Skip to main content

Maddie- はじめまして、マディーです!Nice to meet you, I`m Maddie!

はじめまして、マディーです!Nice to meet you, I`m Maddie!

Hello! Hola! こんにちわ! Guten tag! 您好! 안녕하세요!

Welcome to the LEX Institute/Hippo Family Club`s American intern`s blog. My name is Madison Hartup, and my nickname is Maddie. Please call me Maddie! I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with you throughout my time here in Japan. I will be working at the Hippo main office in downtown Shibuya, Toyko, for one full year.

My amazing host sisters and I (center)

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of what I`ve been up to the past couple of weeks, let me tell you a little bit about myself. My hometown is Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA. Baraboo is a small town of about 11,000 people, and is about an hour northwest of the state capitol, Madison. This past spring I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a degree in East Asian Studies, as well as two minors, one in Japanese professional Communication, and the other in Global Studies. I am 22 years old. My family consists of my parents, younger sister, and three crazy cats. My hobbies include cooking, eating, reading (especially mystery novels), and going on walks.

While attending university, I lived primarily in Madison, WI. During those four years I also held down a job as a Programs Assistant at the WI 4-H International Programs office. That has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, and is also one of the reasons I am working in Japan today. But first, let`s start at the beginning, back in 2007, when I was finishing up 8th grade...

I joined Wisconsin 4-H when I was in middle school. For those unfamiliar with 4-H...it`s the largest youth organization in the US (and no, it`s not all about agriculture!). Its members focus on such things as learning life skills, healthy living, volunteerism, and citizenship. I enjoyed many activities with 4-H, including: drawing, painting, archery, cooking, volunteering, and of course...international exchange programs! When I was in 8th grade, my friend`s family hosted a 13 year old girl from Japan...through 4-H! I was very interested in manga at the time, and wanted to learn more about Japan, other than its pop culture.

My friend told me that it was possible to travel to Japan through 4-H, and do a one-month homestay during the summer! I decided that was something I wanted to do. In 2009, when I was 16, I was able to make my dream come true, and I participated in a 4-H/Hippo Family Club exchange as an outbound delegate to Tokyo, Japan.

A picture drawn by a young girl in my Hippo Club, 2009.
Upon my return, she brought it back out for me to see! I`m so
amazed that she kept it after all these years.
That homestay was an amazing experience. My host family was composed of my mom and dad, grandpa and grandma, and two teenage daughters. They welcomed me into their home with open arms! I participated in Hippo activities, and had my first experience with SADA and the Hippo CDs. At weekly meetings, Hippo club members of all ages play games, dance, sing songs, and speak other languages, such as Mandarin, Spanish, English, Russian, Arabic, Thai, German and more! The idea is that anyone can be multilingual, by listening and mimicking language, just like how a baby learns language.

Everyone I met was extremely kind, welcoming, and interested in me and my culture. Hippo members broke my expectations that all Japanese people are formal, strict, and devoted to a hierarchical structure. Because of my homestay, I was able to see past the barriers of culture and language. Behind it all, everyone has the same needs, wants, and emotions. Of course, culture and history are important and shouldn`t be ignored. However, we musn`t allow them to impede the possibility of positive human connection.

It`s because of these thoughts that I decided to further my ability for cross-cultural connection, by learning Japanese. I hoped to return to Japan, and continue my connection with Hippo as a yearlong intern. Once I entered university, my studies began. At the same time, I started my job at WI 4-H, working to coordinate the international homestay programs in Wisconsin. There, I furthered my interest in other countries, helping to coordinate exchanges from Argentina, Mexico, Norway, South Korea, Japan, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Moldova, and many more! I realized that exchange programs are truly my passion, and that I want to always be involved with them in some way. Through 4-H Int`l programs I also continued to meet with many wonderful delegates, volunteers, and staff from Hippo Family Club. My post-graduation dream was in sight...become the American intern for Hippo Family Club in Tokyo, Japan!

During my final spring semester, I applied for the internship. I waited for the results with baited breath--there were six years of hopes, dreams and hard work on the line.   Fortunately, I was accepted. Even better, I was placed with my same host family from 2009 for the first few months! Reuniting with them honestly felt like coming home...what a fabulous way to ease my transition of living in another country.

It`s been wonderful to reunite with old family and friends, as well as meet new ones! As I look towards the rest of my busy year, I am filled with anticipation. I am pleased to be sharing my journey with you. Here`s to new adventures and new dreams!

Next time: What have I been up to the past few weeks? (Hint: A LOT)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Maddie- The First of Many New Experiences

The First of Many New Experiences So, what have my first weeks been like in Japan? ABSOLUTELY BUSY! But, also...AMAZING! Truly, it has been a busy couple of weeks here, but not overwhelmingly so. Furthermore, I`d prefer to be kept busy! Too much free time = too much thinking = homesickness. By keeping a full, fun schedule, with some relaxing and downtime, I can keep engaged with my surroundings, make new friends, and stay sane. To prevent a wall of text, let me break down for you some of my recent activities. So far, I have: Presented about my life in Wisconsin to classes of middle school and elementary school students. Eaten kaiten-zushi, or conveyor belt sushi.  Been interviewed about my biggest surprise when I came to Japan (it`s bluntness in regards to appearance, people won`t hesitate to call someone fat, or tell you that you`ve gotten skinny since they last saw you. As I`ve seen it, it`s never been malicious, just matter-of-fact).  Post filming. To my ...

Daniel- I have Guests!

I Have Guests! [訪れていた] (Daniel) After a trip to the Middle East, my sister and her husband decided to return to the US flying over Asia instead of Europe, so that they could stop by in Japan and say "Hi". Y-A-A-A-A-Y. It felt really good to see some family after seven months away. Unfortunately, the two of them could only stay for 3 days, so we were quite busy during that time. The three of us visited obvious famous places like Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Asakusa, and Akihabara. But I personally enjoyed going to a park where we did the tea ceremony in a tea house on the park's pond. The two of them found it strange that there were no chairs and the process to drink some tea was so formal. I guess I didn't really think about it, I have become so used to traditional tea ceremonies that they don't seem strange to me anymore. I guess I'm becoming a local  I also really enjoyed introducing my sister and brother-in-law to my co-work...

Daniel- Okutama

Okutama (Daniel) This past week, my eyes were opened to the fact that Japan is much more than a concrete jungle of lights and high-rise buildings. For the first time, I was able to head west to Okutama, a mountainous region on the west side of Tokyo Prefecture. Unlike the city, Okutma is covered with forest and greenery. The abundance of nature makes it a beautiful place to visit in the fall. Not too far from Okutama is Heirinji Zen Temple in Saitama, where I was blown away by the beauty of autumn in Japan. The purpose for my being in that area was to visit a kindergarten and to give a HIPPO presentation along with other HIPPO members. Among them was a younger gentleman nicknamed Tango, whom I hadn't met before. Tango and I got along very well, and he invited me on a hike, along with his friend, the next day. Tango's family owns a very quaint Soba restaurant in Okutama. The surrounding mountains and nature really give it a traditional Japanese feel. The three of u...