JENESYS 2.0 - The very name of this program calls for a pun on
creation, and for a bunch of students from National Public School, Bangalore, it truly did symbolise
birth – the birth of a new outlook. JENESYS 2.0 is a program advanced by the
Japanese government and executed by JICE (Japan International Cooperation
Centre), aimed at promoting mutual understanding and friendly exchange between
Japan and other countries.
This ten-day-long program began on 2nd June 2014 in
the bustling metropolis of Tokyo with its skyscrapers, shrines and scientific
glory (in the form of Honda’s breath-taking robot Asimo). After two days in
this dynamic city, the group flew to Kochi, a town that bears resemblance to its
Indian counterpart in that it too, is coastal. Bounded by the sea on one side
and mountains on the other with dense forest in between, Kochi was the homely
town that made the perfect location for both the high school exchange and
home-stay programs. Participants explored the similarities between Japanese
students and themselves (they also secretly sneak mobile phones into school) by
exchanging cartoons and anime, playing traditional card games and giggling over
hysterical dumb charades routines. The home-stay program was an entirely
different cup of (green) tea, with Google Translate being many a student’s
saviour as s/he frantically indicated towards the shower-head and toilet bowl
to ask pressing questions.
Perhaps the biggest learning from the program, however, was
the extent to which people shape a country. The beauty of Japan comes not from the choppy seas or untamed mountains, but from the people’s hospitality.
-Samvida
