I like Japanese culture very much. If you are sitting on a bench, a stranger will serve you tea. When you enter a building, you keep the door open for the next person. Right after I arrived in Japan, I was not used to such customs and I felt a little uneasy. But I followed suit and I found that such behavior makes people happy. Courtesy is a part of Japanese culture, so is kindness.

The three-month Japanese intensive course came to an end so suddenly. I had a hard time improving my Japanese, but at the end of the course I was able to write sentences in hiragana. I was glad I could communicate via email in Japanese with my friends. Exchanging email helps language skills to improve and is also fun. Thanks to email in Japanese, I made a lot of friends.

I had a hard time learning sign language, too. I wasn’t able to make myself understood at first. I asked my friends with hearing impairments for help. Now I can communicate in Japanese sign language quite easily.

I saw snow for the very first time in my life. It was a little could when I touched it, but it was beautiful and I liked it very much. On the first day, it snowed so heavily that you couldn’t see well. It was nice on the second day. I fell a hundred times and my body ached. But now it’s a fond memory.

During the New Year’s vacation I stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Iwabuhi in Koyama, and Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi in Utsunomiya. For the first time in Japan I visited a home where a persons with hearing impairments lived. In Vietnam, persons with hearing impairments do not usually understand sign language, but in Japan, a lot of people understand it. On New Year’s Day we visited a shrine. I made an offering and rang a large bell. After the visit to the shrine, Mr. Iwabuchi bought me an amulet. He said if I carried it, I would lead a happy life throughout the year. I still carry it around. Mrs. Takahashi let me try on a kimono. I like kimono because they are beautiful, but it was uncomfortable to wear. The sash of kimono was so tight that I wasn’t able to eat very much. I really had a wonderful New Year’s vacation with the Iwabuchi and Takahashi families. I would like to thank them.

There is an abundance of natural beauty in Shiga. Employees at the center provide temporary translation services of sign language and dispatch summary scribes. They are very busy. There are three persons with hearing impairments on the staff of the center and they communicate with persons without hearing impairments in sign language. I really envied them.

I met persons with various disabilities. There were many persons with severe disabilities. Only one staff was persons with hearing impairments. Other members understood little sign language, which worried me a little but they were all nice people. I was able to communicate with them through writing and gestures. The training at this association lasted only for a short period, but I’m glad to have made friends with the staff. Lectures were only a small part of the training here. Most of the time, I was out in the field. For example, I received training on assisting which was not an easy task.

Each institution has a unique teaching method. Persons of Shiga Prefectural Deaf Center teaches sign language with corresponding Japanese sentences. In general it is a good teaching method, but I think there is a drawback. Students read Japanese sentences and think they understand how they are expressed in sign language. If they actually try to express the sentences in sign language, they may have a hard time translating it. All the teachers at the National Rehabilitation Center for persons with disabilities are persons with hearing impairments. They teach sign language with visual teaching materials. It may take some time to get used to the method, but I think it is an excellent way to teach sign language. Training methods of sign language interpretation used at these institutions are interesting and very useful. I would like to introduce the method used at National Rehabilitation Center to people in Vietnam. I have more to learn from these institutions, so I would like to visit them again.

I became an instructor and taught Vietnamese sign language to both persons with hearing impairments and persons without hearing impairments. I made some visual teaching materials at Japanese Federation of the Deaf and prepared for the lesson. I also did a trial lesson. After the preparation I had more confidence. The students learned a little Vietnamese sign language and I was very happy when they said they liked the lesson.

Information accessibility has been well established in Japan. Although many often say that they still do not have enough access to information, I think there is a lot for people in Vietnam to learn. Some examples are TV programs with captions, electrical bulletin boards at train stations, indoor signal devices, and communication via mobile phones. These systems make access to information easier for persons with hearing impairments. I tried using them and found they are very convenient and important. There are sign language interpreters in many places in Japan. Persons with hearing impairments can lead easier lives and participate in various activities. I would like to tell people in my country about what I learned in Japan and participate in movements to improve the situation there.

Right after we arrived in Japan, communication was not easy. We used gestures to have simple conversations. Some trainees learned sign language and we talked more about different topics. I am glad to have made friends with other trainees on the 4th program. It was good that we could help each other. I would like to keep in touch with them so that our friendship will last forever.

My dream is to be an instructor of sign language interpretation. I am glad that I have received training on other subjects, too because the skills and knowledge I have acquired will be very useful when I become a sign language instructor. Having a broader view and coordinating with other activities is essential. I think I have made a step forward on this training program toward achieving my goal. I am a college student now and when I graduate I would like to realize my dream and make the most of what I have learned in Japan.

Lastly, I would like to thank the Duskin AINOWA staff, the people at the training institutions and JSRPD. My stay was very meaningful thanks to your support and cooperation. Thank you again.