I arrived in Osaka on August 28, 2007. It was my first visit to Japan, in fact I had never been outside of Nepal, so everything took me by surprise. In Osaka, I was first introduced to everyone from Duskin. I felt a bit shy and also awfully tense. I then went to the hotel to have a shower. It was extremely clean. I had never seen something like that before. I was once again very tense at the opening ceremony, during which I met other five trainees. In the evening there was a welcome party, and the next day we went to Tokyo by Shinkansen (bullet train). Shinkansen was so incredibly fast. Mt Fuji, which we saw from our window, was extremely beautiful. When I arrived at Tokyo Station I was once again awestruck by the number of trains.

In Tokyo we spent three months studying Japanese and Japanese sign language. At first I did not understand a word so it was very hard work. But we got used to it gradually and by the end of the training I understood a fair amount of Japanese, even though I still found kanji --the complex system of characters used in Japanese aside from basic alphabets--extremely difficult.

It was very hot in Okinawa. In the evening I joined deaf people and we enjoyed the evening with glasses of awamori, the indigenous Okinawan liqueur. Okinawan cuisine was extremely tasty too. The next day, temperature suddenly dropped and I had to buy winter clothes. It was surprising to see how quickly the climate betrayed the forecast. My host family took me to deaf schools and a variety of sight-seeing spots. I especially enjoyed making glassware at a glass factory, and seeing a multitude of sea creatures at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.

In Echigo Yuzawa, I saw snowfall for the first time in my life, which I found inexplicably beautiful. We were instructed by the people of Neige, an organization that taught skiing to people with disabilities. At first I was worried about falling over, but I quickly got used to it and enjoyed it very much. To be honest two days seemed too short. I also enjoyed the evenings where we sat together and chatted with sake from Niigata Prefecture.

I received an orientation at Shiga Prefecture Social Welfare Cooperation Deaf Welfare Association in Shiga soon after arriving in Shiga Prefecture. I was amazed that they had all the great equipment like facsimiles and personal computers, and that they had sign language interpreters. These things are unthinkable in Nepal at present. I also visited Biwako Mimi No Sato — a non-residential sheltered workshop for deaf people and people with multiple disabilities, that also has a nice café, offering a variety of work. I worked with other people at the studio and thought it wonderful that such places were available for people with disabilities. Shiga Prefecture also was a place of much snowfall. I was excited every time snow started falling.

At NPO Japanese ASL Signers Society in Iidabashi, Tokyo, I learned about report writing and how to create presentations using PowerPoint. The lectures were very difficult but extremely useful in order to organize my thoughts.

In Nara Prefecture, I had the opportunities to participate in the activities of elderly deaf people, including gateball games. Since there are no such opportunities for elderly deaf people to enjoy themselves together in Nepal, I found it amazing that Japan offered these exchanges. I also went to see the making of Roa Yamato, the newspaper issued by the Association, which prompted me to feel that I would like to create such newspapers for Bhaktapur Association of the Deaf, an association for the deaf in Nepal where I belong. We also went to Matsushita Electric Industrial Company’s Nara factory. I was once again touched to see deaf people working there. Nara Prefecture had an abundance of historic buildings. I enjoyed visiting many sights with the world heritage status. I hope that I can utilize all of these experiences in my future activities.

In Fukui Prefecture I visited deaf schools again. They were very spacious and clean just like in other prefectures. I think it is wonderful that anywhere in Japan one can find schools for deaf people. I was accommodated at Kodoen for four days, a facility used by deaf people and people with multiple disabilities. The day after I arrived, we went to Otaiko Hills with visitors of Kodoen and had a nice day together. The next day I was engaged in work experience, where I tried to work blindfolded. It was extremely hard. It was hard to even walk, which makes me feel that perhaps I understood a little more about how hard it is for deaf people. I also experienced serving meals and helping with bathroom visits of people with cerebral palsy.

I went to see lessons at the sign language interpretation department of Setagaya Welfare Technical Center, because it was one of my dreams to develop more sign language interpreters in Nepal. I would like to use some of the methodologies I have seen at this school when I start courses for sign language interpreters in Nepal. It was also fun to talk to students learning to become sign language interpreters. I felt a great deal of hope in the fact that there are so many students interested in sign language interpretation.

I applied to the Duskin leadership program because I wanted to support the deaf movement in Nepal. At first my idea was quite vague—I wanted ‘development of deaf movement’, but it did not have any concrete substance or contents. However, after visiting deaf schools in Japan and seeing deaf movement for one year, and attending sign language interpretation courses, I felt that Japan’s deaf movement was extremely developed. Right now, what Nepal needs is 1) development of deaf movement, 2) development of sign language interpretation, and 3) establishment of deaf schools. Japan is far ahead of Nepal in these three aspects. I now strongly hope that I can take these experiences back to Nepal and pass them on to deaf people in Nepal.

Nepal has Nepal National Federation of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and I belong to one of its member associations, Bhaktapur Association of the Deaf. I would like to establish associations of the deaf in many more places in Nepal and expand the network, so that there are no deaf people isolated from the community.

Training of sign language interpreters is also an important issue. Right now, there are hardly any sign language interpreters in Nepal, so communication between deaf and non-deaf people is very limited. It is also impossible for deaf people to go to school and study in the same environment as the non-deaf people. I would like to change these situations.

I would also like to establish schools for the deaf in many regions. Right now, only very wealthy or fortunate deaf people can go to deaf schools. I would like to create well-equipped deaf schools like those of Japan, so that every deaf person will have an opportunity to get education.

First of all, I would like to get facsimiles and computers, and other equipment needed for the movement, and also hire some sign language interpreters. I then would like to visit many corners of Nepal with my friends from Bhaktapur Association of the Deaf and sign language interpreters to support each region’s deaf movement. However we do need government fund to make these dreams possible. I do not think all of this can be done overnight, but I would like to do everything possible to continue working on the movement to make my dreams come true. I will devote my heart to deaf movement in Nepal.

I had such wonderful experiences during the three-month Japanese / Japanese sign language training, the home-stay in Okinawa, ski training, and the individual training programs across Japan. I would like to thank everyone who took me under their wings.

Thanks also to everyone at Duskin, I learned so much in Japan, saw a new world open before my eyes, and I am extremely grateful. The movement for people with disabilities in Asia is still in its developmental stage; but I have no doubt that Duskin’s activities are a great contributing factor to the development.