2020 Activity Report
March Activity Report
31 March 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
KUBO Masako
Sometimes raining and windy ... warm and cold ... sometimes it's just like summer day, and weather is unpredictable days every day. Almond flowers are all gone, but various flowers are blooming one after another. It has been more than a year since we were swayed by the COVID-19. Since it seems that vaccination has finally resumed, I feel like that the day to be released from the COVID-19 is approaching step by step. On the other hand, before Holy Week in late March, the media criticized the government's measures as "They repeat the same mistake as the Christmas holidays." and warned citizens that "The fourth wave will surely come." and "The fourth wave has already arrived." The beginning of spring, coupled with the holiday of Holy Week, makes everyone relaxed (Photo 1). However, we still have to persevere in this state.
The annual Japanese Culture Week followed the Japanese Film Festival this month. The event was entirely held online, and although there was no fun of people gathering, some people could participate or tried to participate in this event because of online.
The Salamanca GJO within the Faculty of Literature, started a series of study abroad conferences to welcome international students (Photo 2). The first one is about preparation for studying abroad. Belongings, money, insurance, visas, accommodation, etc., are slightly different depending on the university, but the stories by the experienced persons seemed to dispel the anxiety about “invisible matters” a little. The second session was about scholarship, classes at Waseda University and university life. We could ask various questions about the scholarship, i.e., how to apply to or obligations after gaining, to those who held Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho:MEXT) Scholarship and JASSO (Japan Student Service organization) Scholarship. The speakers students seemed to have a lot of trouble of collecting the scholarship application documents of lack of knowledge. They kindly attended this conference in order to help giving information to the new applicants. It is not limited to studying in Japan, but the documentations in Japan are especially complicated said everyone. In addition, it was also useful to get some hints as to the course selection at Waseda University's Japanese language education program has many available subjects to take. In this second session, the students who had apparently had negative experiences, such as they had to live in an old dormitory or had to go to a hospital, and to have overcome the predicaments, to have grown significant through their studying experiences in Japan. It was encouraging to see a glimpse of their growth in this session.
February Activity Report
28 February 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
KUBO Masako
This year, the exams which started in January, lasted until the beginning of February due to counter-corona measures but it seems the prolonged time provided students time to relax. From the students’ point of view, it might have been a long test marathon like a long winter. I think it was a good period for both students who got good results and students who got bad results to review the contents of their studies. After the exams were over, by the middle of February, each student confirmed and adjusted their class schedule in advance to the second semester. Taking the impact of the covid-19 third wave, classrooms were considered not only in terms of distance but also structure, so the amount of permitted available seats per classroom were reviewed. As a result, the capacity of some classrooms decreased slightly.
The third wave has passed its peak, but the Autonomous Community of Castile and León government declared its 20 o’clock curfew a violation. The announcement was made just before the weekend when the exams were over. People came and went around the whole town to enjoy the precious 2 hours from 20 o’clock to 22 o’clock. Young people, especially, seemed to have been waiting for that moment. Bar and restaurants are still prohibited to cater for eating and drinking indoors, so restaurants that used to only provide indoors service now have terrace seats and take out to survive (Photo 1 and 2). Even around the university campus, you can see everyone looking for a place with a take-out coffee in hand during breaks and after classes as coffee shops cannot provide indoors sears anymore. On sunny days, you can see students gathering as before in the staircase in front of the literature department and the meeting square (Photo 3).
As soon as the second semester started, I began to see many foreign students from Germany, England, France and so on. As the number of Asian students has increased, I wondered if some might have come from Japan so I asked the International Department again, but no department had welcomed Japanese students. By the way, the University of Salamanca does not have Spanish language courses for international students, and foreign students from Japan seem to be enrolled in the Faculty of Literature, the Faculty of Geography and History, the Faculty of Social Science, the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Art, and so on. In addition, there are courses that can be taken freely between departments, so there are a wide range of choices, and it is fun but difficult to make a course plan.
This month we held a briefing session on the procedures with overseas destinations for those who decided to study abroad. Even in Japan, students who can choose not only Japanese language courses but also common subjects in the department seem to be in trouble because there are many subjects they want to take, but I envy them for their pleasant worries.
Almond flowers have bloomed in Salamanca, and cherry blossoms, which will be in season soon, are showing buds making me dreamy (Photo 4, 5).
January Activity Report
31 January 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
KUBO Masako
At the end of the Christmas holidays, the school reopened on the 11th, and just before the last lesson of the first semester, many parts of Spain were covered in a cold spell called “Filomena ” which prevented many students from returning to Salamanca, either because of snow or because of canceled transportation. In Madrid, the capital of Spain, 20 centimeters of snow piled up (Photo 1). Salamanca had its heaviest snowfall in 16 years, or the heaviest in 46 years, and many cities were not up to speed with snow shovels and antifreeze salts (sodium chloride). Stone-paved streets and other streets were frozen and people were walking carefully, like in a terrible downhill road (Photo 2, 3).
After that, we started the exam of the previous term, and secured a long term classroom for corona countermeasures. The examination lasts three weeks. Even so, students and roommates who had some symptoms related to Corona were waiting for the results of the PCR test, and the test could not be completed at once, so each of them had to deal with it. Also, there are cases where European students return to their parents’ home temporarily during the Christmas holidays, and cannot leave the country after the holidays, so I am still a little worried.
After all, with the restrictions relieved during vacations, the arrival of the third wave of the Corona was foreseen, but within a week after the holidays, the Autonomous community of Castile and León government again closed restaurants and imposed a curfew after 20 o’clock. In Spain, each state has its own curfew, but moving up to 20 o’clock surprised many, some people even called out the curfew for opposing the government’s curfew of 22 o’clock to 6 o’clock. However, the state government remains resolute, and the rule appears to continue until May 9, when the alert is due to end. University classes are open until 9 PM, so public education will continue as usual, with the requirement that students carry their university identification cards and other documents in order. In addition, people who have not been eating out or going out at night are able to live without much change as they are allowed to buy food and medicine even after 20 o’clock.
However, even students who are ready to go to Japan to study from the spring term may feel like giving up when it comes to this. Fortunately, the University of Salamanca has many Japanese partner universities, so even if they miss out on studying abroad this time, I hope they will not give up hope and have goals for next year and the year after.
The online exchange meeting started around 11, and despite being the examination period, participants were enthusiastic, which led to personal communication during the spring break of Japanese universities. What you can learn from studying abroad is much more than what you can get from exchange meetings, but it’s time to connect with Japan online now, make good use of the possibilities that we have available, and make use of what we have.
December Activity Report
31 December 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
KUBO Masako
In December, there are two consecutive national holidays in Spain, and they usually come adjacent to the weekend making it a consecutive holiday. When the Christmas holidays start from the 23rd, there are only a few days left for classes. It’s natural for students to be nervous. But teachers have the mission to finish the course by the end of the year and take an exam in January to evaluate students. With a declining attendance, continuing the classes is very discouraging every year, but it’s also a time when you want to give more careful guidance to those who do attend and make the class feel more meaningful.
Usually, people who come from far away are absent from classes as they return home and need to secure transportation. This is especially true for those who have to fly sooner to avoid high prices. This year, we’ve seen the effects of the coronavirus here, and we’ve heard of parents taking time off from work and driving to pick their children up to avoid public transportation. Furthermore, in order to avoid the risk of getting infected, the government issued a national slogan that calls for people to minimize contact with others for 10 days before returning home. Also, the national railway RENFE called for people to avoid visiting elderly families. On the other hand, restrictions on movement were lifted, the “emergency situation” was temporarily suspended, and people were seen going out with friends they rarely met in town (Photo 1).
Amidst this situation, a briefing session was held before the Christmas holidays for students selected to study at Japanese universities next year. (Photo 2) It is held not after the holidays but before the holidays so that students can apply for a passport during the holidays. Also, if you are to be attending a university that offers language courses apart from Japanese, you can check what subjects you would want to take. While preparing for studying abroad in the middle of a pandemic may cause a lot of anxiety, the questions and answers session was very lively, and I felt that most people would not miss this chance as long as Japanese universities are willing to accept them. Some of the participants were students in the psychology department. Us, language majors, can’t be left behind.
In case you are wondering, our literature department offers not only Spanish courses for foreigners, but a variety of other subjects like Spanish linguistics, literature from Spanish speaking countries, and Spanish education. For this reason, foreign students from Japan should think twice before deciding which subjects to take.
An online Spanish-Japanese exchange activity was also held for a month without incident, despite the holidays. Even if you make a few grammatical mistakes or don’t get the word right, just don’t break the rhythm of the conversation, and try to get to know what the other person is trying to say in a variety of ways. Watching these exchanges, I really that the participants had learned about culture not only from the words and the content of the story, but also from the way of thinking and the way of speaking.
November Activity Report
30 November 2020
Global Japan Office Coordinator
KUBO Masako
In Spain, since classes started, there have been two national holidays; “National Day of Spain” on October 12 and “All Saints’ Day” on November 1. However, due to restrictions on travel this year, for many students, the holidays were just days at home to do homework rather than returning to their hometowns.
At the end of October, there was an election for the dean and the department head of the university, which did not carry over to a re-election, and was decided in November. In fact, this election was scheduled to start in March, and it was being put off for a long time. In the literature department, three candidates with different personalities ran for the election. The candidates’ proposed programs were examined, and lively online speeches were held. Finally, a new dean and the department head were elected, and the departmental organization was regulated.
It is now mid-autumn, meaning we are now in the mid-term of the first semester. Some are doing well, some are getting better, and some are struggling, but exams are awaiting all students early next year. Although we have gradually started to hear voices of concern about the testing methods, we have been told to take action on a case-by-case basis so far.
Also, there are students who are preparing to study in Japan for the second semester at the earliest. Next year’s selection of students to study in Japan was also held, and a briefing session for the students to prepare for studying abroad is scheduled before the Christmas holidays in December.
The exchange meeting with foreign students that we had held until last year was not held this year, but we were able to start a Spanish-Japanese exchange meeting online. Although the meeting was held online, being able to meet Japanese students has made the participating students become even more interested in Japan.
Most students who were taking online classes due to COVID-19 have returned to campus, and I feel that the university has good control over the virus. However, as of November 27, 41 out of 23485 students from all departments and 1 student from the literature department were reported to have tested positive. Similar to Japan’s “3Cs” we started a Christmas campaign here called the “6Ms”. The “Ms” in this case stand for Mascarilla (use masks whenever possible), Manos (frequent hand washing), Metros (maintain physical distance), Maximizar ventilación y actividades al aire libre (maximize ventilation and outdoor activities), Minimizar número de contactos (minimize number of contacts), and “Me quedo en casa” (stay home).
The Christmas lights are usually set up in November and lit up on the last weekend of November, but this year the schedule seems to have been moved up. The lights were being put up in October, and by mid-November, you could already enjoy the gorgeous lighting throughout the city. I believe it is the intention of the city to enhance its atmosphere as much as possible. Lottery tickets, which can be said to be a special feature of Christmas, are also being sold. In Spain, the Christmas lottery has great significance, and it is a tradition to share your numbers with important friends, and to share your hopes and dreams with them. Every year, the lottery commercials are aired, and this year’s commercials are encouraging people to buy lottery tickets to share with others and to help each other, reinforcing the sense of community with neighbours that went through quarantine together. Surprisingly, the University of Salamanca also has lottery numbers, and each campus sells lottery tickets. In fact, I bought one for the first time this year, hoping we can all overcome COVID-19 together. I chose the number of the cafeteria in the basement of the literature department! Will I win the lottery?
