[No. 35] Eitoshi Honda

Annyeonghasimnikka! Jeoneun Honda Eitoshi imnida.

I am currently working as an elementary school teacher in Busan, South Korea. Among the many graduates of the Keio University Faculty of Science and Technology, I believe there are not many who are elementary school teachers. As for why I am doing this now, it's a long story...

First, the main reason I wanted to go to Keio University was that I wanted to play baseball there. About 20 years ago, I was a young baseball player with a shaved head, aiming for Koshien, but my dream was shattered just one step away. Fueled by that frustration, a strong desire to continue playing baseball welled up inside me. Thanks to my intense studying (perhaps?), I was able to get in on a recommendation. My wish came true and I was accepted. Without waiting for the entrance ceremony, I joined the baseball club, and my life in the team dormitory began. Among the more than 100 members, only three were students from the Faculty of Science and Technology. What remains most in my heart from my university days is my life in the baseball club. During my four years, we won the league championship three times. The parade from Jingu to Mita is something you can never get tired of, no matter how many times you do it. In the fall of my fourth year, we also won the Meiji Jingu Tournament, earning the title of Japan's best and ending on a high note. However, on a personal level, I only got to play in one official game, which was disappointing. But the four years I spent with my teammates are an unforgettable memory, and I am truly grateful to have met friends for life. As for my studies, I was also supported by many friends, and we were able to encourage each other.

Then, around the summer of my fourth year, it was time for me to think about my future career. This was a turning point in my life. I tried to get a job at a regular company and took the exams, but I failed due to my complacent attitude. I learned a little about the harsh realities of the world. After that, I made a fresh start, went on to a master's program, and tried my hand at research. Because I had been playing baseball, I think my six years at the university were equivalent to what other students did in four. However, the three years in the laboratory taught me the joy of learning. I've always liked making things, so even all-night experiments weren't that difficult for me. The joy of getting the expected results blows away all the hardship up to that point. As I continued my research, the time came once again to choose my career path.

This was my second turning point. Wanting to live a life true to myself in a way that only I could, I joined the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) after completing my master's degree, pushing past my parents' opposition and diving into an unknown world. My two years of activity as a mathematics and science teacher in the African country of Zambia greatly changed my life. In a country with a different language and culture, I learned alongside the children of Zambia as a teacher. Furthermore, I brought baseball equipment from Japan and started a baseball club at the school where I worked. It was challenging to teach baseball to children who had never even heard the word "baseball," but I can never forget their smiles the first time they hit a ball or caught one. My two years in Zambia led me to the path of becoming a teacher.

However, I didn't have a teaching license, so I learned about Keio's special auditing student system and spent my seventh year at Keio. That one year was quite busy. I took teacher training courses, did my student teaching, took the teacher employment examination, and earned a living. After a fulfilling year, I was successfully hired as a junior high school teacher in my hometown of Fukushima Prefecture. My seven years at that school were by no means a smooth path. I felt the difficulty of teaching, and there were many times when things didn't go well. Even in those times, thanks to the support of many people—the children who walked with me with their honest and earnest hearts, the parents and community members who watched over me warmly, and my fellow teachers who taught and guided me in so many ways—I was able to experience much joy and emotion. At that point, I was given the opportunity to work at a Japanese school overseas, and I am now the homeroom teacher for five third-grade students at the Busan Japanese School.

I truly feel that you never know what life has in store. However, I believe that everything in my past has led me to where I am today. I have made many friends, and they have all become a great treasure. That is why I believe that living the present to the fullest is the most important thing of all.

Kamsahamnida