Terumi has a Master's Degree in International Development and is a qualified and experienced kindergarten teacher. She is fluent in English and also speaks Nepali at daily conversational level.
I have worked in early childhood education at kindergartens in Tokyo and Komagane and worked as an Assistant Educator in New Zealand kindergartens.
Whilst enjoying life as a Kindergarten Teacher, I also traveled around Asia during the holidays - gaining a lot of energy from the children I encountered there - and I began to think, “Maybe I would be happier to live and work in developing countries”. And I was able to realize this dream: first as a JICA, JOCV (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer) in the Maldives – working in Early Childhood Education – and, immediately after this, as a UNICEF employed Consultant for the Early Childhood Development Project in the Maldives.
Becoming more fascinated by activities in developing countries and having worked there in earnest, I then joined a Master's Program at the Graduate School of International Social Development, in Nagoya... whilst also working at JICA Komagane Training Center - in charge of International Education and Public Relations. My responsibilities included leading workshops at various organizations, schools and community centers, which aimed to deepen participants’ interest in international understanding. On many of these occasions I observed that learning about the various realities, values and beauty of people living in other countries can really help to enrich our lives.
Following this John and I went to Africa, where I worked as a Coordinator on the JICA Volunteer program in Ghana and John’s interest in opening an English school in Komagane... became a reality after we returned home!
Pokhara (Nepal) and Komagane are friendship cities for international cooperation and my most recent position has been working for Citizens' Association for Nepal Exchange (Komagane) as Project Manager for Maternal and Child Health Project in Pokhara, Nepal, under the JICA Partnership Program. The project not only emphasizes "international cooperation" between countries, but also “inter-citizens cooperation” between people. From children to seniors, we focus on face-to-face exchange and other forms of cooperation that can be experienced even by people living in their own home towns.
In addition to this, I have happily continued work as a volunteer with Minakoi World Festa, in charge of the Stamp Rally. I have been organizing this activity with a lot of energetic friends for many years. I love it! Minakoi World Festa is packed with unique attractions from all over the World: such as world music, language classes, enjoying folk costumes, cultural exchange with overseas children etc. And perhaps the most attractive activity for children is the Stamp Rally!
Here at Lighthouse, I use my experience and knowledge of early childhood education, English language education, and international understanding to support enjoyable lessons. You can use English to travel to so many other countries in the world and communicate! The wonderful experiences I have gained are so large that they are beyond words!
