The second meeting of the VJEP 2016 (Vietnam-Japan Exchange Program)

The Japanese members of the VJEP 2016 (Vietnam-Japan Exchange Program 2016) held a second pre-program meeting last Sunday! We mainly discussed the joint research project which we are going to conduct with Vietnamese participants during the program. The theme of the joint research is“Hidden Treasures in Japan and in Vietnam.”

During the meeting, we also discussed what culture means to us. As the VJEP 2016 is a cultural exchange program, we want to give ‘culture’ a lot of thought in order to achieve another successful program.
The meeting was very meaningful to us and we are excited for the next meeting!!

The third pre-program meeting of the NJEP 2016 (Nepal-Japan Exchange Program 2016)

Last week, the Japanese members of the NJEP 2016 (Nepal-Japan Exchange Project 2016) held a third pre-program meeting. The main theme of the meeting was the “absurdity of life” One of the Japanese student leaders gave a presentation about prostitution.

Next week, both, the Japanese members of the NJEP 2016 and the VJEP 2016 (Vietnam-Japan Exchange Program 2016) , will have a joint meeting!

Call for Nepalese Participants! Nepal-Japan Exchange Program 2016 (NJEP 2016)

AAEE Nepal-Japan Exchange Program 2016 (NJEP 2016)
ーAPPLICATION IS OPEN NOW!ー
（恒例のネパール８月交流プログラム　ネパールメンバー募集開始！）

You don't wanna miss this exciting and a fun learning experience which even includes travelling in the three most beautiful places of Nepal with Japanese students . Apply before it's too late (Just click the photo below and you'll see the application form!)
P.S- Feel free to contact in the given email ID if any queries. Thank you.

Application form is here→https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VeXFk-gaPfkLtSnCraWN4-ZPCBNCJ1b7kSSGOZHzYvo/edit?no_redirect=true

"Mero Sathi Project 2016 February" Report is ready!

　The report on "Mero Sathi" February, 2016 program was submitted by Nepali participants. It was twelve days program in which we visited Nuwakot, Pokhara and Sikles in Nepal. Different activities were conducted that ensured valuable interaction among participants. Report below will be helpful for further information.

Click here →　http://aaee.jp/e/news/2016/05/000244.html

3 MORE DAYS TILL VJEP(Vietnam-Japan Exchange Program) 2016 RECRUITMENT

What did Helen Keller mean to say “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing"?

Do you dare to step out of your comfort zone and make worthwhile adventures for your youth? 

This summer, get ready to join us in an amazing road trip ranging from the dynamic Ho Chi Minh City to the romantic and peaceful Da Lat city. Together with 10 Japanese members, we will travel and discover the hidden beauty of Vietnamese traditions.

The application form will be out officially on Friday, May 20th, 2016!!!

Let's not miss a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to embark yourself on this stunning summer journey and make loads of beautiful memories heart絵文字
Please stay tuned to our facebook page for more exciting news about the recruitment. wink絵文字

VJYE 2016, SEP Pre-program training in Japan (1)

   The Japanese members of VJYE 2016 (Vietnam-Japan Youth Exchange SEP. 2016) have already started a prior training program. Today the members were divided into two groups. One of the groups developed a scenario of a Japanese culture show, and the other created a scenario of a video clip about a new culture learning.

VIETNAM - JAPAN EXCHANGE PROGRAM (VJEP 2016) IS READY!!

VIETNAM - JAPAN EXCHANGE PROGRAM (VJEP 2016) IS READY!!

We are very happy to say that we have selected 10 excellent Japanese students. The recruitment in Vietnam will ofically start in 20/5/2016! Isn’t that great? We are looking forward to working with amazing Vietnamese students that full of energy, passion and desire to make their summer meaningful!
Let’s save the date and and wait for the registration form wink絵文字

The Japanese members of VJEP (Vietnam-Japan Exchange Project) had a first meeting at Sophia University!

We, the Japanese members of VJEP (Vietnam-Japan Exchange Project) had a first meeting at Sophia University!! Introducing ourselves and had a discussion about the activities in Da lat, a beautiful city which we are going to stay for a week during the program. We're so excited to start the international project in Vietnam!

OK Baji (Mr. Kazumasa Kakimi, AAEE board member) be introduced on the Japanese national TV show!

OK Baji's (Mr. Kazumasa Kakimi, AAEE board member) life and support activities in eastern Palpa, Nepal, will be introduced on the Japanese national TV show on May 16(21:00～ TV Tokyo Channel)　.
Stay Tuned!
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/nazesoko/index.html

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―AAEE, 10th Nepal-Japan Student Exchange Project (Aug 15-Aug 25, 2016)ー

―AAEE, 10th Nepal-Japan Student Exchange Project (Aug 15-Aug 25, 2016)ー

We have already selected 12 excellent Japanese university students, and we are going to start recruiting Nepalese participants very soon!

－VJEP 2016 (Vietnam-Japan Exchange Program Aug. 2016) - PACK UP AND HEAD TO VIETNAM－

－Vietnam-Japan Exchange Program Aug. 2016-

PACK UP AND HEAD TO VIETNAM－

AAEE proudly introduces you a brand new exchange program between Japanese and Vietnamese students!!! Below is an overview of this upcoming exciting trip. The participants will have a chance to:
🌟 Explore Ho Chi Minh City, a city well-known for its beautiful combination of modern and traditional factors. Who can think that in the heart of a city with busy traffic and many skyscrapers are the history, reli...gions and traditions that Vietnamese people have treasured for hundreds of years?! By visiting famous places in Ho Chi Minh City, you will definitely have a different look at the Vietnam's living culture.
🌟 Experience what known as "homestay" – an activity allows the participants to live with the local families for several days. The goal of a homestay is for the participants to immerse in the host country’s culture. You can participate in family activities, including dining together, doing the housework, singing traditional songs . This year, our field trip's destination is a famous city in Vietnam, known as "The city of flowers" and we can guarantee that you will learn a lot of new things!!
🌟 Make lifetime friendships by participating in activities like playing traditional games, preparing for the festivals, going around for team building. And also by working in bilateral teams, participants will have a closer insight of both countries’ cultures and how life perspectives differ between the two.
Doesn’t this sound appealing? Vietnam and its culture are waiting for you to explore!

EXPLORE “THE CITY OF FLOWERS” IN “VIETNAM – JAPAN  EXCHANGE PROJECT 2016” (VJEP 2016)

Field trips have always been the most interesting part in exchange programs. You can play, eat and sleep with your friends in a new place, away from your familiar environment. Besides staying in Ho Chi Minh City as we mentioned before, the students participated in this August program will also go on a field trip in a mountainous area. Sound exciting? We would like to introduce you this year fi...eld trip’s destination:
🌟 Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province, Central Highlands, Vietnam.
🌟 Time: 6-7 days
The city is located 1,500 (4,000ft) above the sea level so the temperature is very much different from Vietnam’s typical tropical climate, usually around 10*C to 23*C. There are no words that can describe the beauty of Da Lat: the flowers blooming all year round; the magnificent sight when the mist covers the whole city; the charm of its local people. All of that are why we call this place a “Little Paris” in Vietnam.
Da Lat is not only well-known for the stunning sceneries, but also the traditional values underneath it. There are many handicraft villages, pagodas, churches and vegetable gardens waiting for you to explore and experience. You will also have an exclusive look at the Vietnamese ethnic minority’s lifestyle and culture.

“It’s a big world out there and it would be a shame not to experience it.” - J.D. Andrews.
Don’t hesitate, pack your bags and head to Da Lat this August with us!

－2016 SUMMER FOR JAPANESE AND VIETNAMESE STUDENT: PACK UP AND HEAD TO VIETNAM－

－2016 SUMMER FOR JAPANESE AND VIETNAMESE STUDENT:
PACK UP AND HEAD TO VIETNAM－

AAEE proudly introduces you a brand new exchange program between Japanese and Vietnamese students!!! Below is an overview of this upcoming exciting trip. The participants will have a chance to:
🌟 Explore Ho Chi Minh City, a city well-known for its beautiful combination of modern and traditional factors. Who can think that in the heart of a city with busy traffic and many skyscrapers are the hist...ory, religions and traditions that Vietnamese people have treasured for hundreds of years?! By visiting famous places in Ho Chi Minh City, you will definitely have a different look at the Vietnam's living culture.
🌟 Experience what known as "homestay" – an activity allows the participants to live with the local families for several days. The goal of a homestay is for the participants to immerse in the host country’s culture. You can participate in family activities, including dining together, doing the housework, singing traditional songs . This year, our field trip's destination is a famous city in Vietnam, known as "The city of flowers" and we can guarantee that you will learn a lot of new things!!
🌟 Make lifetime friendships by participating in activities like playing traditional games, preparing for the festivals, going around for team building. And also by working in bilateral teams, participants will have a closer insight of both countries’ cultures and how life perspectives differ between the two.

Doesn’t this sound appealing? Vietnam and its culture are waiting for you to explore! Like our fanpage and wait for more information about this year's trip, we promise not to disappoint you.

This year in 2016 (Aug), a more exciting cultural exchange program in Vietnam is waiting for you!

The mutual friendly relationship between Japan and Vietnam has long been promoted in various cross-cultural programs. AAEE has also devoted huge interests and efforts in order to strengthen this bilateral friendship. The two milestones of our efforts here in Vietnam were VJYE 2013 and VJYE 2014.
☼ VJYE 2013 was the first exchange program AAEE conducted in VN and it was a big success. Mr. Nguyen Tung Son, a participant, happily commented : “ The time you enjoy wasting is not t...he wasted time”. We organized study camp, homestay and visited schools, taught English to children and other meaningful activities.

☼ VJYE 2014 followed the success of the previous one with students joining more interesting activities. "Thanks to VJYE 2014, I have transformed into a brand new person with a stronger voice and sharper skills for the upcoming challenges. Above all, I have wonderful friends with many memorable experiences. I will miss everyone a lot!!" - one participant shared.
This year, a more exciting cultural exchange program in Vietnam is waiting for you! There are spectacular roads waiting to be explored, rich and flourishing culture waiting to be tasted, enthusiastic people waiting to welcome you! Like our fanpage and look forward to our next clue for the program. Ready to fancy your mind with every new piece of the world outside your own country!

Mero Sathi Project 2016 in Nepal Daily Report 11th day, "The meeting heading for growth of teamwork"

23th Feb
The meeting heading for growth of teamwork

We finished all activities of this program today. The last 2 weeks were meaningful for us. We all gained new knowledge and realized a lot of things through the interaction between Japanese and Nepalese students.

Since it was the second time for me to come to Nepal, I was less excited than I was last time. And that’s why I was calmly able to see things objectively. And I eventually found that there was a large gap between th...e purpose of Japanese students and that of Nepalese students.
Even though this program generally aimed at the interaction between two different cultures, for Japanese students, it didn’t simply mean to become friends with Nepalese students. We also tried to achieve three things; to enrich our hearts, to find common points of Japanese and Nepalese, to be free from prejudice in order to find good qualities of the country of Nepal. On the other hand, even though there was individual variations, Nepalese students were simply trying to become friends with us but nothing more.
Moreover, each Japanese student had different aim. I knew each one of us had different interest and this situation was supposed to happen, but it wasn’t good as a team. Thus, members acted individually during the program. At the end, we realized that we had achieved nothing as a team. So we decided to have a meeting even though it was the last day of the program, and our conversation lasted until 3 am. It was beneficial for us to exchange our own opinions and find new ideas and perspectives. We slept deeply with no regret after that.
To conclude, we should have set a goal shared by both Japanese and Nepalese students. It would have probably enabled us to work as a team and accomplish real teamwork.
By Keita Ohira

<Wonderful last day with joyful friends>

Today there was a radio interview of MERO SATHI members of feb 2016 on Radio Kantipur which might have been a first time experience for most of the members. All of the members were excited about the interview and did very well in it. In the radio interview they shared how they got benifited from the program and what they learned from travelling in Nepal and observing different communities of Nepal.
After the interview all the members got back t

o the hotel and discussed about the visit in the different houses of Nuwakot village and learned about the problems and solutions about that community.

In the evening there was a dinner in a Chinese resrurant along with certificate distribution where everybody got emotional as it was their last dinner together and enjoyed the food ordered by a Chinese friend and all the members could see the happiness in her face as they appreciated the food. They even exchanged some presents to remind them of each other. After the dinner almost all the members had a special moment together for the last time, which they must have enjoyed a lot.
By Saujania Pokhrel

Mero Sathi Project 2016 in Nepal Daily Report 10th day (22th Feb)

Mero Sathi Project 2016 in Nepal
Daily Report 10th day (22th Feb)
<On the way to Kathmandu>
...

   Even though we had a tough time on the bus for 10 hours today, it was a good opportunity for both Nepalese and Japanese students to exchange their own views on specific topics. Nepalese students gave me a lot of knowledge of their country, their life style, education, politics, and so on. Everything they taught me was new and changed my view on the country.
   Through those conversations with Nepalese students, I was also very surprised at how much they knew about and were interested in Japan. One student, who is majoring law in her university, was very familiar with the Japanese political and legal system. We compared relationship between Japan and the US with that of Nepal and India. Another student was interested in the current situation of Hiroshima on which the atomic bomb was dropped 70 years ago. They also asked me what makes it possible for Japan to quickly recover from the damage of the war and rapidly become a country with strong economy. Answering their questions and expressing my opinion in English were difficult process for me, but it was good practice because I had few chances to talk about those kinds of academic things in English before.

I’m glad that I met those students who are not only nice or friendly but also willing to talk about those serious topics. They were excellent English speakers as well, showing a role model for me. I’ll continue learning and improving my English so that I’ll be able to exchange opinions on more complicated things with people in other countries.
By Daichi Yamaoka

Mero Sathi Project 2016 in Nepal Daily Report 9th day (21th Feb)

Mero Sathi Project 2016 in Nepal
Daily Report 9th day (21th Feb)
<Sports Festival>

Participate in life, instead of just watching pass you by Mero Sathi project had organized Sports festival was held today at shamrock school. School students as well as all project members participated at that festival. This event wasn’t a competition for the members of AAEE but it was competition for the school students. What I have learnt from this event is we shouldn’t be shy in participating. Winning is not the importance, performing is the must. We could see the enthusiasm in the students to participate in such activities. Four types of games were played. One game of the rope was new for them. It wasn’t easy but all student members gave their 200 percent on their performance. And after that we had football competition. Each and every member participated in the game. It was an awesome experience. Each team was divided into seven members. 14 people running after a single ball is very interesting. After a competition there will obviously be a winner and a loser. But what I feel is winning is just not everything. To participate and perform in front of mass of people is courageous thing. Relay was the other sports activity. Similarly the other activity was two persons in each group, rope which was tied in eachother’s one leg and we had to run. It was difficult to run but it was so much fun. Organizing sports activities is good thing. They will get a chance to know new things apart from their courses. It refreshes them. I completely agree that only theoretical things doesn’t helps them, practical is necessary too.
What have I learnt is Participation is more important than just winning. If you will keep on participating in different events then surely one day you will get the result of your hard work. It is not necessary that every time the winner alone gets appreciation and fame for his work. It does not matter that you win or lose, all that matters is the courage to participate. It is very essential to fight in life rather than just conquering it. You should be ready to face all kinds of challenges and hurdles which come in your way.
(By Grishma Bhattarai)
Beautiful meet in Pokhara
We had a wonderful day with students of school in Pokhara.
With the students, we did four kinds sports games (rope-jumping, three legged race, football, sprint relay). The students were healthy. We enjoyed very much. Even some students taught us some games they often do during a short time, and we became very close. That made remind my childhood time.
After the sports game, we Japanese members met a Japanese woman who is the member of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. She told us about her experiences in Nepal. We get some useful information from her.
Then, we had four hours for going shops and watching the view of Pokhara. We looked so

many kinds of Nepalese characteristics. We had a great and unforgettable day.
(By Kuanyan Ryu)

Mero Sathi Project 2016 in Nepal Daily Report 8th day (20th Feb) "Visiting Gurung families"

Mero Sathi Project 2016 in Nepal
Daily Report 8th day (20th Feb)

20th Feb
What we have learned through the interviews to villagers ...
Today was the day when we left Sikles. Before leaving, we visited some homes in the village. Each group went to different homes. Throughout the interviews, the Nepalese members kindly translated villagers’ voices into English for the Japanese members.
The contents of the interviews diverged into many branches. They were about their family, about Gurung culture, about their occupation, activities of NGO in Sikles, and etc., etc. Also, after the interviews, all the groups shared what they had learned through the activities with other groups. Thanks to the activity, we could understand the lifestyle and customs of the people there. This activity was so useful for us.
After that, we moved to Pokhra, one of the largest citifies in Nepal. And there, some members walked around lakeside together before dinner.
Pokhara is such a beautiful city and there were a lot of tourists there. The view in Pokhra was really nice.
By Sayaka Nagahuchi