I met a student manning a booth at the Kobe Global Charity Festival on the 21st of October. She’s raising money for a women’s university dormitory, her latest in many energetic achievements in Afghanistan. I was amazed at the number of volunteer projects in my area, it seems like Japan has most of the world covered. It was heart warming to see the enthusiasm and generosity of the volunteers (a mix of Japanese and international) as well as the response of the population of Kobe. My student’s stall was selling knitted sox, hats, and vests to raise money for the project. It was great to see some of her extraordinary work. We spoke in English about how the sales were going and about the photos of Afghanistan and the dormitory she was displaying. I’m always happy when I see students out side school and they speak to me in English. I had a Persian chicken dish for lunch, watched Thai dancing, bought a pencil case from Iraq and bought a winter hat from my student’s stall.
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