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INTERVIEW
BACK
2020.3.25
Teaching Each Other and Working Together
Tomoe Yamazaki（Age: 23）× Zin Zin Moe（Age: 27）
Zin Zin Moe, from Myanmar, started working as a technical intern trainee at a group home ‘Mankai no Furusato Sakura Hassamu’
in Sapporo, Hokkaido. After half a year, Tomoe Yamazaki joined as a new recruit. They had a lot of common points such as age and working experience so they helped each other while working. “Work is fun,” says Zin Zin Moe and Tomoe smiling while being interviewed about their job and daily lives.
PROFILE
| Name | Zin Zin Moe |
|---|---|
| Workplace | Care Worker at a group home run by Sakura CS Holdings Co., Ltd. ‘Mankai no Furusato Sakura Hassamu’ |
| Birthplace |  Bago, Myanmar |
| Age | 27 (Born in 1993) |
| Education | Bachelor of Science in Industrial Chemistry at Dagon University |
| Work Experience | Public Health Supervisor in Yangon City |
| Residence Status at Entry to Japan | Technical Intern Trainee |
| Arrival Date in Japan | January 2019 |
| Name | Tomoe Yamazaki |
|---|---|
| Workplace | Care Worker at a group home run by Sakura CS Holdings Co., Ltd. ‘Mankai no Furusato Sakura Hassamu’ |
| Birthplace |  Sapporo City, Hokkaido |
| Age | 23 (Born in 1996) |
| Education | Bachelor of Social Welfare in Psychology for Well-Being at Hokusei Gakuen University |
| Work Experience | Care Worker at Sakura CS Holdings Co., Ltd. |
| Job Starting Date | April 2019 |
Zin Zin Moe
I had lived with my grandfather and grandmother since childhood and helped them with bathing. So my current job reminds me of my old days. My grandmother also had dementia so I feel that the communication process with the residents resembles that with which I had with her.
Nursing care involves supporting and helping residents to overcome their difficulties. Myanmar is a Buddhist country so supporting others is said to bring you ‘Kudoku (merit).’ For example, your children will take care of you like the way you treated your grandparents. It is thought that your virtue towards society and other people will circulate. I often feel mental stability because nursing care involves practicing virtue while working.
Tomoe
My image towards nursing care is supporting the residents close by rather than ‘just giving care.’ In our nursing care facility, we call the care workers ‘partners.’
Zin Zin Moe
Everyday, we discuss how to make each resident happy and help them to spend their daily lives easier.
Tomoe
We always start by asking the residents what they like or what they would like to do. Some residents like Radio Calisthenics
, and some like origami (paper folding). Some also love singing.
Doing something the residents like is not the only method to make them happy. For example, rearranging their rooms is one of the ways. We sometimes discuss how to make it easier for them to go to the toilet on their own by reducing obstacles in their rooms.
I'm slowly getting used to my job but still rely on Zin Zin Moe because she started her career earlier than I did. She often teaches me special techniques for nursing care. I teach her Japanese in exchange. So we teach each other things we cannot do well. We are both bad at cooking though (laughs).
Zin Zin Moe
That’s true (laughs). In our nursing care facility, care workers prepare meals.
Tomoe
Zin Zin Moe doesn’t know Japanese cooking and I don’t have much experience in cooking, so we always struggle in front of ingredients (laughs). We tried shredding yesterday.
Zin Zin Moe
There are so many ways to chop vegetables in Japanese cooking so I'm practicing each one!
Tomoe
Our company treasures the relationships with the surrounding community. For example, there is an electronics store across the road and there are always neighbors gathering and chatting. Our residents also join them sometimes. The owner always cares about us and even calls us saying, “I saw someone just leave the house alone. Is everything alright?”
Zin Zin Moe
I never imagined such relationships with the local community before coming to Japan. On my first day of work, I went to say hello and introduce myself to the neighbors with the Director of the Facility. She introduced me saying, “She has come from Myanmar as a technical intern trainee. Please take care of her.” I still remember the day clearly because it made my heart very warm.
I greet the neighbors everyday on my way to work and home. They sometimes give me potatoes and grapes which they grow on their vegetable patches. They care about me a lot and offer to help when I need.
Tomoe
We also plan small day trips for the residents to get in touch with the neighbors. Going to ‘dementia café’ is one trip.
Zin Zin Moe
Seasonal events are also a fun part. At ‘Sakura Festival,’ where people enjoyed the cherry blossoms, I danced with my Burmese coworkers, wearing national garments.
Tomoe
In summer, we had ‘Tanabata Festival’ to appreciate the stars. About 15 local elementary school students, who often attend the children’s center nearby, visited our place and performed singing, dancing and hand massaging.
Zin Zin Moe
Hand massaging was very popular! The residents were happily talking and asking their names. They looked very happy with the children.
Zin Zin Moe
Nursing care in Japan definitely requires verbal communication, so studying Japanese language is necessary.
Tomoe
She often struggles with grammar rather than understanding the meaning of words.
Zin Zin Moe
I'm having difficulties with particles such as ‘ni’ and ‘wo.’ My coworkers including Tomoe always help me.
Tomoe
She studies very hard so she wants to use the new words right after she learns. She even writes daily reports in Japanese.
Zin Zin Moe
In my daily report, I write about good things that happened on the day, my opinions, things that need to be improved and my goals. My seniors read it and correct my Japanese.
I'm still learning Japanese but I love using the language. My teacher is Ms. Umezu, one of the residents. She talks very politely to me. Every time I help her, she says, “Thank you for taking care of me as always.” I admire her a lot.
Zin Zin Moe
It is either ‘warm’ or ‘hot’ in Myanmar, so I was worried to live in a cold country. My suitcase was full of jackets and warm clothes from Myanmar (laughs). When I arrived in Sapporo, I was very surprised to see a world covered with snow. The first things I bought in Japan were non slip shoes!
I live with another Burmese technical intern trainee in an apartment which my company prepared for us. I take the subway for 20 minutes and walk another 20 minutes to my workplace. I call my mother on my day off. I also like shopping with my friends and chilling out in the park.
Tomoe
Our days off often differ. But we went to see the Christmas lights with our Facility Director in December!
Zin Zin Moe
It was very beautiful because the lights reflected on the snow.
One time, Tomoe gave me a hand-made doll for my birthday. I was so happy that I still keep it in the wrapping bag.
Zin Zin Moe
I would like to obtain a qualification as a Certified Care Worker in Japan. There are also nursing homes in Myanmar but the number of care workers and skills is not enough. I'm one of the first technical intern trainees from Myanmar. I would like to become an instructor to teach the techniques of nursing care when I go back to Myanmar.
Tomoe
People still think nursing care is a tough job. But we are trying to change that image. It is difficult for residents to keep in touch with their community once they start living in a nursing care facility. I would like to help them to maintain their relationships with the community outside of the group home.
Zin Zin Moe
One of the most important things to work in the nursing care field in Japan is studying Japanese as much as possible. You can learn the techniques required in nursing care on the job, but you need to make an extra effort to be fluent in Japanese. I hope I can talk about my experience in Japan for those who are planning to work here, as well as the techniques of nursing care.
Workplace
Mankai no Furusato Sakura Hassamu
A ‘group home’ is a nursing care facility for the elderly, especially those with dementia. It is a small two-story home with a maximum capacity of nine people on each floor. The atmosphere is very cozy. Many of the residents spend most of their time in the living rooms furnished with kitchens. The home organizes many events every season and encourages the residents to go out regularly and have connections with the local community.
Text by Tami Ono
Photo by Mihoko Tsujita
Translation by Mihoko Tsujita, Dean Humphrey