I arrived in Japan on August 29, 2005. Being the first woman with visual impairment from Pakistan selected as an trainee, I was determined to learn a lot for my friends and colleagues in Pakistan. Nevertheless I was a little worried before coming to Japan. I asked myself what Japan and its people were like. I wondered what the food and the culture were like. I had no idea and I wondered if I would be able to manage. However, I knew that Japan had laws for people with disabilities and accessible buildings, that made it more convenient for the people with disabilities. When I actually lived there, the Japanese people I met were all very kind and the food was delicious; living there was not so difficult. I also met six other trainees in Japan from different countries. They were all nice and we soon became friends.

Studying Japanese was such great fun. At first I found it very difficult and everyday I told the teachers that I could not manage. They continued to encourage me, telling me ‘it’s ok, you can do it.’ They taught me so well and my Japanese gradually improved. Now I can talk to Japanese people only using Japanese. This makes me very happy.

While I studied Japanese, I lived at Toyama Sunrise. At that time I thought that 10 months was an awfully long time, I often felt lonely and wanted to go back to Pakistan. The reality was that it was my own decision to come to Japan, to study about people with disabilities. I wanted to be engaged in projects in Pakistan for people with disabilities. So I decided to work hard on it, despite my loneliness. In fact, the 10 months went by very quickly. I did not feel lonely either as I made many friends. I never imagined that I would make so many friends in Japan and also be so close to the staff members of JSRPD.

The individual training started in mid-December, 2005. There were many things to learn in Japan and it was hard to choose as I had to think about the most essential needs for people with visual impairments in my country. I eventually decided to learn about independent living and computers and services for people with visual impairments.

At Koyukai, I learned about living training for people with visual impairments. There are few such opportunities in my country for young people with visual impairments. Also due to the lack of information, many people think that it is not important to have living training. In Japan, one can receive training for independent living training even in old age. People can also receive training at home, from staff members visiting their homes. I thought it was such an excellent system.

There were many workers with visual impairments at Koyukai. Many people with visual impairments in Pakistan do not have jobs; I wondered how they could find working opportunities.

For the first time, I had a training session by myself at Nippon Lighthouse. At first I felt very lonely as I had always been with other trainees. However I soon made friends and experienced many programs, including rattan craft. It was my first ever attempt so the rattan basket I made was slightly out of shape. Nevertheless it was great fun.

At the end of my stay I presented a speech about Pakistan and life in Pakistan. I was very nervous and made sure that I was well-prepared. It took a long time to prepare for it but everyone told me that they enjoyed my speech - this made me very happy.

At WITH, I studied about Braille printing, and visited schools with Mr. Shiba to give speeches. The staff at WITH　patiently taught me how to do Braille printing. I felt that I wanted to be engaged in Braille printing jobs in Pakistan, because at WITH I learnt that Braille was extremely important for people with visual impairments. I had always liked Braille but I grew to like it even more. I went to polytechnics and universities with Mr Shiba and interacted with the students. They seemed to become interested in disabilities after my talk. I would be very happy if more people opt to do volunteer work after this experience.

I experienced my first independent living while training at the Human Care Association. I learnt about cooking, how to go grocery shopping and how to use washing machines. Living alone kept me quite busy but it was very enjoyable. I was quite nervous when I went shopping alone, but I could ask the shop’s staff to help me. I also did some Pakistani cooking and took it to the Human Care Association’s administration office. I was very happy that everyone said it was very tasty.

In my country, even people without disabilities do not live alone. When I told my friends and family back home about my independent living experience they were all stunned and told me not to do it. Nevertheless, living independently was the best experience of the number of things I did in Japan. It gave me confidence.

I enjoyed learning about independent living. At the Mainstream Association, I learnt about Japanese people with disabilities, independent living programs and first assistant services. I was surprised when the staff told me that it is important to enjoy yourself. We went to a number of places together for leisure. In Kyoto, I saw a lot about Japanese history, which was very interesting. In Hiroshima, we went to Miyajima and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, but I felt so overwhelmed with sadness and I was on the verge of tears. The staff and I became good friends and we discussed many issues together, including the challenges of people with disabilities and Pakistan.

We did not spend the entire training period studying. We also had a lot of fun. For instance, skiing was my first ever experience. I was embarrassed as I fell over so many times, but eventually I managed to ski by myself. This delighted me. Whenever I think about that skiing experience it still makes me laugh.

For the Japanese New Year I went to Kumamoto for a home-stay experience. My host family was very nice and kind. I went climbing the mountains for the first time, and saw the snow for the first time. It was like a dream.

I was also surprised to see that in the swimming training, men and women swam together. Also in hotsprings, men and women bathe separately but all women bathe together. This was totally different from Pakistan and I was terribly embarrassed.

The thing that surprised most however, was that people with disabilities were independent. Japanese people with disabilities can do anything they want.

The group training started at the end of May, for all of the trainees to study together again. It was lovely to see them again after being apart for so long. We visited many sites together, including famous and beautiful places. We had always been good friends but our bond grew stronger during the group training period. I knew that everyone had to go back to their own countries so I wanted to cherish the remaining time together..

In Pakistan, there are no laws, services or Braille blocks s for people with visual impairments. What is even more disappointing is that they have no information. I would like to pass onto them all of the information and knowledge I acquired in Japan. Together, I would like to start new projects with them. I know it will not be easy, but I also know that this work will be extremely important. I am going to do my best with my friends.

Duskin’s training is a great opportunity, not just for myself but for the millions of people with disabilities in Asia. I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to receive the training in Japan, and would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the people at Duskin, Ainowa Foundation and the staff of the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities. I am also extremely grateful to the staff of the MILESTONE　Society for the Special Persons. Thank you very much everyone.