange in Japan.
As a travelling partner I'll be bringing my dear and talented daughter, with whom I've spent way too little time lately. We're headed for a memorable fortnight together. Naturally her being able to speak Japanese will help us out in a lot of situations.
A journey away from what is known is always a journey into oneself. I believe that many of the structures of thought that I've considered absolute will be questioned during this trip. It might even be that I'll get a few good laughs at the cost of my own predispositions."
Joanna
"It was summer 2009. Our little family was standing on the Monterosso train station, about to explore the Cinque Terre villages of Northern Italy. On the same platform I saw two Japanese people, clearly a couple, carefully examining a tourist guide book of sorts. I observed them for a while, looked at my mum, and told her that I wanted to learn the language that was written on their book. I asked her if I could start taking Japanese classes once school started and she agreed - thankfully. Little did I know about the direction that decision would take me in life.
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Graduating the International IB World School in 2013 and entering University as a history major I got increasingly frustrated with the Eurocentrism of our history teaching, and decided to apply for the East and Southeast Asia program of the Finnish University Network for Asian Studies. I got accepted and now I'm almost done with my 25 credit program. I also started my Japanese language studies again from course 1, this time with an intention of making it more than just an evening hobby. I'm currently on my 5th course out of 6, and hope to take the JPLT test as soon as I complete my studies. I still go to my after school Japanese classes as well, this time more so for revision than anything else.
Needless to say that as someone who's never been to Japan and has devoted this much of her time and energy into things related to the country I am really grateful to be able to accompany my dad on his business trip. More than anything else I look forward to learning a lot about Japan and seeing the things I've been reading about for my studies play out in real life. A few surprises wouldn't be so bad either!
日本についてよく勉強したいと思います。"
Schedule
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Our flight leaves Helsinki-Vantaa around 5 pm tomorrow and we will be in Osaka around 9 am on Monday. The first few days will probably be busy, but once we get settled in and figure out how to work the internet we'll be updating this blog.
Our hosts have provided us with a generous and really interesting program with many things to see and experience - having local guides will be an amazing opportunity for us. 本当にお世話になります。
Looking forward to what this next two weeks will bring!
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