Congratulations UP!

Ryoichi Kondo (SIIS'09) on August 28th, 2010

Hi Rikkyo students

I am Ryoichi Kondo, senior of RIkkyo University, and also one of the participants of the last year’s SIIS.

Britt allowed me to give a “graduation message” to you.
So I would like to tell you things I would you to know.

First of all, I would like to say Congratulation for your graduation!!!
How was your life in Seattle?
How was your host family?
How was your friends?
how was iLEAP?
And how was SIIS?

To tell the truth, I am not sure what have you done there.
But as I guess, you have got a lot of questions in you.
I bet you have visited a lot of places in Seattle, met a lot of people, talked about a lot, and felt a lot of things.
And you have may had a lot of chances to let them out to classroom or something, thanks for Britt’s help.
But I think you have still so much amounts of something that you have got in there.
I think SIIS was so much great and gave you powerful messages that you cannot assimilate everything yet.
But do not worry about it.
That happens to most participants as far as I know.
My year in Seattle is different of you.
The participants have completely different background, like different university and year or graduated already.
The man called Hide-san was over 50!!!
He was so powerful and like our father.
We all respect him.
Now he is in Uruguay as the senior volunteer of JICA.
Others also started to take steps to their road, inspired by SIIS.
Some started NPO, some started to work, and I went to India.

So now what I would like to tell you is take a next step.
Follow your emotions.
Try to find the answers of your questions in you.

I think SIIS is the kind of incubator, probably Britt taught me so and I feel so.
You have got seeds in you at there, so all you have to do from now is grow them.
Those may be really small and tiny now, but you can let them big big tree.
I wish SIIS will be the great opportunity to change your life.

By the way, a few days ago, Daiki-kun got contact with me.
That made me happy.
Because I like Kohai so much.
So, if other members want to, like him, I am so glad and welcome you from my heart.
I am really looking forward to listening your story.
Feel free to get contact with me.

Safe flight.
Bye-cha

Tags: Ikebukuro, Niiza, Rikkyo University, Ryoichi Kondo, UP