2017 Activity Report
March Activity Report
2 April 2018
Global Japan Office Coordinator
MORITA Mitsuaki
I transferred to this job on the 12th of February, and already a month has passed. I received a warm welcoming from the students, and was able to start classes without a problem.
In March, a memorial event for the Great East Japan Earthquake was held on the 8th by the Japanese Embassy. A group of first and second year students from Cairo University volunteered to perform at the event, and practiced the song, ‘Tsubasa o Kudasai’, for around one month. This event was also attended by students and faculty from Aswan University and other universities, making it a good opportunity to network.
From the 10th, some students and faculty from Yokohama National University visited Cairo University, during which they met with our second and third year students. For this visit, the third year students voluntarily researched and prepared presentations on various tourist attractions in Egypt, and seeing them work hard presenting these in Japanese was very memorable.
From this week the midterm examination period begins, and I can already see how this is affecting the students’ sleep patterns. However, if all the students put effort into their classes and homework all the time, then they wouldn’t have so much trouble with exams, and so I think I have to be stricter with the students and push them to level up more. After exams, I intend to make more opportunities for students here to meet with Japanese exchange students, starting with exchange students from TUFS.
January Activity Report
8 February 2018
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Kato Yousuke
Final examinations ended in the middle of this month, and the university entered into a three week vacation. Since the summer vacation is so long, the winter vacation is rather short. The new semester begins before students can forget what they’ve learnt, so I think this vacation is better for both the students and the teachers.
On a personal note, I have decided to return to Japan, and so this was my final semester at Cairo University, where I have been working for the past three years. The students and staff held a farewell party for me, for which I am very grateful. Everyone brought food along, and I received enough homemade Egyptian dishes, sweets and cakes to make my stomach burst.
The GJO will be taken over by my successor next month. I hope they too will enjoy Cairo University as I have. I look forward to reading about their activities in Cairo from Japan. Thank you for the past three years.
December Activity Report
8 January 2018
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Kato Yousuke
Japanese people find themselves very busy in December, referred to as shiwasu, as they prepare for end of the year, but December is also a very hectic time in Cairo.
The JLPT was held on the 4th. In Cairo the exam is only held once a year. This is an important day for the students, especially because Egyptians attach so much importance to qualifications. The students had mixed feelings after the test, but I hope that each of them will aim for even higher standards by reflecting on their performance.
On the 12th, as in the previous year, a study abroad fair was conducted by the University of Kyushu and the Japanese Embassy in Egypt. At this fair, in which students of various disciplines gathered together, we introduced TUFS. As in the past, we prevailed upon Yasmeen Zakaria to translate, as well as to describe her own experiences as an exchange student at TUFS. Yasmeen’s Japanese is at a very high level, and I have also heard that she speaks Standard Arabic very well. While most of the presentations were in English, it was a great help for me to be able to directly convey my thoughts in Arabic.
On the 16th the annual speech competition was held. This year, there were not only presenters from seven Japanese language education institutions, but also two participants from the University of Khartoum; in total there were 29 presenters. The presentation theme for the beginner level was “My Role Model,” for the intermediate level it was “The Future,” and for the advanced level it was “My Kanji.” The presenters expressed their thoughts and experiences to the audience. TUFS also provided prizes for contest participants, and awarded items such as notepads to the second best in each level. There were students who felt satisfied with their performance, and there were students who regretted mistakes they had made, but I hope that this was a motivating experience for all the participants, as well as the students who came to watch.
This month marked the end of the first semester, and final exams started from the end of the month. With the JLPT and the speech competition and the finals, students have been busily preparing all month without rest, but after the finals (which will end in mid-January), vacation awaits them. I would like students to give one last push for the term.
November Activity Report
5 December 2017
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Kato Yousuke
At the end of November it rained (probably for the first time in ten months), and the temperature is Cairo has been getting lower. In Cairo, rainfall signals the arrival of winter, and it will probably get a lot colder from now on. There were many events taking place in November, the month of the coming of winter.
On the 10th, The Japanese Society held annual Autumn Festival. This year students were allowed to participate as volunteers. T festival featured not only Yakisoba and Okonomiyaki stalls, but also games such as quoits, yo-yo fishing, and stage performances, including the Bon festival dance. During the festival, one could feel as if one was really in Japan. During this day, the students who participated as volunteers were able to get a taste of what it feels like to participate in a Japanese festival, and to experience working with Japanese people. Not only did all the students say that they had fun, the Japanese staff also expressed their appreciation; it was a very meaningful day.
An alumnus of TUFS came to Cairo on the 20th for a business trip, and this provided an opportunity for TUFS alumni, as well as alumni from Osaka University’s College of Foreign Studies, and 14 current students, to gather together for a meal, and to talk about their school life. The alumni told the students how their experience at TUFS came to be useful after graduation, and I think it was a very stimulating session for students currently studying abroad. I hope that we could have more get-togethers at the Cairo Branch of the Gaigokai (the TUFS alumni association), and other such opportunities, in the future.
From the 22nd to the 25th, Mr. Wataru Takahashi, who is currently a PhD student at TUFS, visit us in conjunction with the Young Researcher Overseas program. On the 22nd, an audition was held at the university in which students competed for the opportunity to participate in the speech contest scheduled for the 16th of December. Mr. Takahashi was kind enough to serve as one of the judges. On the 23rd, Mr. Takashi gave a lecture on Extensive Reading (tadoku), which is his field of research, to the graduate students and the younger staff members. Following that, Mr. Takashi engaged in Extensive Reading sessions with the undergraduate students. The reason we had Mr. Takahashi over is that we felt that extensive reading would help the Egyptian students overcome their difficulties with Japanese. I was also looking forward to the introduction of this activity, because it is so closely related to autonomous learning. Students also found this activity entertaining, because Extensive Reading afforded them the opportunity to read books they wanted to read. They commented that they had a lot of fun. Graduate students and the younger staff members were also interested in this activity, so I expect that this will be carried out for a prolonged period of time. Although he only stayed for a short while, we were grateful to Mr. Takahashi for having sown the seed of Extensive Reading at Cairo University.
The 30th was the holiday marking the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, so we went to Alexandria on a one-day trip with freshman students and international students from TUFS, Osaka University and Kyushu University. It was a city by the ocean, a little cooler than in Cairo, and we visited the world famous Alexandria Library and ate seafood. It was a refreshing day.
This month we received copies of the original Japanese version of Captain Tsubasa and the Arabic version (translated by Syrian students currently at TUFS), and made them available for students to borrow. Many of the staff and students were shocked to find that there was an Arabic version of “Captain maged”, as it is known in the Arabic-speaking World. I would like them to enjoy it while comparing it with the Japanese version.
October Activity Report
5 November 2017
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Kato Yousuke
After mid-October, Cairo has finally cooled down, and the mornings and evenings have become colder. Compared to the disorganized start of the semester, the university seems to have settled down considerably.
On the 13th, the yearly Japanese Club Sports Festival was held, and the students from Cairo University were invited to participate. Just like previous years, the students had a great time participating in foot races, tug of war, and ball-toss games. The new first-year students also participated, and were able to say ‘ichi, ni, san…’ when counting the ball-toss points, which is something they had only just learnt recently. It seems like a small thing, but I think that them being able to be in an environment where they have to use Japanese was a very fortunate opportunity.
There will be a speech competition in December, so the students who plan to compete are currently writing their drafts. Only two students can participate per department, so there will be an official selection within Cairo University in November, but I have no idea what kind of speeches the students will write, so I am looking forward to it.
September Activity Report
8 October 2017
Global Japan Office Coord