It had been four years since we last visited the IFL Japanese Language Department, and although the students I had met last time had already graduated and the faces had changed, I was greeted with a warm smile by Professor Kim Nipisset, who had assumed the position of dean of the department.
The 27 third-year students who participated in the exchange class were already waiting for us in the classroom with a high level of Japanese comprehension, and we immediately had them watch the latest version of the video "The Story of King Ashoka" that we had produced.
In the Q&A session that followed, Mr. Okada explained the intention behind the production of this video and what he wanted to convey. I would like you to think about the following questions in your mind: what is happiness for human beings, why wars and conflicts do not disappear in the world even though everyone hates wars and thinks it is wrong, and what can we do to stop wars? What can we do to stop wars? I told them that I wanted them to think about these questions in their own minds.
After that, we relaxed a little and had a quiz about Japanese language and Japan, and our interpreter, Mr. Sor Sonheng, shared his own experiences in Japan with us. I was happy to see that they are interested in learning various things about Japan.
Some of the students also seemed to be very interested in Buddhism, and they gathered around Mr. Okada after class, wanting to hear more about it.
In talking with Mr. Nipisset after class, he said that the number of students enrolled in the Japanese Language Department this year is about 300, and continues to increase in popularity, and that although there was a two-year blank due to the Corona pandemic, the number of students has picked up a bit this year, with about 20 students studying abroad in Japan. The students who have achieved excellent results in the final exam held every January are awarded scholarships to study in Japan in the order of their ranking.
Their greatest hope is to work in Japan, and especially now, students who attend evening classes are studying hard to go to Japan. I also felt a sense of reminder that we Japanese must not let down the young people who come to Japan with such hard work and hope.
Dr. Nipisset also gave his opinion on the content of the exchange class. He gave various ideas to encourage students to take the class more seriously, such as offering prizes for correct answers to quizzes, dividing students into groups and having them compete for ranking, or having students play role-playing games to simulate various situations in Japan. He also gave us some ideas for role-playing games based on various situations in Japan.
The professor also seemed to want the students to learn more about society, and suggested, for example, that they could accompany us on our activities in the suburbs to experience life in the countryside and see and hear about the realities of the countryside.
Since we have made another connection after four years, we hope to have the opportunity to visit twice a year if possible, to interact with students in various ways, and to support the young people who will be responsible for Cambodia's future.
Thank you to Dr. Nipisset Kim for helping us, Mr. Sorheng for interpreting, and to all the students who participated!
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