I learned Japanese for about three months. Before arriving in Japan, I never had a chance to learn the language, and I wasn’t able to speak any Japanese. In Japan I spent hours learning Japanese every day, so I can speak it a little now. I like the language very much and it is very important for making friends with Japanese people. Heart-to-heart communication is necessary. It is easier to achieve such communication if you speak Japanese. The Japanese language instructors were very kind and everyone improved their language skills. I learned Japanese Braille, too. I am now reading a book I checked out from a Braille library. I couldn’t read books in Braille in my country because there weren’t any. Now I am glad to be able to read books. In October, various international conferences were held in Osaka. I had a chance to meet persons with visually impairments from different countries at the Blind Summit. It was a new experience for me. I exchanged information with a lot of people and befriended many persons with visually impairments. The Osaka Forum was a large-scale conference and had disabled visitors from many countries. I met persons with various disabilities there and we learned a lot of from each other and I learned more about persons with various disabilities. There were so many people, and we were able to build a large network. I studied a lot. The Duskin Symposium was very nice and I met former trainees from Duskin program and we became friends. At the symposium, we took part in various activities to build a network of Duskin trainees. It was a lot of fun. I went to Shiga to attend a meeting of ESCAP and met government officials from Bangladesh. It was very cold when we went skiing in Niigata. In Tokyo I saw snow for the first time, too. I enjoyed the tri very good experience. I think I am the first disabled Bangladesh to ever have skied. We took a bath together and that was great fun. I spent New Year’s with a Japanese family. My Japanese mother and father were very kind and treated me like I was one of their own. I went to a hot spring with my Japanese family. My Japanese mother and father were very kind and treated me like I was one of their own. I went to a hot spring with my Japanese father every day and sang songs. I experience some very interesting parts of Japanese culture. For example, I tried rice-cake making. A shishimai or lion dancer gave me a cat with beckoning paw. I ate some tasty amazake. My father gave me a New Year’s gift. The home stay was a paradise.

We received five-month individual training. I studied a lot in Japan and I am so glad to have learned about so many things. I think I should share what I’ve learned in Japan with persons with disabilities in my home country.

At “WITH” in Hamamatsu, I learned about a workshop for persons with disabilities and Braille printing. People at “WITH” love workers with disabilities and treat them like their own children. I had a wonderful time there. I made my business cards and a white stick.

I did research on schools for the Blind in Japan at Shiga Prefectural School for the Blind. I learned how to teach persons with visually impairments. The Japanese teaching method was quite different from the method used in Bangladesh. I studied a lot at this school.

I learned how to use a computer and studied DAISY at the Information Center, Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities. The computer lesson was very nice. I knew nothing about computers before I received the lesson. It is important for persons with visually impairments to find a way to express what he wants to say. A tool like a personal computer is very useful. It is often believed that persons with visually impairments can do nothing. But even persons with visually impairments can use tools such as a computer. This may surprise some people.

I learned about Braille libraries at ICCB. I would like to build a Braille library in Bangladesh. The training at ICCB was very informative. I met a lot of persons with visually impairments there and made friends. I also learned about volunteer groups. I went to Nara, Kyoto and Kobe to find out about volunteer groups. I met people from different groups and we exchanged information. It was a wonderful experience.

One of my dreams is to build a Braille library in Bangladesh. While I was learning Japanese Braille and walking around the library, I quickly understood this part of the training. People at the Japan Braille Library hope to build a Braille Library in Bangladesh. I think it’s a wonderful idea. I met a lot of people and learned about many things including CBR.

We are currently receiving group training and ten trainees are undergoing the Leader Training Program. I had a lot of things to do and was very busy during the last month. I started a new life in Japan and had a lot of fun. Japan is a nice country and the people are kind. Life in Japan is convenient for persons with disabilities. People working for the training program are very cooperative. Lastly, I would like to thank the people at Duskin for taking such good care of us. Thank you again.