ASEP 2009--Learning reflection

School	Nihon Fukushi University	Name	Minami Watanabe
Learning reflection	This was the first time to join the ASEP for me. And it was the first time for me to visit Taiwan too. ASEP gave me some new experiences. I have 3 keywords about ASEP in Taiwan. First, “the traditions and culture” of Taiwan. Second, “presentation” with Taiwanese students. Finally, “relationship” between ASEP and WYM. From these 3 keywords, I will look back at ASEP. 1. The traditions and culture of Taiwan  I stayed in Taiwan for a week because of my visit for ASEP. I could go and do a lot of sightseeing as part of the program. For example, the 2.28 Memorial and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial in Taipei. I confronted history directly there. I enjoyed Taiwanese food and shopping at the night market. I became familiar with many local people. I came across some rare food, “smelly tofu”, at the night market. It is reasonably good looking, but it smells to high heaven! Then, I acquired a loathing for this food. But don’t be prejudiced about the food. I tried other dishes typical of this country. Smelly tofu left a vile smell in my mouth. Its taste is not for many Japanese. But other dishes were very delicious. There were masks of unusual design at the night market. There are differences between the design of Japanese masks and Taiwanese ones. Taiwanese masks are very cute. 2. Presentation with Taiwanese students  ASEP’s theme is “Saving our future”. It was the first time for me to make a presentation with an other country’s student. So, when we prepare the presentation, we hit the wall because of the differences between Japan and Taiwan. We had some conflict caused by the differences in opinions of my friends. But, we overcame the conflict by continuing the discussion and trying to find a solution. We took a long time to prepare the presentation. When we got the Gold Prize, I was filled with pleasure.  We had the chance to perform a Japanese traditional dance. We had practiced the dance at our dormitory everyday. Thanks to the hard practice, our performance was really an exciting time. 3. Relationship between ASEP and WYM  My department held the World Youth Meeting in 2009, which is an international exchange event held every year. I was in charge of taking care of the Hall Staff as leader at WYM2009. When I participated in ASEP, I could look at things from a different standpoint. I could learn a lot from the ASEP. The ASEP gave me a good opportunity to learn communication skills. I want to tell my juniors what I obtained from the WYM and ASEP.   Thank you to all the Taiwanese I met. I will never forget your warm-heartedness!!

→”YOSAKOI”	→Making a presentation with Taiwanese students
→Sightseeing	→My friends