Great time

From the middle of June to the middle of August I did teaching English/German volunteer for three weeks at the center. I had a great experience there.

-Teaching Experience
I taught English in one kids’ class and one individual class. Actually, I did almost nothing in my kids’ class because my partner did everything. Only what I did there is to help children individually. I also had a chance to teach German to a volunteer member who want to learn it, which was interesting for me. Sometimes we study outside or at a cafe, with seeing beautiful scenery in Halle.

-Learning Experience
I learned German and Arabic in the center. For a long time, I’ve been learning German, but it was the first time to learn Arabic. The teacher Rafat, a manager in the center was so supportive. We can practice what we have learned at any time because there are a lot of people who speak Arabic like Syrian. A few easy expressions can make our communication easily. I really liked these language courses here.

-Developing Community with Refugees
Refugees, the word is very unfamiliar for all of us in Japan. We rarely see or cannot recognize them though we heard about an unstable situation in Syria by newspapers. When I lived in Dresden in 2015, I feel something changing, however, I do not know how serious the reality is. Here I got to know some people from Syria, who are so clever and friendly despite their tough situation. They did great efforts to adapt themselves to German life. Now, I would like to do something related to refugees in Japan if I have a chance.

-Life (Homestay)
Living German itself is not new to me, but this was my first homestay. My host mother from Sudan was very nice. It was good that I met some Muslim culture.

Other volunteer staff is very supportive, kind, friendly. We understand each other though I had some difficulties in communication with them because of my English ability. I would like to visit the center someday!