Day Four

Today was a full day, starting with a site visit of the Women’s Development Center (a vocational training and social reintegration facility for women who are victims of abuse, violence and exploitation), then shopping at Scott Market, and finally a visit to the Methodist English Church.

At the Methodist English Church, the church members prepared a lovely dinner and we had a warm cultural exchange. The participants from Japan energetically performed the traditional “soranbushi” dance. All the participants in the seminar were supposed to bring something from their own country so the Kumamoto YWCA made drawstring bags out of kimono fabric and filled them with Japanese treats. Everyone was thrilled with their goody bag!

Please read Ms. Yoshida’s reflection of the day:

Today we visited the Women Development Center (WDC). WDC is a vocational training school run by the Myanmar government. Inside the center, I heard the steady sound of a large loom operating. It was fascinating to watch the process of thread turning into cloth, then taking shape and getting made into clothing and household items, designs being stitched on and finally seeing the completed product. The items can be purchased at the center so I bought a longyi – a traditional Myanmar wrap skirt, and some kitchen items. After being treated to lunch at the WDC, we took a bus to Scott Market. This was the first time I had ever been to an Asian marketplace. I was surprised to see restaurants in the marketplace delivering food to the vendors. It was also exciting to see people carrying large baskets on their heads and many new things I had never experienced before.

Chiaki Yoshida