Hi!

My name is Gustavo and I'm from São Paulo, a state in the Southeast of Brazil. I grew up in a small town called Santa Fé do Sul, which has a large population of Japanese Brazilians. This gave me many opportunities to experience Japanese culture, and I grew to love all things Japanese, prompting me to choose Japanese language and literature as my university major.

I graduated from São Paulo State University, with a year spent studying abroad at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. After graduation, I worked as a Japanese teacher.

I am now working as a CIR at the Gifu International Center, and my hobbies include studying Japanese, weight-training, watching movies, and sightseeing.

Hello!
I'm from Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Feel free to call me Hien. Although I was born and raised in Hanoi, my parents are originally from Nghe An Province in central Vietnam, a place I feel deeply connected to, as it's where my family has lived for generations. In July 2019, during my second year of university, I came to Japan for the first time with the support of the Vietnam-Fukushima Friendship Association. It was only a short, three-week stay, but it left a lasting impression on me. I learned about Fukushima and made a lot of meaningful connections, leaving me with the desire to one day return to Japan. Since graduating from university, I've worked in various fields relating to Japanese language and culture. Right up until coming to Japan, I was working at the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, where I was involved in promoting Japanese culture to the Vietnamese public. Now, as a CIR in Gifu, I hope to contribute to exchange between Gifu and Vietnam and to deepen understanding between the local Japanese and Vietnamese communities. Since I've never lived in Japan before, for me, this is both a new challenge and the start of a new adventure. There's still a lot I don't know, but I'd be very grateful for your support and understanding.

My hobbies include listening to music, studying Japanese, reading, and learning more about traditional arts such as the tea ceremony, and folk crafts which Gifu has an abundance of.

• Presenting and introducing Brazil using PowerPoint (about sightseeing spots, society, climate, customs, history, etc.).
• Promoting interest in Brazilian culture (music, movies, comics) through Portuguese language classes.
• Brazilian cooking classes (including Brigadeiro - a chocolate dessert, Pão de queijo - cheese bread, and other foods that are easy to make and eat).
• Teaching Brazil's most popular sports to children, such as soccer and volleyball.
  
  

* Other duties (not dispatch) *

• Japanese-Portuguese translation and interpretation.
• Providing phone consultations to Portuguese-speaking foreign residents of Gifu Prefecture.

• Presenting and introducing Vietnam using PowerPoint (about basic facts, culture and customs, folk religions, society, education, music, tourism, etc.)
• Promoting interest in Vietnamese culture through Vietnamese language classes (held in person or online).
• Vietnamese cooking classes
  (including fresh spring rolls, fried spring rolls, Vietnamese coffee, and other simple and enjoyable dishes).
  
  

* Other duties (not dispatch) *

• Japanese-Vietnamese translation and interpretation.
• Providing phone consultations to Vietnamese-speaking foreign residents of Gifu Prefecture.

Rafael Parker

Hello!
My name is Zeng Jiyou (pronounced Sou Kiyuu in Japanese), and I'm from Guangdong Province in southern China.

Guangdong is warm all year round, and so I've actually never seen snow before! Now that I've started working as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) at the Gifu International Center, I'm really excited to experiencing snow for the first time this winter. I majored in Japanese at university, and in graduate school I specialised in Japanese interpreting. One of my hobbies is watching dramas, particularly Japanese dramas.

During my first year of graduate school, I spent six months in Japan as an exchange student. While I was there, I worked a part-time job and made many Japanese friends, and those experiences remain very special to me. 

Whilst I was a student, I also did internships at the Consulate-General of Japan in Guangzhou and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.
However, because this is my first full-time job as a working professional, there's still a lot I'm learning. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone and working together!

Hello!
My name is Rafael Parker, and I'm from a city called Bristol in the UK.

I specialised in Comparative Literature at university, and I've been studying Japanese on my own since finishing high school.
My parents lived in Japan for five years before I was born, so I've been interested in the country from a young age. Hearing their stories growing up made me want to experience Japan for myself. 

I've recently started working as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR). There's still a lot for me to learn, but I'll do my best and really look forward to the experience!

My hobbies include martial arts, going to the gym, climbing, and of course, studying Japanese.
I also love discovering great restaurants and cafés, so if you have any recommendations for Gifu, I'd be happy to hear them!

• Presenting and introducing China using PowerPoint (about sightseeing spots, society, culture, history, music, national holidays, etc.)
• Conducting Chinese language classes (held in person or online).
• Chinese cooking classes (including modern Chinese cuisine and Cantonese medicinal dishes).
• Workshops on traditional Chinese arts (such as calligraphy, ink painting, and paper cutting).

* Other duties (not dispatch) *

• Japanese-Chinese and Chinese-Japanese translation and interpretation.
  Providing phone consultations to Chinese-speaking foreign residents of Gifu Prefecture.

• Presenting and introducing the UK using PowerPoint (about sightseeing spots, society, culture, history, music, national holidays, etc.)
• Conducting English language classes (held in person or online).
• Workshops on traditional British culture (including afternoon tea, Christmas customs, British manners, etc.).
• European cooking classes.

* Other duties (not dispatch) *

• Japanese-English and English-Japanese translation and interpretation.
  Providing phone consultations to English-speaking foreign residents of Gifu Prefecture.