The Reality of JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers Part 3: "Because I want to be happy" — What I answered in my secondary exam at 56
Last time, I wrote about passing the primary screening and starting preparations for the secondary exam.
The secondary exam consisted of two parts:
a "personal interview" and a "technical interview"
.
"What on earth will they ask me?"
I searched the internet for the experiences of people who had taken the exam in the past.
What they were asked in the interview.
What I should prepare.
The purpose of the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.
I searched and gathered information no matter what.
What I saw over and over again was
"the three purposes of the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers"
.
As I wrote last time, at the time, I thought,
"They will definitely ask this in the interview,"
so I memorized it with all my might.
However, what I was actually asked in the interview was more about "myself" than I had imagined.
The secondary exam was online
When I took the secondary exam, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the interviews were held online.
Before COVID, it seems people actually went to the JICA headquarters in Tokyo to take the interview.
That changed to online, and if you had an internet connection, you could take the exam from anywhere, such as your home.
Interview reservations are also made online.
For someone like me living in a rural area, this was very much appreciated.
I could take the secondary exam without having to go to Tokyo.
That said, just because it was online didn't mean it was casual.
On the day, I properly changed into a suit and sat in front of the computer.
The interviewer was on the other side of the screen.
I was on this side.
Even though it was through a computer, I was still nervous.
"It's finally the secondary exam."
Thinking that, I waited in front of the screen for the interview to begin.
First was the "personal interview"
The first was the personal interview.
The first thing I was asked was,
"Why did you apply for the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers?"
.
I talked about when I went to India over 10 years ago.
What I saw in India.
The people I met.
What I felt there.
And that I thought,
"Someday I want to do something overseas."
I had been nurturing that thought for over 10 years.
While working and living my life, I kept thinking,
"I hope I can go someday."
In India, I was active at Mother Teresa's facility.
Volunteering there mainly involved supporting daily life, such as assisting with meals, cleaning, and personal care.
Of course, those activities are also important.
But through that experience, I began to think,
"Can't I do something overseas by utilizing my experience and expertise so far?"
.And I began to think,
"If I am to work overseas utilizing my expertise, wouldn't it be the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers?"
.More than 10 years passed while holding onto that thought.
And when I turned 56.
I returned from Tonaki Island and attended a JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers briefing session.
That became the trigger, and what was "someday" changed to
"Let's try it now."
.
I told them that story.Then, the interviewer said,
"You've held onto that dream for over 10 years."
.
Hearing those words, I realized once again, "I see. I really have been thinking about this for a long time."The feeling of "I want to go overseas" was not a whim.
The small thought born in India over 10 years ago had remained within me the whole time without disappearing.
And when I turned 56, I finally took a step forward, thinking,
"Let's do it."
.
"What does your family say?"
In the personal interview, I was also asked about my family.
"What does your family say about you going overseas?"
I answered,
"My family all supports me."
.
For me, my family's understanding was a very big thing.
My son, in particular, is a nurse.
But my son wasn't a nurse from the beginning.
In university, he actually went into the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
And on his graduation trip, he went to India and experienced volunteering at Mother Teresa's facility.
After that, he graduated from university and got a job in mechanical design.
However, even after getting a job, he went to India again.
And then,
he quit his company and went to nursing school.
After that, he became a nurse.
For me, having watched my son like that, my son was my greatest supporter.
Even when I talked about wanting to go overseas, he didn't say,
"You should stop."
Rather, he understood my feelings and supported me.
Come to think of it, my son himself changed his direction significantly in the middle of his life.
He studied mechanical engineering, experienced a job in mechanical design, went to India, and then became a nurse.
Perhaps it was because he was that kind of son that he understood my feeling of "I want to try it."
"Experience is a treasure"
My mother also supported my challenge.
What my mother said to me was,
"Challenge anything. Because experience is a treasure."
.
These words still remain in my heart today.
I might fail.
Things might not go as I thought.
Even so, the experience of having tried becomes my own.
I think that's how my mother thought.
My daughter also supported me as I continued to challenge myself.
That is why I was able to continue my challenge for the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers while being pushed by my family.
A few days later, the technical interview
A few days after the personal interview.
This time, it was the technical interview.
Unlike the personal interview, this is an interview where you are asked about your area of expertise.
I have worked for a long time as a nurse in a psychiatric ward.
And I have also had long experience in elderly care and interacting with people with dementia.
"What kind of questions will come?"
I was a little braced for it.
And the first thing I was asked was a slightly surprising question.
"Please let me hear your opinion on physical restraint"
The first question was,
"Please let me hear your opinion on physical restraint."
.
I worked as a nurse in a psychiatric ward.
In the psychiatric field, there are times when physical restraint must be performed if the patient's life is in danger.
I answered,
"If it is done to protect the patient's life from danger, I think there are unavoidable cases. However, I believe it should be done to the minimum extent."
.
Just because it is necessary doesn't mean it should be done easily.
Think of ways to ensure safety without physical restraint as much as possible.
And think each time whether it is truly necessary.
I answered with my own thoughts based on what I had experienced in the psychiatric ward until now.
"What can you do?"
And another thing I was asked was,
"What do you think you can do locally?"
.
I answered,
"I have many years of experience in elderly care and dementia care."
.
But that is not all.
When you go overseas, it doesn't mean you should just provide care in the same way as in Japan.
The culture is different.
Living habits are different.
The way of thinking about care is also different.
Therefore, I thought that the idea of
"taking what I have done so far and bringing it directly to the local area"
was not right.
I answered,
"While utilizing my experience so far, I want to be close to the patients and think each time."
.
There are things you won't know until you go to the local area.
Think about what is necessary for that person in that place.
Instead of forcing my own experience, I will work while being close to the other person.
At that time, that was how I was thinking.
And the interview was over... or so I thought
The technical interview was drawing to a close.
I had talked about my experience so far and answered questions about what I could do.
Then, the interviewer said,
"Thank you very much."
"Oh, it's over."
That's what I thought.
I was nervous, so I felt a little relieved.
However—
After that, the interviewer said,
"Can I ask just one more thing?"And then,
"Honestly, what is your reason for wanting to go?"
they asked.
Caught off guard
I was completely caught off guard.
I thought the interview was already over.
Moreover, this was not an answer I had prepared.
I had memorized the objectives of the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers many times.
"Contributing to the economic and social development and reconstruction of developing countries"
"Deepening mutual understanding and coexistence in cross-cultural societies"
"Giving back volunteer experience to society"
Of course, I could have given those answers.
But in that moment,
before I could think with my head, what came out of my mouth was,
"Because I want to be happy."
"Because I want to be happy"
I was surprised myself.
I had absolutely no intention of giving such an answer.
But at that time, I think it was the most honest answer.
I didn't want to go overseas just for the sake of someone else.
I wanted to try working overseas.
I wanted to see a new world.
I wanted to know things I hadn't known before.
I wanted to meet various people.
I wanted to put my experience to use for someone.
And,
I wanted to have new experiences myself.
I had those feelings.
The dream of "going overseas someday" that I had cherished for over 10 years.
At 56, I was actually chasing that dream.
It wasn't because someone asked me to.
It wasn't because I "had to."
It was because I wanted to try it.
And through that experience,
I wanted to be happy myself.
That's why, at that time,
"Because I want to be happy."
I think those words came out.
Then,the interviewer smiled.
And with that, the interview ended.
Through the screen,
"Thank you very much."
I said, and finished the online interview.
When the computer screen turned off,
"What did I just say..."
I thought, and it felt a little funny.
Was that answer correct?
After the interview ended,
"Maybe I should have given a different answer"
I thought.
I had worked so hard to memorize the objectives of the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.
And at the very last moment,
"Because I want to be happy"
of all things.
Maybe I should have said something more impressive.
But looking back now, I think that was the first time I told the truth.
I want to be useful to others.
I want to make use of my experience.
I want to work together with the local people.
That is also true.
But at the same time,
I wanted to move my own life forward by myself once again.
I wanted to see a world I didn't know.
I wanted to meet new people.
And,
"I didn't know life could be like this"
I wanted to have an experience that would make me think that.
That was also a reason why I wanted to join the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.
After the secondary examination
And so, the personal interview and the technical interview.
The two interviews were over.
56 years old.
It was a secondary examination where I truly reached out with my own hands to grab the dream of "going overseas someday" that I had cherished for over 10 years.
What the result would be,
I didn't know yet at that time.
However, having finished the interview, I felt,
"I did everything I could."
That was how I felt.
And from here, I would be waiting for the results.
What was the result that reached me at 56—.
To be continued.
Feel free to check this out as well
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