Last month I was given a chance to participate in the 16th Japanese Speech Award, an international Japanese speech contest, as the representative of Australia by the Japan Foundation. These three days were wonderful and it is one of my best memories. Although I only stayed for 3 days (the whole program was 10 days) due to my HSC trial exams, I met a lot of new friends of the same age group who came from different countries. It was a valuable experience to be able to touch different cultures just in the 3 day period. Also, as it was my first time to be apart from my parents, staying at the training facility with other participants was very enjoyable as well.
On the first day, I arrived at the youth house at 8 o’clock. I was a bit nervous but relieved after the warm welcome of the organisor Ms. Kitagawa and then, while I was unpacking my luggage, the representative from Malaysia, Syou came and invited me to go to the bath house with everyone. It was my first time to get into a communal bath (naked) with other people so it was a bit embarrassing. Later on, Syou invited me to the room where we introduced ourselves briefly. Other than Syou, my roommates included Amada from America and the representative from Cambodia (I am not sure about her name in English). All three of them are very nice so we became friends easily.
On the second day, we played self-introduction games and before lunch we decided our order in the speech contest for the following day. Afterwards, we learnt Senryu (a form of Japanese poetry, something like a Sonnet,) and played proverb card games in a Japanese workshop. It was stimulating to study about traditional Japanese culture, as well as to see the level of other participants. Then we started to prepare and practise for the speech contest. That night I still remembered the time I spent with Syou .
The third day was the actual contest; all of us were feeling stressed and strained. Listening to the speeches given by representatives from different countries, I could see the high international standard. My speech, "The World I Saw From Computer Games", was based on my own experiences. Even though I practised and corrected my speech a thousand times, I was extremely nervous during the presentation. However I felt proud of myself as I did my best. Also, as I felt everyone’s passion towards Japanese culture and the language itself, I felt an energy in me rise and push me forward. I know that I can work harder in the future.
The party afterwards allowed me to make a lot of new friends, and be closer to the Japanese staff involved, which was amazing. I still keep in touch with them via Facebook and e-mail.
After this trip, my knowledge and passion for my Japanese studies have been enhanced, and making friends with participants who came from various countries was the happiest thing I experienced during the stay. |
