Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Crazy but Fun

Through my internship experience at the National Association of Japan-America Societies, I can confidently tell that I have grown up as a professional, as a student, as a political scientist, and as an individual. However, it is so hard to explain how I have grown up by reflecting on every single experience I have gone through this summer. Therefore I would like to focus on what I have experienced last week and describe how I have grown up in variety of ways.

On Monday, July 23rd, I was invited to a dinner Mr. Matsudo who is a news writer from Ryukyu-Shimpo, which is one of the two largest local newspaper companies in Okinawa. I met Mr. Matsudo when I came to Washington, DC last January with Okinawan politicians to talk to senators, think-tank officers, and scholars regarding Okinawan US Military issues. Throughout the dinner we talked about Japan-Okinawa relations and how his daily life looks like as a journalist for a paper companies. Within this two-hour dinner I was able to ask him what it is like to work for a media and both pros and cons of being a journalist. In addition, I was very grateful that Mr. Matsudo invited me for a dinner and gave me a lot of great suggestions. I am also very grateful that I could keep in touch with him and meet up seven months later in Washington, DC. In my opinion, by judging from this experience, I have been successfully developing a skill to remain in touch with people who I meet and give them an impression which makes them want to have a dinner again. In terms of networking or opening up doors of more opportunity, I would like to continue to develop this skill in the times to come.
On Tuesday, July 24th, I had an opportunity to interview a Japanese diplomat, Mr. Wada, who is currently working in the Japanese embassy in France. Mr. Wada is the same scholar as I am who receive scholarship from the Grew-Bancroft Foundation in Japan. Through our conversation, I was able to ask him his experience in graduate school in Tokyo, the National Civil Servant Exam (exam to enter the Minister of Foreign Affairs), his experience in MOFA in the beginning, and his current experience as a diplomat. I was very grateful that I was able to seek out and set up an interview with someone who are currently in a position where I would like to be in the future. Also, through this experience, I was able to learn how to utilize what I have in my pocket. This time, I was able to set up this interview by simply asking the person in Tokyo. I learned that using what you have and knowing what you have are very important in all levels which I will be in my life.
On Wednesday, July 25th, I had an opportunity to go to George Washington University Elliot School and have a meeting with a well-known professor, Dr. Mike Mochizuki, who has a number of publishing in US-Japan relations and East-Asian politics. During my meeting, I asked him several questions regarding my future path (since he has taught a number of Japanese students in the graduate school level and has seen what kind of paths they have taken in their lives), school administration, senior thesis topics, and most excitingly I was able to ask his opinion on the on-going Osprey issues happening in Japan (This was very exciting since I know there are a number of journalists in Japan who have been contacting Dr. Mochizuki to do interview and ask for his opinion on the issue. However, they have been rejected…but I was able to ask him questions.) Through this experience, I was able to gain a better sense about entering into graduate school and becoming a student in the higher level. In addition, I was able to experience and learn how to interview a scholar and keep the conversation going without making it uncomfortable for the person who I am interviewing.
On Thursday, July 26th, I had a mid-term evaluation meeting with my supervisors to ask them how I have been doing as an intern. During our meeting, we have talked about how I am doing in terms of being an intern, work, communication, project progresses, quality of project and general conversation about what I have gained from my experience. I was very glad that both of my supervisors told me that I have been doing a great job in all level of their expectations that they have toward me. I was delighted to be told that I have been very responsible with my work and I set a higher expectation for the next intern to come next semester. In addition, I am very excited to make a new record for my project that all the former summer interns have done in the past. After the meeting, I had a meeting with a vice president of the DC office and the head researcher Mitsubishi Tokyo UFJ Bank. During the meeting, Mr. Kida, we talked about the current job-market in Japan and I asked him about what companies are looking for from students who are seeking for a position in their companies. Since there is a possibility that I might do a job-hunting during the school year, I was very grateful that he could talk to me about the reality of the Japanese job-hunting environment. Also, I was so grateful that he told me he would help me in any ways he can in the future. By setting up and having a mid-term meeting with my supervisors allowed me to develop a better relationship with them and I was so lucky that they think positive of me. Also, by developing a closer relationship with the people who are in a hiring position in a Japanese country allowed me to know what the reality looks like in Japan. I think this will help me to know and understand what the hiring sides are looking for from their prospective.
On Friday, July 27th, I had a meeting with the president of one of the major trading companies in Japan, Marubeni Corporation, Mr. Imamura. The talk I had was very similar to the one I had with Mr. Kida on Thursday. However, I realized that my confidence has increased as I have keep meeting with a number of people who I do not get to talk to in Minnesota. I am glad that I have learned to talk properly to the people. Also, through the process of setting up meetings, I have been able to develop a skill to write properly in Japanese which I do not usually get since I go to school in the US.
As I have listed above, I have been gone through a number of invaluable experience which I would rarely get in Minnesota, particularly talking to Japanese people who are working in Washington DC has been one of the greatest experience I have had in this summer. These things might sound normal thing to have for some students. However, I think that the pile of these experiences will allow me to build a strong and firm foundation for my future career in terms of inter-personal skills, network building skills, administrative skills, and so on. I would like to keep in mind after I go back to MN in order to keep myself more motivated to push myself to achieve what I want to achieve in my life. Within the days I have left in DC this summer, I would like to seek out and experience to grow as a professional, as a student, as a political scientist, and as an individual.

Yes...my week seems reallu crazy! but it is absolutely amazing and FUN!

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