The interns’ schedule:

Feb. 22nd: Internship begins

Feb. 13th: 9th International Co-operation Discussion Gathering

Feb. 16th: 333rd Lecture Meeting Regarding Global Issues

Feb. 24th: Interview with Ms. Isako Funaki, Chairman of Yakumo Inc.

Feb. 28th: Internship ends

The interns helped with the reception desk during the meeting. The speaker was Mr. Kidera, ambassador to France.

For details, please click here.

My time interning at APIC gave me a place to experience international co-operation first-hand, giving me the chance to re-think my current student life. In particular, APIC’s Lecture Meeting Regarding Global Issues made a big impression on me. This meeting attracts the top leaders in the Japanese international co-operation field, which lead me to realize that international co-operation is trust-based and relies on close-communication. This not only applies to the area of international co-operation, but to also as an adult in society, and so I hope to take what I learned while at APIC and apply it to the real world.

Also, I learned how to be a “catalyst” when conducting an interview. This was advice from the managing director, Mr. Sato who said that there are things that you can only think to ask once you meet the interviewee. It was difficult to fulfill everything during the short time allotted for the interview, but I believe that this was the first step for me to start organizing my thoughts more efficiently.

I am very grateful for everyone, including APIC and Sophia University, for giving me this opportunity to intern at APIC. I plan to use this experience to its fullest and go back to my studies with a new motivation.

During my interview with Director Funaki, I felt that the spirit of service based in Zen meditation is the same throughout all ages, from after WWII, to the Bubble Economy of the 1980’s. I learned the importance of having a tolerant heart gained through personal experience, and the importance of being flexible in all types of situations.

My time at APIC gave me another life lesson on “work” outside the environment of the classroom. In particular, being put in charge of planning the interview with Ms. Funaki taught me how to proceed with planning, manners, and teamwork in a work environment.

Additionally, being able to take part in APIC’s activities in the Pacific Island region and Caribbean Island region has expanded my world. Although my major is French and my familiarity with these nations was little, I made many new discoveries and was happy to be able to take my new-found knowledge about the French Pacific Islands and apply them to my school work. Thanks to this internship, these islands have charmed me very much.

I have been able to experience a different world during this internship, and I hope to use these experiences in my future endeavors. I am very grateful to Ms. Funaki who agreed to be interviewed, and everyone at APIC and Sophia University.