JICA Mini-Lecture

♢JICA Mini-Lecture

 The mini-lecture about JICA was held for 49 participating students.  Ayako Yamashita, who had been involved in JOCV (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers), was invited and gave a lecture about nourishment education in Bolivia.  She explained the difficulty of working internationally as a nutritionist, telling them about language barriers and different cultures.  At the same time, she talked about satisfaction she felt when she got the trust of local people.  This was a good opportunity for the students who were interested in intercultural communication or international contribution to broaden their minds.

[the participants’ comments]

＊I was very excited because I didn’t know about Bolivia at all.  I learned that there are big carnivals, and people can enjoy nature there.  Now I want to go there.  She seemed like she had a very full life in Bolivia though she had trouble with the language barrier.  I thought that the nutritionists were nice when I heard that the cooking helps communication.  International activities are exciting, so I want to join volunteer organizations such as JICA.

＊When I heard that there is a food delivery only once a week in some places in Bolivia, I realized that Japanese people are blessed with a lot of food at hand.  I learned the benefits of cooking natural food with natural tools instead of cooking with convenient tools or using treated food material.  The most memorable statement was “if you do what you can do, someone will accept you and you can get more opportunities.”