With International Week over, I can now reflect on my experience with the busiest time of my internship.
Thirty-five sister school students and professors came to Technos for two weeks as part of the international week program. Throughout their stay, they enjoyed tours of Technos, were immersed in Japanese culture, went sightseeing, and tasted a variety of Japanese foods. As a guest of Technos, I was able to participate in some, but not all of these activities. This was because I was often helping the students prepare their materials for international week. Just about everywhere I went, I would get approached by students asking for their work to be checked by a native English speaker. Sometimes, I was so busy I would not even have time to eat a proper lunch because I was working so much. However, the students had much, much more work to do, so I worked hard to make their lives a little bit easier. Many students were very nervous, especially at the beginning of the international week, to talk to the sister school students. I can understand, as I was once nervous to make acquaintance with them at the start of my internship. However, just like with my story, not only did they meet the challenge by practicing their English, planning, and in general doing work ahead of time, but they got much more comfortable speaking to the international week guests by the end of the week.
After International Week, I decided to use my two free days to go on a mini trip around Japan. I left Saturday morning for Kyoto using the JR rail pass. The rail pass cost about 160 USD, but allowed free access to the bullet train rail lines that go across mainland Japan. I visited Kyoto, Osaka, Okayama, and Fukuoka before coming back to Tokyo. It was an amazing experience, and the rail pass made it over five times cheaper than it normally would have been. The mini-trip allowed me to experience parts of Japan that I have only heard about in stories from the students. I visited Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, tiny food stands, local shops, and so much more!
I am sad that I am leaving Japan soon, I wish that I could stay longer. It feels like I just got fully adjusted to Japan, and now I have to leave. However, I am glad that I will be able to see my friends and family back home soon.