All posts by Thomas Greve

訪問地, 地域学習, 熊本県熊本市

Hospital day

Jikei-hospital-grp-photo

Day of the activity: June 18th, 2015

Today we went to the Jikei hospital where they have a so-called ‘baby hatch’, or more formally ‘the stork’s cradle’. It is a place where parents who are unable to care for their children can drop off the baby anonymously.

Before we went to the hospital itself, we had s meeting with a nurse whom had worked with the cradle for several years. She told us many emotional stories about women who couldn’t even tell their parents that they were pregnant, and had come to the stork’s cradle. I was quite surprised that the social stigma around pregnancy under the ‘wrong’ circumstances was still so powerful, and even more shocked and surprised when we were told that before the cradle was started, there had even been a problem with babies being abandoned and found dead.

When we came to the hospital, we were overwhelmed by all the cameras and journalists who were there for reporting on our visit. Apparently all the local TV stations, and at least one national newspaper, were there to cover our visit. We went to have a quick look at the hatch itself, and then we went inside to talk with one of the founders of the cradle.

It was very interesting to hear what he had to say about the effect that the cradle has had, but all the cameras made it somewhat uncomfortable. Afterwards, some of us went to take a closer look at the hatch, and even got to look inside. Inside was a letter with information for the child’s parents, and I was relieved to see that it is impossible to leave a baby without taking the letter.

Johannes Meyer (Norway)

訪問地, 長崎県大村市

Visit of a special education school in Omura

We visited a special education school in Omura and it was a really interesting visit. The kids were super excited to see us, and they had prepared a lot. First we talked to a teacher, who told us about the history of the school, how it is run, and the curriculum. It was really nice to learn about, to see the differences and similarities between Norway and Japan when it comes to special education schools.

Afterwards we talked to the teacher, and then we played ‘Alele’ with the students, which was really fun because the students were all super excited about it.

After that we were all divided into 3 groups, and my group left with the 2nd graders to go to another room. In this room all the students introduced themselves in English, and I was surprised at how good they all were, because most Japanese people I’ve met aren’t that good with English.

We then played a couple of games with the students, and after that, it was time to leave.

Line Haavik (Norway)