特別ポスト - ECA (英語基礎表現) II (Super A): Leaving Home, Going Home (Part 2)

Hello!

How are you? Here's a little more to add to the Leaving Home, Going Home collection - two great writings from the viewpoints of NGOs and workers about what refugees need when they arrive in Japan. Let's take a look at these! What do people in NGOs think and how two they feel about their efforts in relation to their communities?

I think that the answers of questions are so many, so in this paper, I will list four factors which seem to be needed for refugees. First of all, they would need the information to live in Japan. For example, how to find the houses to live, buy foods, wash their clothes and count the money in Japan. The second they would need is the companies to advise each other. In the group, they can talk about any alert and learn how to live comfortably, and be relaxed. The third one would be the language skill of Japanese. It let them live in Japan without too much care that NGO cannot do and make their lives easier. But I think teaching Japanese is out of work of NGO because teaching acquires the high level of knowledge and skill of plane expression. If I were the worker in the NGO office, I would look for the group teaching Japanese voluntary. The fourth ones are important for refugees to continue living in Japan. Those are supports to make them get jobs and let their children go to school.

Now, I wrote about what refugees need for their lives. But there is more important factor. It is for Japanese. Japanese who live with them would need some help to have communication with refugees. So it must be needed that spreading information about refugees to Japanese to get rid of alert that Japanese has. Those Japanese must be afraid of new comers from foreign countries. 

At last, to do all these factors, NGO workers have to try and connect with other diverse communities in Japan like local-governmental bodies, schools, plants or offices, voluntary groups and so on. To support refugees' lives is not only for work of NGO but all of our communities, groups and organizations in Japan. 

That was fantastic! Now let's look at one more: 

As a staff working with refugees, I think helping refugees is not just a matter of just help them buy an airline ticket. They need almost everything when they came to Japan. First, they need a house to live. Our refugee agency is sending stoves, fuel, blankets and warm clothing to them. We will help refugees pay rent and pre-fabricated shelters are also being considered for all of them. But we just want to say it has huge concerns for the estimated at least 1 million people displaced inside their own country – many without food or shelter. Our aid agencies are managing to try our best to help them. We expect that figure to double to 700,000 by the end of this year. Most of those fleeing arrive with nothing more than their clothes, many are young children, and now winter is coming. Winter is the hardest season for refugees.

It is awful to be a refugee, it's awful to live in a tent, imagine if you have to live in a tent when it's freezing and windy and cold and wet outside, so we want to make sure that at least the situation is liveable for people who have no other choice. Survival is their only option. Our agency are also sending medical supplies, equipment and basic emergency supplies, water, sanitation, and education for refugees to help them live better in Japan. We have also fed more refugees in Japan. Their hope is to provide food assistance to 6 and a half million by the end of the year. You can help us achieve this goal with an online donation and thank you for supporting our work, by calling the number on our website. It’s our moral duty to help them to start a new life in Japan. They are homeless and often with just the clothes on their backs. Giving a helping hand to people in need is encouraged and welcomed in our society all the time.  

How true! 

So once again - thank you for being my students and I hope we can learn together again in the future. I have learned much more from all of you than what I have hoped to teach you. 

So see you around from April! Take care!

Images: Top - from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg/People in front of house - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg/Boy-http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asylbewerber_-_15.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Asylbewerber_-_15.jpg/All images from Wikimedia Commons. I do not own the rights to these images. Uploaded for educational purposes only

特別ポスト - ECA (英語基礎表現) II (Super A): Leaving Home, Going Home (Part 1)

Hello!

How are you? This is a late post but I thought I should still write it.

This is another great collection of your writing about refugees (難民). Take a look at these! Please feel proud of your work and what you did on it. I know I am!

I call this collection Leaving Home, Going Home. It's about refugees leaving where they came from - "leaving home" - only to go to a new home - so, "going home." In this case, you imagined refugees coming to Japan as their new home, and reflecting on it if they are already here.

It's a difficult and painful time for them to leave where they came from knowing that they can never go back, and to go to places that they don't know but that will become their new homes. So here is the collection. Be proud of what you've done - and enjoy your work!

I am in the hospital now. Because I undergo an examination to go to Japan. Not only me but also my family undergo it. In other words, my family and I are doing to move Japan. My family is my father, mother and one sister. Only I haven’t finished an examination yet. I’m afraid of an injection. I wish I’m not injected.

Moving to Japan is sad. Because we are leaving our hometown soon. Also I must make my farewells to my friends. I don’t know when we can meet again. I received letters and pictures from my friends yesterday. They are my important treasures. Although leaving my hometown is sad very much, I am looking forward to living Japan. I think Japan is a beautiful country, I want to learn Japanese culture and I’m interested in Japanese. Japan seems a fun country. However I have a question. “Is Japan a beautiful country?” I have been told about Japan from my parents. “Wars aren’t happened in Japan. Japanese environment is good and Japan is a developed country. But there are some troubles even Japan. They are relations to other countries, political problems, homeless and so on.” Although it’s difficult for me to understand them, I’ll learn about them.

That was a great one! Now let's look at another: 

I feel very depressed at this moment on the boat. I usually don't get sea-sick, but I feel like I'm about to throw up. Too many people on one boat. I see some girls crying, grabbing mother’s sleeves. Some adults are singing the national anthem for not to forget our mother country. I didn't want to leave my country. I asked my girlfriend, well, my 'ex' girlfriend to come with me, but she said "no". Here I am. Standing on the boat with my pals, sharing our least moist cigarettes.

Few of my pals are very pumped up and excited to go to Japan, but I'm not. Is it because of my ex, or my anti-fish? I don't know. I guess I'd have to start very slowly to get used to new cultures. I'm feeling melancholic. I don't care how my life's going to be. I don't mind living in the city or country. I don't mind living with ten other people in one tiny room. My only wish is only her. Oh boy... I can't swim.

Another great one! Here's another:

I’m 76 years old now. That story is when I was 40 years old. My wife is gone, because my wife was dead by war. I’m so sad and I can’t live without the wife. But I have to live. So I escaped my country seven years ago. I saving money now, because I’m hoping to go to Japan, and I want to have private business. I have two children, who is one boy and one girl. My job is making traditional things. So I want to know a lot of people that what kind of my job and what is the traditional things. My country’s traditional things are textile and ceramic ware. It is my pride to make traditional things. I go to unknown country called japan and want to spread this traditional quality.

When I was 40 years old, I got a visa to go to Japan at last. Children were delight with me, but we were full of uneasiness. We tanked people who were taken care of so far and on the day to go to Japan, went to the airport. We boarded an airplane. When we arrived at Japan at the first time, it was very cold and it snowed in winter. We were so surprised because we saw snow for the first time. There was our house in the place called Azabu. There was the town which was quiet and seemed to be safe. When we opened the shop, Japanese people were interested in and they saw it. Article and we. Five years later, I thought Japanese people is so kind but introverted and so negative. Some people is positive but almost negative. But now, we are used to life in Japan and live happily. We love Japan. My job and life is success!!

Very good - with incredible feeling! Here's one more: 

I am five years old, and my name is Brian. I am going to go Japan as refugee. I have two feelings. First, I am exciting to go Japan, because I can get more comfortable new life. Second, I am nervous and sad, because I cannot speak Japanese, so I am afraid of communicate with Japanese. I want to make friends, but maybe it is difficult. Also I have some friends in my country, but I have to say good bye to my friends. And I do not have enough knowledge about Japan. These are my feelings.

When I get used to new life in Japan, I want to help people like me, and I will study hard to protect my parents. Then I will get more good new life. Maybe I think I will get many difficult and hard things in Japan, but I am with a strong feeling.

Great! Now let's read some more:

I am Joel. I was live in South America. I am a boy of a big “family.” I don’t want to say that word, but this is the real. We were refugee. There were more than 10 families live in a big simple house. The house and the furniture were simple than the Amish people. Our things were all simple. We didn’t have right in this area of our country. If we want to have freedom, we had to immigrate. Although we had never starved, our foods were simple, too. Almost everyday, we had the same meal. But that time, I was so young that I had never thought the life was bad. I thought that I have a big house to live, a big meal to eat, a big family I have. I was satisfied. But the adults didn’t think so. They prepare to immigrate to freedom world everyday. They went out to find a big boat that maybe can transport five of our big families.

The destined day came. We left our country without being noticed. We took the boat and the boat went forward. Went forward to an unknown place. I was sentimental because I left my hometown. But there were a hopeful eye appeared on other people. I couldn't understand why, until I grew up. 

I didn't know how many days and nights we had gone through. We arrived at a whole new place. Only one thing I know that the place was very far from my hometown. They called the place Japan. And the beginning of our life was not so easy. Because we were foreigner, the things we could only do was the part-time job. And we couldn't speak Japanese at that time, so we could just do the job which the salary was very cheap. But my parents worked hard to earn tuition fee to let me go school because they wanted to give me good future in Japan. I didn't know why but very strange. I studied Japanese hard and now I am a university student. After I graduate the university successfully, it is my turn to give my parents happiness life. 

A moving one. Here's another:

I choose the first picture. I was a little boy. I lived with my mother. Of course, I had a father, but I did not remember well. He went to the other country when I was two years. My mother told me to move to Japan next week, but I did not know why. She did not tell me. I knew Japan is good place. People were king, environment was good and food was delicious, maybe. When I arrived at Japan, I wanted to make many friends and played with them. I wanted to live with mother in a big house and studied hard.

When I arrived at Japan, there were many people in the airport. I followed mother and rode on a taxi. After few minutes, it stopped in front of an apartment. We rose to third floor and mother pushed the intercom. Then, a man came. Surprisingly, he was my father! He worked in Japan! I could live with parents!!

Now, I go to kindergarten. My Japanese improve day by day and I have many friends. My life is wonderful!

I have no doubt there are stories like these from refugees. 

I have been proud and happy to work with you over this year. It's been a big year for all of you. I hope I can have you as students in the future and will want to watch you grow as people in your time at Seigakuin.

Have a great spring break - and see you around in April!

Images: Top - from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg/Boy-http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asylbewerber_-_15.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Asylbewerber_-_15.jpg/Boat - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg/All images from Wikimedia Commons. I do not own the rights to these images. Uploaded for educational purposes only.