e-ShortNews

“Are there entrance exam battles among students in France, just like ours in Japan?” “What kind of difficulties do you encounter when you study Japanese?” “What are the differences between your country and Japan?” A group of 18 students from Minami Junior High School, Nabari City fired non-stop questions. On May 11th, they got up at 4 o’clock, and came directly to the Meguro UNESCO office as soon as they arrived in Tokyo station by Shinkansen. Following an introduction of the UNESCO movement, they helped with our volunteer activities. Then after a break with a cold drink, they started asking questions one after another, and Laura Shishido (French) and Ellie Toung (Taiwanese) replied in fluent Japanese.
The visitors learned that the school system in France is different from that of Japan, and that Ellie used to take three meals to school and studied till evening. They realized that regardless of the differences between countries, students study eagerly. Laura commented, “No matter which country you are in, it is human nature that when a baby cries, we pay attention and think ‘What’s the matter with a baby?’ Or if we meet a sweet little child, we would love to talk with her.” I was touched not only by Laura’s beautiful Japanese but also by her beautiful expression and her sincere attitude when answering questions. Students begged to take photos with her and Ellie so many times.
On 19th, the following week, four students from Karakuwa Junior High School, Miyagi Prefecture visited our office. After they briefly learned about UNESCO, they visited our Japanese Language Class. Their nervous looking changed when they met the heart-warming smiles of the Friendship members. Each class member wrote “hello” “thank you” “delicious” “good-bye” in their own language, which became an unexpected souvenir for the students.
We appreciate young students experiencing and learning from UNESCO activities during their outdoor excursions. We think it is very important for young people to understand the UNESCO spirit and volunteer activities. I realize that whenever meeting young people, I am reminded of the UNESCO spirit, and consider it to be a personal privilege to experience. - reported by Fumiko Miyazaki

After several days… Kunisawa-san from Minami Junior High School sent an email to our office
To: director@meguro-unesco.org
Subject: Hello from Kunisawa
After we came back to our school, we started collecting miswritten postcards! There is also a suggestion in our
group to post a flier in our district. We want to contribute, to do something for the world. I will keep you posted about
what is happening in our school. So, could you let me know what’s going on in UNESCO, too? Please keep in touch!
(Editor’s note: They have also started collaborating with their local UNESCO association.)