Monday, March 28, 2005
Kyle Timmermeyer
I recently committed myself to the ambitious goal of finding a way to work in Japan for the summer. Specific problems aside about how to get there and what I’ll be doing, I knew that I need cultural experience, advice and encouragement.
So, I got active in the Japanese Student Association. Now that I’ve been to more meetings and become more involved, my shallow intentions that were once centered solely on Japan have gradually spread into deep understanding.
All the members of JSA have been wonderful: open, welcoming, friendly and genuinely appreciative of my efforts. I first thought that this was primarily due to the politeness I find inherent in Japanese culture, but I have found deeper meaning the farther out I have swum in the global community.
I am now certain that a significant part of the organization’s welcoming attitude comes from JSA’s recognition that the group and each of its members are members, in turn, of the global community, at the University of Kansas and beyond.
JSA, as a group and through each of its members, is a strong proponent of diversity and cross-cultural understanding. Take the president, for example. Three years ago, current JSA president Kengo Terada took office with the goal of increasing diversity in the organization, whose membership, overall, was small and unenthusiastic.
“I’d like to change the situation,” he decided.
Kengo recognized that there was much to be gained by making an effort to reach out to the massive non-Japanese population at the University. In the effort to attract a larger membership, Kengo knew that he would be spreading the Japanese culture and promoting cross-cultural understanding at the same time. To add extra emphasis to this, the president of JSA joined the executive board of the International Student Association.
From then on, JSA has worked in tandem with ISA and the many other international student groups, such as the Asian-American Student Union, to help students from backgrounds that are worlds apart to come together to learn and grow by sharing the best that their cultures have to offer. In this way, ISA acts as the avenue through which the specific organizations, including JSA and AASU, share their region-specific focuses with the larger group. For example, Kengo uses his position on ISA’s executive board to spread the word about Japanese cultural events, such as JSA’s upcoming Japan Festival.
The more that I get involved in JSA, the more I get involved in the global community. The more that I consider the importance of the International Student Association at the University, the more I discover the importance of the international student association which exists, informally, worldwide.
The more that I meet people who are different, the more I understand that we all are, on some deep level, the same. The more I think about the shallowness of my original ambitions, the deeper I want to swim into the ocean of the global community.
As I have learned through my cross-cultural experiences, just as we can all benefit from sharing our unique qualities, we can all benefit from sharing what we find in common.
As I have benefited from meeting with students from across the globe, I am sure that there are analogous benefits for anyone who has the opportunity to do the same.
I would encourage anyone who has nothing more than a passing interest in some student organization, especially an international organization, to test the waters of the global community and see just how wide and deep the possibilities are.
Timmermeyer is a Derby senior in English.Far from home
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