(Team Leader, Rotarian, secondary school teacher)
It was at Rotary Conference in Invercargill in March 1996, during a lunch time conversation with Ron Davis (GSE leader to Colorado) that I decided to apply for the position of GSE Team Leader 1997 to Osaka. A year to the day I arrived in Osaka as Team Leader of the 1997 GSE Team.
Having visited Japan twice previously proved to be an advantage during the selection interview in Dunedin in August as I was familiar with Japanese culture and aware of the expectations and hospitality that would be bestowed on the team.
Final team selection took place in Dunedin in November and I was impressed with the calibre of the applicants and delighted with the five selected. They were: Peter Harris, Karen Keith, Lynaire Ryan and Nigel Udy with Samantha York as the alternate. PRE-TRIP PREPARATION
In some ways it seemed a long time between team selection and our departure date in mid March, but opportunities for team preparation soon eroded as we approached Christmas and the fact that I was unavailable for eight weeks during December and mid January. However, we met the morning after team selection at Peter Jackson's home with various members of the GSE committee and also D.G. Peter and Claire Haines. This was a chance for us all to learn a little about each other in a more relaxed atmosphere than the previous day when all the candidates were perhaps more aware of the selection process.
We met again in November in Dunedin, spending Saturday night at Peter Jackson's home, enjoying the opportunity to get to know each other and draw on each others strengths and resources. Much of this meeting was given to discussion of our presentation format and the beginnings of the uniform saga.
That was it until mid-January and we met (minus Samantha) at Telford and enjoyed the hospitality offered by Nigel. I think we made progress on our presentations and also discussed possible gifts for each of our host families. The uniform saga began in earnest at this point, but by March 16 we were a well presented looking team!
Our next meeting was in Oamaru in mid-February and although Sam did not attend this meeting, she had been to Oamaru and delivered sheepskins that had been donated by Winton Rotary Club which we gave as gifts to the D.G. (of 2660) and also to the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of their GSE committee. Our focus at this meeting was finalizing the gifts to each of our host families and also the gift we gave to each Rotary Club we spoke to in Japan. Peter Harris was very generous with the contacts he had in this area and was instrumental in obtaining for us a tasteful wooden pen and box set in rimu. Our speeches, haka, and slides were more or less finalized at this meeting and our presentations began to take shape as our next meeting was a presentation to the Waitaki Rotary Club on February 26.
We began with a haka which Nigel led (and which was well received in Japan) and then onto our individual areas. I focused on our immigrant background and education; Karen gave a tour through N.Z. highlighting the main tourist spots; Lynaire looked at the agricultural importance in our trading figures; Peter - the economy and reforms of the past 10 years and Nigel - the leisure pursuits and sport of New Zealanders.
Our presentations were on a very tight time frame and add the translations into Japanese, we all found that we needed to shorten our speeches once we reached Japan. It was after the presentation to the Waitaki Club, that Peter Harris informed us that he was unable to remain in the team as his wife Liz, was unwell. The team was fairly devastated by this and felt very disappointed for Peter. However, we knew that there was an able alternate waiting somewhere in Southland, and so two weeks from departure date Samantha York joined the team.
Peter Jackson had made the travel arrangements which I was particularly grateful for and so it was a well dressed and organized team that left Dunedin airport on Sunday 16 March, bound for Christchurch and then Tokyo.
Most teams opt for some rest and relaxation at the end of their GSE trip. However, owing to the language difference, we had four days in Tokyo at Berlitz Language School at the beginning of our trip. We had a day at Tokyo Disneyland before beginning the language school and this proved to be a great way of getting to know each other. Waiting in a queue for some 80 minutes for a 3 minute ride did help to bring us together as a team. The language school was, at times, testing but also fun and I think we learnt a lot about ourselves and our ability to cope in challenging and different situations. Classes finished at 5.00 pm each day and we would then clamber onto the Tokyo subway and head off to see the sights of this city after dark. It was a great way to practice our newly acquired language skills in ordering food and asking our way around.
March 22 and off to Osaka. Eleven pieces of luggage, two taxis, three elevators, two sets of stairs and we were on the monorail heading for Haneda airport. We were met at Kansai airport (Osaka) by Yasunobu Kashimura, Shigeo Matsuoka (GSE Chairman and Deputy) George Nakajima (team leader to N.Z.) as well as other members of the GSE committee of District 2660. The welcome and hospitality bestowed on us at our arrival was to continue for the next five weeks and at all times this was superb.
We had left New Zealand with a very comprehensive booklet that outlined our daily programme as well the names of our weekly hosts. This was invaluable as we constantly referred to this throughout the next five weeks. Our itinerary was great and it was obvious that much thought had been given to the programme. Although District 2660 is compact in terms of area, it encompasses many clubs and each week several clubs were responsible for hosting us.
We attended thirteen Club meetings and did our full presentation at all but one of these. Each of these meetings was at lunch time and consequently we learnt to eat fast and also needed to trim our presentation to accommodate the translation and the thirty minute time frame. We were particularly grateful to these Clubs for having interpreters available to us and also for the large number of Rotarians who wished to use their English in talking to us.
Osaka Rotarians were also generous with their time and we were always met and escorted to places around the city. While our days were busy, most evenings we were free to spend with our host families and for me this was a great opportunity to talk with my hosts and extend my knowledge of the Japanese language and culture and also talk about New Zealand.
The programme included a mix of activities and places to visit : - Sanyo, Panasonic Research Centre, Shin-Osaka Rolling Stock Depot (fascinating to think that each day 250 Shinkansen of 16 carriages travel between Osaka and Tokyo), temples, shrines, World Trade Centre, Osaka Aquarium, City Hall and the Mayor, Suntory Beer and Whisky Distillery, Nara, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka Dome, Umeda Sky Building, Osaka Castle, and Expo '90 Park and the planting of a tree to commemorate our visit.
In total I had four and half vocational days and this was similar to others in the team. My first vocational day was actually spent at Horyu-ji Country Club, playing golf with members of the Yao East Rotary Club. What a great day (and I wasn't last in the tournament ! )
Having two teachers in the team eased the organization for District 2660. Samantha and I visited Kun-ei High School in Settsu, a school which operates an exchange programme with Waitaki Girls' High School and now also Central Southland College. For me, this was an opportunity to renew friendships with staff and pupils. We had a day at Konohana Gakuen a boys school with similar links with Waitaki Boys' High School and we found staff here incredibly informative about the Japanese education system.
I also visited two handicapped schools as well as a teaching university for the training of teachers of handicapped people. It was interesting to note that at a time when New Zealand is closing such institutions, Japan is seeking land to open up such places and rehabilitate such people for community life.
Others in the team found their vocational days quite diverse. Karen had many opportunities to visit various acupuncture clinics and was even able to enjoy some treatment. Lynaire experienced a co-operative retail outlet and also spent a few days in Hokkaido (through a work contact) where she had first hand experience of the Japanese dairy industry. Nigel tended to miss out a little on the agricultural training aspect, but did observe various management practices at the companies we visited. I understand, he was also able to improve the golf on several occasions !
We had five host families and stayed a week with each. This gave us all a great chance to experience family life with the Japanese and to enjoy true Japanese food. All of our hosts were very welcoming and hospitable and to be treated as one of the family felt great. We were also grateful for the time that our hosts gave to transporting us to and from our daily meeting place, although we all welcomed the opportunity to travel on our own and cope with the subways and trains and crowds as if we were locals. Each Saturday night we spent at The New Otani Hotel, near to Osaka Castle. This was a welcome and relaxing break as we used the time to catch up on letters, each other and doing whatever we really wanted to do. For some, that meant sleeping, for others the odd spot of retail therapy at Umeda and Shinsaibashi !
The gifts I took seemed to be well received. Knowing that I had five families meant that each gift was able to be the same and was prepared before I left New Zealand. Each package contained a copy of Andre Aspe's book "Spectacular New Zealand Magnificent Panoramic", comb honey, a soap making kit from Peter Harris (Gondwana Creative kits), a wooden kiwi "family" and a box of chocolates and "cookie time biscuits". As well, we had a few extra gifts such as key rings, handkerchiefs, soap, and pens which we gave to our daily hosts.
What were the highlights? That's a question that was frequently asked and always hard to answer. Hiroshima is always a sobering place to visit as the reality of it makes a strong impact; travelling by Shinkansen; Osaka Dome and the opportunity to watch a baseball game between the Kintetsu Buffaloes and the Daiei Hawks from the comfort of a private room; the sheer majesty of Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto; the beauty of Osaka-jo surrounded by cherry blossom were all memorable visits, but there were many more. Most of all, however, it was the people and their hospitality and being able to share in their family life and their homes that was important and left the greatest impression. To talk about the economic situation currently affecting Japan as well as many other topics, crossed any cultural barriers and was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the country I was visiting.
A wonderful experience and marvelous programme is probably the most accurate description of the whole GSE concept. The Rotary Foundation is generous in its contribution to this and offers great opportunities to non Rotarians as well as to one Rotarian.
I wish to acknowledge the commitment and contribution that each team member made to the success of the exchange. They coped with the crowds, the language, took any change of plan all in their stride and provided positive support to me and each other from the moment the team was selected.
Vocationally, I was able to observe another education system as well as enhancing the contacts of my New Zealand school. The exchange has increased my confidence especially in public speaking and strengthened my belief that if someone wants something they will strive to achieve that. It was a most rewarding experience and I feel proud and honoured to have been a part of it.
/Name badges available from Brandwell Moller in Dunedin at $6.50 plus GST. Absolutely essential.
/Business cards for each team member - probably 200 would be enough.
/Hamels Menswear in Dunedin were excellent for men's uniform and also in obtaining the fabric for female blazers.
/Women's uniform was made by Irene's Quality Dressmaking in Timaru. Irene is an excellent seamstress and she made our uniforms in a fairly tight time frame. Finding the same blazer for all was difficult which is why we went for purchasing fabric and having the female blazers made.
/McCallums Drycleaning in Invercargill have the emblem for the jacket pocket and are fairly prompt in getting these made. ( See sample)
/We (female) had three uniform options
- # 1 : skirt, blouse and jacket
- # 2 : matching skirt and blouse (could be a dress)
- # 3 : trousers and top (choice of two)
/Male uniform options were two pairs of trousers and a selection of shirts and ties.
/Gifts taken for D.G. and GSE chairman were a sheepskin each; a tie for each of the mayors we visited; for each host family - a book on N.Z., comb honey, soap-making kit, wooden kiwi "family", box of chocolates, and "cookie time" biscuits. As well it was useful to have small gifts of key rings, fridge magnets, pens, handkerchiefs, soap etc. to give to our daily hosts.
/Gift for each club we visited was a wooden boxed rimu pen set with an inscription on it. Also a district banner, and a set of brochures, map etc. that we put together of this District.
/Before departure, have confirmed through the travel agent that an allowance has been made for excess luggage weight. It appears that civil aviation and airlines are tightening up on this, but will make allowances for study purposes. This has to be confirmed beforehand.
