The Second Online Cultural Exchange Event with Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology
The Second Online Cultural Exchange Event with Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology
2024.02.15 updateNews
On February 14th, an online exchange event was held between Okayama University of Science (OUS) and its partner university, Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology (TNI), in Thailand. This was the second event with TNI this academic year, and once again, members from the Global Volunteer Group (GLOBOLA) organized and facilitated the event. Participating students from TNI were, like last time, studying Japanese. The theme of this exchange was 'World Exploration Tour,' where participants recommended tourist spots and introduced food from their respective regions.
After self-introductions, participants played an icebreaker game called The Game of Saying Ha. Even with the same Japanese term, 'Ha,' it would contain the meaning of doubt, admiration, anger, or sadness through different intonations and facial expressions. When called upon, a student acted out a given prompt, and others selected from options to guess the emotion being portrayed. Depending on how something is said, the intended emotion may not always come across, potentially leading to misunderstanding. This provided a valuable learning opportunity for Thai students studying Japanese, as they could learn expressions used in Japanese conversation. However, it was challenging to convey complex feelings with limited expressions, constant laughter throughout each other's performances made for a successful icebreaker.
In the main activity, students from TNI introduced the Yi Peng Festival in Chiang Mai, known as the world's largest lantern festival. They taught GLOBOLA members about how releasing lanterns into the air symbolizes apologizing to the gods for past wrongdoings and expressing gratitude. The TNI students also showcased Thai court cuisine, highlighting how Thai food culture is derived from Portuguese and Chinese influences and other regions. GLOBOLA members reciprocated with an introduction about terraced rice fields, Angel Road, soft-serve ice cream made from olives in Shodoshima, Kagawa, and cafes, hot springs, and guesthouses in Kibichuo Town, Okayama.
At the end of the event, participants took commemorative group photos and exchanged contact information, with the promise of continuing to foster exchanges in the future.
After self-introductions, participants played an icebreaker game called The Game of Saying Ha. Even with the same Japanese term, 'Ha,' it would contain the meaning of doubt, admiration, anger, or sadness through different intonations and facial expressions. When called upon, a student acted out a given prompt, and others selected from options to guess the emotion being portrayed. Depending on how something is said, the intended emotion may not always come across, potentially leading to misunderstanding. This provided a valuable learning opportunity for Thai students studying Japanese, as they could learn expressions used in Japanese conversation. However, it was challenging to convey complex feelings with limited expressions, constant laughter throughout each other's performances made for a successful icebreaker.
In the main activity, students from TNI introduced the Yi Peng Festival in Chiang Mai, known as the world's largest lantern festival. They taught GLOBOLA members about how releasing lanterns into the air symbolizes apologizing to the gods for past wrongdoings and expressing gratitude. The TNI students also showcased Thai court cuisine, highlighting how Thai food culture is derived from Portuguese and Chinese influences and other regions. GLOBOLA members reciprocated with an introduction about terraced rice fields, Angel Road, soft-serve ice cream made from olives in Shodoshima, Kagawa, and cafes, hot springs, and guesthouses in Kibichuo Town, Okayama.
At the end of the event, participants took commemorative group photos and exchanged contact information, with the promise of continuing to foster exchanges in the future.