After graduating from IDEC, I am now working in the Training Services Division of the JICA Chugoku Center. JICA provides technical cooperation, yen loans, and grant aid as part of Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA). I am in charge of the training program, which is a part of the technical cooperation. My main duties are to support JICA long-term trainees (masters and doctoral students from developing countries studying in Japan) when they come to Japan and when they return home, and to manage and coordinate the implementation of issue-specific training (in the fields of education and peace). I usually deal with the relevant parties by e-mail, phone, online meetings, and monitoring, but sometimes I meet the trainees face-to-face. I find it very rewarding to be a go-between for developing countries and Japan.

Looking back from my internship at G.ecbo to the present, time has flown by very quickly. This is because my life as a graduate student was filled with daily classes, research, writing papers, job hunting, and many other things. I have challenged myself with various things, and have accumulated many failures and experiences. There were days when I slacked off on my research and writing papers, but my friends, seniors and juniors in the lab and I encouraged each other and I never gave up. I am grateful to my supervisor and my family for their support.

After completing my undergraduate studies, I worked as a teacher and JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) in Ghana for two years. Then I went to graduate school and began my career working for JICA.
I struggled as I desperately tried to keep my focus on the future. But looking back, my main focus has been education and international cooperation. I became interested in developing countries when I learned that there were children who could not go to school to complete their compulsory education. I would like to continue to contribute to international cooperation by utilizing my expertise in the field of education without forgetting my original intention.

What I gained from my internship was an attitude to take on challenges and the ability to respond flexibly. During my internship at the Cambodian Mekong University, I taught a Japanese language class, but since I didn't have a fixed schedule, I had to consult with the teachers to get a Japanese class schedule, and I also tried conducting an after-school chorus class. The experience of jumping into a new environment and responding flexibly has also been useful in my job hunting. 

If you are reading this article, you may be interested in the G.ecbo Program. Failures and successes each become building blocks for the future and valuable experiences. I believe that if you have faith in yourself, work hard, and are determined, everything will work out. Why not try an internship where you can experience life and work in a developing country?