Anxiously gripping my cell phone, I waited for a call that would determine the next chapter of my life. The sudden vibration in my hands caused my heart to race. “Hello,” I said, trying to remain calm.
“Hello” I said,trying to remain calm.
“Hello, Christian. Thank you for your willingness to support our charity organization. Unfortunately, we regret to inform you that we currently aren’t accepting any volunteers.” After being declined for the seventh time this week, I felt defeated. The burden of rejection had become frustrating, hopelessness sinking in as opportunities faded away. My last resort was collaborating with the U.S. Department of State to develop an independent volunteer project called Project Hiro, but this seemed unlikely considering the number of times I was rejected. Could you believe they were the first to accept my offer of local volunteer work? Now I am working on a project to support thousands of children and teachers throughout the prefecture of Yamaguchi. My name is Christian, and I would like to share the arduous road I took to protect my community from COVID-19.
NO TRIAL, ALL ERROR Initially, my focus in developing Project Hiro wasn’t to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. As a humanitarian, I pursue various activities to support my community while simultaneously 76 promoting international exchange. I acquired
this characteristic through the endless support I received by the faculty of my Japanese Studies program throughout high school and university. They would always go above and beyond to serve the community, and so I was inspired to seek opportunities to do my part regardless of where I am in the world. Despite these good intentions, my efforts were continuously declined. I tried to volunteer in a plethora of festivals, host a charity dodgeball tournament for starving children, and help at an orphanage. Each offer was rejected. I even had meetings with representatives from the culture and welfare institution in my city to learn the process of volunteering. Those meetings at best gave me potential opportunities for the future. However, uncertainty for that future grew as cases of COVID-19 began to spread throughout Japan.
