Student Blog

2min to read

Today, I would like to introduce an extracurricular activity that I participated in. During my first semester at APU, I did not join any extracurricular activities because I was worried that I would not be able to devote time to academics. Seeing a lot of people having fun during their extracurricular activities, I decided to try one in my second semester. GENECT is an APU student organization that was selected for Project B, which funds and supports outstanding student-led projects for six months to one year. Its purpose is to visit nursing homes and support senior citizens, which piqued my interest. When they were recruiting new members, I was so excited to apply, and after the application screening process, I became a member of GENECT.

First visit to a nursing home

And now for the climax of the story. During my first visit to a nursing home in Oita, I got the chance to introduce my country, Myanmar, and our culture, to the grandmas at the nursing home. As I was sitting with them, we had an interesting conversation about each other’s cultures. Then, one of the grandmas told me a miserable story.

She said that she had some relatives who went to Myanmar during Japan’s invasion of the country as members of the Japanese Army. She told me that when she later watched a film about Japan’s invasion of Myanmar and saw the actions of the Japanese soldiers, she felt very sorry for the Myanmarese people. After that, tears were falling from her eyes. She deeply apologized to me for what the Japanese people did to the people of Myanmar in the past.

I tried to comfort her and told her not to feel sorry because the Myanmarese people no longer bear any grudge against the Japanese because of what happened in the past. Yet, she kept apologizing to me, and I tried to hold my tears back as I was worried it would make her sadder if I cried with her. At that moment, I realized how polite and responsible the Japanese people can be even for actions they did not commit themselves.

Grandmas at the nursing home

The Significance of Extracurricular Activities

I had interesting conversations with many senior citizens in that nursing home, and it was a great opportunity to speak in Japanese. I gained a lot of knowledge about Japan and its culture as senior citizens know many things that the young generation may not know. I did not even realize that my Japanese speaking skills were that good, as all the grandmas complimented me on my fluency. My first visit to a nursing home was full of enjoyable and meaningful moments, and with all the laughter, smiles, and tears, I had a mixture of feelings. Ever since this very first visit to a nursing home, I realized that joining GENECT was the right choice for an extracurricular activity at APU because the aim is not just to have fun and fulfill yourself; it is about engaging in meaningful activities that are enjoyable and contributing to the local community by supporting senior citizens.

Extracurricular activities at APU allow for meaningful exchanges that transcend generations and nationalities, benefiting everyone involved. Going forward, I intend to continue sharing the many attractive features of APU through my activities.

Hnynn Sett Hlaing

Hi, everyone. I am Hnynn ,majoring in ST. At APU, it is excellent to meet and talk to a lot of people from diverse backgrounds. It is my honor to become an SPA. I hope you all enjoy my articles.