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.
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.
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)
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. |
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)
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