Knock, Knock! Jenesys, who?

“Uy Jenesys! Ano? Sali tayo? Tara, sali tayo!”

My group mates and I were walking along the hallway of our department building while talking about whom we are going to interview in our requirement. We almost lose our hope because every group in our class has their own interviewee. Suddenly, I hear a group of third and fourth year students talking about that thing Jenesys and this grabs my attention. What’s with that Jenesys? A name? A game? What? Everyone in that group looks excited. I’ve heard it before but I can’t remember what it is really. It bothers me. Really…

Hearing this out grabs also the attention of my group mates and tickles our curiosity. Fortunately, the former participants are just around the corners.

“Si Ate Queenie!” says one of my group mates. Yes! Ate Queenie is the answer. We create questions about Jenesys and I text her immediately to ask if she is available on that time for an interview and she replies with a “Yes!” We run straight away to the place where she is.

Queen Ara Vinluan, prefers to be called as Ate Queenie, 19, one of the previous participants of the said program and a Journalism student, answers our questions. She tells us the true meaning of Jenesys.

Jenesys 2.0 is a Japanese program wherein students from different countries are invited to go in Japan. And JENESYS stands for Japan East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths. For more than a week, students will be toured in some known places, to some schools, and will be having a 2-day home stay with a Japanese Family.

          “Aim kasi ng Jenesys na makilala yung culture ng Japan, to facilitate global understanding on Japanese values, para matama yung ibang misconceptions, and pataasin tourism nila,” Ate Queenie added.

They have conducted this program to promote potential interests towards Japan within the young generation, to increase visitors to Japan as well as to facilitate global understanding on Japanese values and Japan’s strengths and attraction. It is their way to make people globally understand what they really have.

Many students are grabbing this opportunity and trying to be one of those lucky participants who will discover the beauty that Japan has. Each and one of them try to apply and pass all the qualifications that the program needed for their own reason.

When is asked why this program attracts many students, she has said that there are mainly two reasons – some joined just for the sake of travel and some joined because they really want to go in Japan. Ate Queenie says that she is more into the second reason and curiosity is her main motive.

“Kasi may Tita ako sa Japan. Wala silang anak. Dapat du’n na ‘ko titira kaso ayaw ng magulang ko. Eh, nu’ng bata ako ang mga gamit ko puro galing Japan, tapos nakikita ko ‘yung mga gamit at pictures na meron ang Japan, ang gaganda. Kaya gusto ko talagang makapunta doon. Kasi nakita ko ‘yung gandang meron sila, gusto kong ma-discover ‘yun personally. ‘Yung mga gamit nila, lugar du’n, pati ‘yung culture nila kasi namangha talaga ako," she stated.

This motivates her to join the program. She wants to discover Japan herself. Not in pictures or in net, but personally.

“Siguro, sa iba dahil  kasi ‘di ba Japan yun eh, makakapunta ka dun ng libre lahat, sino ba naman ang may ayaw. Tapos alam naman natin na sikat ang Japan dahil sa anime, JPop at kung ano pa,” she added.

Ate Queenie did her best to pass all the requirements that the Jenesys needed, from the articles and poem she made to the pictures she took. Luckily, she got chosen to be interviewed. She passed the interview and attended the orientation that the organizers conducted.

She, with other participants, has stayed in Japan for 9 days, and for her, one of the hardest things to do is to follow the schedule. They are tasked to start 7:30 in the morning and finish at 8:00 in the evening. Unfortunately, they only have a limited time of two hours because of the 10:00 PM curfew.

“Siguro ‘yung  sa time. Kasi ‘di ba ‘pag Filipino, ayan ‘yung tatamarin ka. Eh sa kanila, ‘pag sinabi nilang ang assembly time, 10:00am, 9:45am dapat andu’n ka na. Tapos kami dumadating late. Kaya ayu’n, sa unang mga araw, adjust-adjust kami, pero sa mga sumunod na araw, ayu’n, nasanay na kami. Natuto kaming sumunod sa schedule. Sa kanila kasi, naka-schedule lahat nang gagawin. Very strict sila sa time. Naka-schedule ‘yung train life niyo, hotel life.”

But she has learned. She learns to be strict in time. She follows every task in their schedule. This is what Jenesys taught her.

Jenesys also has a big impact to her. It helps all her misconceptions about Japan to be corrected. Also, she has already gained friends during the program at the same time, she also has more connections.

Since she answers all our questions, it more tickles our curiosity to know more about Jenesys. It leaves us the question, “Why don’t we try to join in Jenesys to experience those things personally?”

written by: Edward Mico Joseph Agustin, Jeanellie Avelino & Alicia Angelica Villanueva