Lighthouse Career Encourage USA

Business Experience at Non Profit Organization for the Japanese Community

Participant InformationName: Hina Kaizuka

School: Meiji University

Grade: Junior (at the time)

Program: GCP (Global Career Program)

| Reasons why I decided to participate in this program

As I started to think about my future career more realistically, a desire to “work overseas” came across my mind from my past experiences of going and studying abroad. But I had no idea what it would look like or what I should do to make it come true. So when I found this program which offered an opportunity to be in the business field overseas and to homestay, I decided to apply right away. 

| My expectation before coming

I was really looking forward to being in the actual business field for 2 weeks during this program. Many companies in Japan offer college students internship opportunities, but I thought being able to experience similar things in the U.S. was very special. Because I was already studying about various companies in Japan, I wanted to see how different the ones in the U.S. were. 

On the other hand, I was worried about homestay. I had an experience of homestay once in the past, but was not able to build a relationship with the host well because it was a much shorter program and it was my first time to face differences in lifestyles. But this time, I was able to get along quickly as my host mother took me to many places and we cooked together several times. My friends who participated in this program also had good experiences with their host families by going out for BBQ or different activities. 

| Daily routine

I was assigned to be at a Non-profit organization for the Japanese community. 

Daily Task: Translated and edited their homepage in Japanese, Translated the flyers.

Communicated with event participants (Japanese Americans and Japanese)

  Helped setting up the event, Took photographs

【Daily Schedule】

9am Arrive at the office & Help at TOMO Cafe

11am Office

12pm Lunch

1pm Office

5pm Leave the office

| Memorable and challenging experiences

Since it was a non profit organization, there were many things that were different from regular company settings. For example, there were a number of unfinished tasks due to lack of staff and there was no manual or instruction for the task.

Therefore, I had to manage each task more flexibly especially when there was an event. In addition, all communication both verbally and via emails was done in English. It was challenging indeed, but I was able to learn a lot from each experience.  

| What I worked the most at

Throughout the program, I tried to take an initiative to find things I could work on or help with. As I mentioned, there were many on-going or unfinished tasks due to lack of staff and time. So I worked on prioritizing what tasks needed to be finished and took an initiative to complete them. I also managed to gather necessary information or things for each task. Although other staff were more experienced and knowledgeable, I always tried to contribute what I could. I especially worked hard on editing their homepage in Japanese. Since most of its translation was done using automated translation, there were some expressions which could improve. So I talked to other staff, studied information, and edited them into more effective expressions. 

| Homestay

Time with my host family was very special and we made many good memories. Because my host mother had many experiences hosting Japanese students, she had a better understanding of Japanese food and culture. She respected my lifestyle very much.

Since I was not home during the day while she also worked, we often spent evenings together. Even then, she sent me messages during the day and communicated with me about dinner plans. She often asked me to make sure I was doing well. So I felt so welcome and supported throughout my stay in the U.S. I am so thankful for meeting her and spending time with her. 

| What I worked the most at

I tried to take the initiative to communicate with my host family as much as possible. Because we both were not home during the day, we only had limited time to communicate. In order to get along better and understand each other, I had to take action and communicate better. For example, I sent pictures to my host family when I went out with my friends. I also offered Japanese snacks I brought and enjoyed them together. 

I learned that indirect communication was very “Japanese” while direct communication worked a lot better in the U.S. In the U.S., people deliver messages clearly and directly. When I tried to do the same, it worked better and I felt how important it was to become a good communicator. 

| Reflections on the program

What I learned and how I will use them in the future

To take action proactively. During the program, I often had to think of what task was more important and what I should do at the moment. And I was able to learn to get the information and support to complete each task on my own. As for my English skill, I was able to manage by taking the initiative to communicate with others. It was also a good learning experience to get to know other participants of this program. Some could speak more than 3 languages or had an experience of homestay overseas for a longer period of time. I thought my English skill was decent, but meeting these friends made a great impact on me positively. I am sure that I will encounter moments to make important decisions in my future career. I would like to remember what I learned from this program, think, and analyze what is really important as I face each challenge. 

| Would you recommend this program to your friends?

Yes!!!

I am so grateful that I was able to participate in this program. You may worry about different life styles overseas, homestay experience or being in the business field. I was worried about myself spending 3 weeks overseas while other friends were already looking for jobs. However, this program turned out to be so inspirational and full of learning experiences. I was able to discover about my vision or my own strength and now I can say that I understand what working overseas looks like and what I am capable of doing. Meeting so many special people including my host family, people at the non profit organization and other participants of this program was also valuable to me. I strongly recommend you to participate in this program and discover new things and learn new things.