2019 Activity Report
March Activity Report
31 March 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
MORITA Mitsuaki
The 2nd Cairo University Symposium was held on March 7 and 8, and nearly 30 people from universities across Japan gave presentations. The symposium also attracted Japanese researchers from Lebanon, Sudan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Simultaneous interpreting was conducted throughout the symposium, so students from many other universities also came to listen to the presentations. They were inspired not only by the presentations, but also by the simultaneous interpreting skills of the teachers who usually teach them.
On the 9th, the day after the symposium, a student from Yokohama National University, who is studying abroad for a short period of time, participated in a class for first-year students and taught them about kimono (while simultaneously wearing one). For the first-year students, it was their first time meeting a Japanese person of their own age, so they were very interested and asked many questions.
Unfortunately, the Great East Japan Earthquake memorial concert and speech contest were cancelled on the 10th due to the influence of COVID-19. The students who had worked hard to prepare for these were shocked, but I told them that their efforts in preparation were not wasted. In addition to this, heavy rain fell for the first time in 26 years, causing the university to be closed from the 12th, and all educational institutions to be closed from the 14th until the end of the semester in late-April. All classes were thereon out conducted online. The airport was also closed on the afternoon of the 19th, forcing many Japanese people, including exchange students, to return home.
It was a very difficult time for students and teachers, but there were some good things that we could take advantage of online. With the cooperation of Japanese international students from Osaka University and Waseda University, who have returned home, as well as that of my acquaintances who had previously lived in Egypt, I was able to organize for my first-year students to give online presentations on Cairo tourism, and for my Japanese exchange students to give presentations on Japanese towns (in Arabic). Originally, I was planning to actually go with them to the place featured in the best presentation, as voted by the students, so I was disappointed that I couldn’t do that, and there were some students who couldn’t participate due to internet problems in Egypt, but the ones who could were very happy, so I am glad that I did it.
In Egypt, a nighttime curfew has been implemented, but the number of infected people is increasing, so I will take care of my health and continue activities that benefit learners.
February Activity Report
29 February 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
MORITA Mitsuaki
The new semester started on February 8 and the students returned with cheerful looks on their faces. In February, preparations for autumn study abroad programs began, and I was very busy preparing for a symposium that will be hosted by Cairo University in March, a memorial event for the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the speech contest. Also, the Japan Foundation hosted a Japan Movie Week from the 22nd, which attracted quite a lot of people from outside of the university, so I was glad to see the high level of interest in Japanese culture. At the end of the month, the certificates showing the results of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test arrived, and the students received these with varying reactions. As a teacher, I would like to lead the students on to their next stage of learning based on these results.
June Activity Report
30 June 2019
Global Japan Office Coordinator
MORITA Mitsuaki
The exam period finished at the end of May, and now universities all over Egypt are entering their long long summer vacations, which last from June to September. From the 21st, the Africa Cup of Nations football competition began in Egypt, and the city is just as alive as it was during last year’s World Cup. Perhaps the enthusiasm of Egyptian fans has helped, as Egypt is now in the top 16, and this wild enthusiasm just seems to keep growing. Many of my students went to watch matches, and talked about how exhilarated they were.
Most of the students at Cairo University are relieved the exams are over, and it seems that they are going on trips with their families and spending time doing the things they love. Speaking from a teacher’s perspective, I hope they review their results, reflect on whatever they need to reflect on, and revise so they can take the next step in their language learning.
From September, over half of the third-year students will go on exchange to Japan, so this long break is also a time for them to prepare themselves. For all of the students, this will be their first time in Japan, and their first time living alone, so not only do they have to focus on their Japanese studies, but they also have to prepare themselves for a new lifestyle so they can live independently. I hope the students realize how blessed they are to go to study in Japan on a scholarship, and properly prepare so they can lead meaningful lives during their exchange.
May Activity Report
31 May 2019
Global Japan Office Coordinator
MORITA Mitsuaki
It is now May, and Ramadan (fasting month) has begun. Including myself, most Japanese people hear the work “fasting” and think it is something harsh and difficult, but I was surprised to find that most Egyptians look forward to Ramadan, which is held once a year. I think it is mostly Iftar, the evening meal they break the fast with, and spending time with family and friends that they look forward to.
However, Ramadan coincides with the final exam period for the students, so they all seem miserable when I see them on campus. It is rough having to fast for a month while also sitting exams, but I hope the students can successfully apply what they’ve learnt up until now and pass their exams.
Also, at the start of May, with the cooperation of specialists from the Japan Foundation, I held a study session for young Japanese language teachers teaching at Japanese language education institutions in Egypt, including Cairo University. There are not many regular sessions like this for teachers in Egypt, so there is an issue with newly-graduated teachers getting teaching positions but no feedback from students, which leaves them a bit lost. I was wondering how the first session would go, but many people came and actively shared their opinions, so I would like to continue holding these sessions regularly.
April Activity Report
30 April 2019
Global Japan Office Coordinator
MORITA Mitsuaki
After March’s speech competition, students almost instantly went into exam mode as the mid-term exam and oral exam drew closer. Because of Ramadan (fasting month), we only have classes until April 24, and the number of classes is also less than usual, so it was hard for me, even as a teacher, to set goals. However, I hope that the students who achieved their goals will gain confidence in themselves, and that the students who could not will reflect on what they should and apply it to their next goal.
I held the second-year students’ exam in the same format as last year: “Pick a stance on a topic and counter the argument presented by the teacher”. There were many more different topics compared to last year, and it was hard to think of opposing arguments for each point the students talked about. The students as a whole were very well prepared, and one student even surprised me by using facts in their argument, saying “according to 〇〇, this happened from the 1970s until the early 80s…”, which was above and beyond for a second-year student.
The final exams begin in May, so I hope the students properly prepare themselves so their smiles don’t turn into frowns.