I experienced a lot of things while living in Palau as a JICA volunteer. I decided to participate in JICA soon after graduating from my university so this was my first job. It was also my first time to live with people who were not born and raised in Japan. I encountered many obstacles that I had to overcome, such as culture shock and work-related issues, but I was able to complete my activities smoothly with the help of the people around me. In particular, I would like to express my gratitude to my host family, Emesiochel family and my colleagues.
My main activity was to assist teachers and children in physical education and mathematics at Ibobang Elementary School in Ngatpang state. The most rewarding part of my work was to show my colleagues what I actually do in class. I feel that their understanding was deepened more when I explainedconcrete points while showing them how I teach in class, rather than justgiving then advice in words. I think that I succeeded to develop human resources and leaders in education.It cannot be said that my support was able to make up for all the teaching abilities of teachers. Continued support and gaining further knowledge and experience are needed. Since the basic foundation has been laid, it is important to provide Palau with additional education support. In addition, life in Palau really helped me in my personal growth and improvement. I met a lot of people who supported me. Thanks to their kindness, I was able to get over difficulties. I was a shy person in the beginning, but now I am more confident. I would like to express my gratitude to my colleagues and JICA volunteers as well as everyone whom I had met during my stay in Palau.
Furthermore, I would like to be a teacher in Japan, so I am going to share my experience as a volunteer in Palau with students. I would like students to be interested in overseas.
Thank you very much for everything, Palau. I wish the people of Palau a life filled with prosperity. (By JICA Volunteer Satoshi Yamashita)