Reflecting on her time at SHHS, she recalled enjoying the Japanese exchange student program which was a great opportunity to make friends while learning about Japanese culture and language. “Over my six years at SHHS, I hosted 11 Japanese students. This was an invaluable experience for me and I would highly recommend hosting to anyone, even if you know zero Japanese. I hosted my first student in Year 7 when I could only say basic greetings and we had a wonderful time.”
Sam also mentioned the inclusive environment at SHHS, where… “you feel safe to be yourself. The school environment also pushes you academically, which I appreciated, although it can put a lot of pressure on students. I really appreciated that there was mutual respect between teachers and students where it felt like we could be treated like adults. In particular I really enjoyed my HSC classes with Ms Matsui, Mr Griffiths, Mr Anstey and Ms Metson.”
During the pandemic, Sam was attending UOW … “I was meant to go on exchange for a year in Japan, but I was unable to due to the pandemic. I actually went to Japan and my exchange program was cancelled and I was sent home. Following this, I studied the final two years of my degree online. To be honest I’m a home body so I loved being able to stay home, but I know my Japanese learning was hindered a lot.”
Sam described her current work life… ”Living in an area that was so heavily affected by the March 2011 earthquake /tsunami /nuclear disaster has taught me a lot. When people overseas hear ‘Fukushima’, they probably think of the powerplant disaster that leaked radioactive materials. Before coming to Fukushima, I was repeatedly asked if it was safe, told it was not safe (by people who didn’t actually know), and had lots of stupid jokes made. The reality is, Fukushima Prefecture is a massive area and only around 2% is off limits to residents, with clean-up projects constantly ongoing. There has never been a point where I felt unsafe, in fact the food here is actually so strictly tested that it is safer than in many western countries. Through my career, I want to dispel the negative stigma surrounding Fukushima. To this end, I have interpreted for a tour inside the powerplant for a group of foreign residents, and I hope to continue projects like this in the future, as well as educating anyone I can.
In my everyday career, I am able to help foreign residents in Fukushima City with a variety of things. One of my jobs at the City Hall is to co-run our Foreign Resident Support Desk with my Vietnamese co-worker. The system in Japan is very different to Australia, and every foreigner living in the city will need to come to the City Hall a few times for various paperwork. In the case that they don’t speak Japanese, I will interpret for them. I have also helped with getting drivers licences, communicating with COVID positive tourists, and performing health check-ups for new-born children. Being the only person who speaks both English and Japanese in the whole City Hall (hundreds maybe thousands of staff) means there are lots of people who need help and I am really happy to be able to offer it.”
As her teacher, I recall Sam loved to draw in the anime style and she still has an eye on the future where this might become an area of employment for her…”I want to work in localisation for video games or anime. Localisation is similar to translation except it means also considering cultural differences in your translation. At this point I don’t have any specific company in mind, I am just looking to get into the industry. I think it would be really fun if in the future there is a game or anime that is popular and I can say I worked on that, and see my name in the credits.”
Sam’s advice for the current high school generation… ”I think I would give the same advice as I gave to my 17 year old self. Everything will be okay. There are always going to be times where things feel tough. There can be a lot of pressure to succeed at SHHS but at the end of the day you just need to look after yourself and do the best you can in your circumstances. Things will work out just give yourself time.”
Check out Sam’s Instagram @srb____ (four underscores) and/or work account @international.fukushima “I am happy to respond to any questions via message on my personal account”.
Sharon Mearing – VA, HT Welfare - Retired 2018
