Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii Orientation

Last Saturday I went over to the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii and had a brief interview and tour. The girl I met with basically asked questions about my background, interests and motives for volunteering. Then she showed me around the gallery and the behind-the-scenes areas. I start volunteering this Saturday and opted to stay the entire day.

When I first faxed my volunteer application form to them, I was surprised because they called back within minutes. Perhaps that's not all too surprising in this economy though. Another interesting thing is that they asked me to bring my resume for their records. I found that very strange - like it was an interview for a real job or something. Are volunteer requests always handled this way?

I'm curious to see what kind of work they give me. On my form, I checked off numerous departments in which I'd like to help. One of the categories was to be a docent at their exhibit. I gotta say that I'm not really keen on doing that. However, I figured it was the best way for me to learn the historical and cultural aspects quickly and thoroughly. If I'm expected to regurgitate this info to visitors, I've gotta know my stuff.

My main reason for wanting to volunteer at JCCH is to learn about the historical and cultural part of the Japanese American experience in Hawaii. I want to apply to teach English in Japan through the JET Programme, and it'd be interesting to compare local Japanese customs to traditional Japanese customs. I'm sure there are many things that are similar but a lot more things that are different.