Lunch Communication

Eating food help you to communicate better, my ex-boss once told me.  You open your mouth when eating, which makes you say something with your mouth relaxed.  This is kind of way to break ice.
Today I ate lunch (Subway and McDonald) with my classmates between the lesson and English test.  Obviously, we enjoyed the conversation on the grass of Greenwich campus with clear sky.  So, what kind of food is the best when we meet important persons as a public relations officer?

Japanese souvenior

   It is interesting to see which Japanese souvenirs my friends in UK like the most.  I thought a lot of people may be in favour of sweets, but on the contrary ladies chose key chains decorated with the tower in Tokyo and animation character.  Men took the printed list of sumo (traditional wrestling) players in Japanese writings.
   I realised that it is important to experience and predict the taste of people where I will be staying either for study or business.  Even if each souvenir is small, it helps me to develop communication with my friends.

Our Programme

The programme MA Public Relations has had 10 students from 9 countries so far.  Thursday and Friday were induction days.  We introduced each other and the lecturers gave us the general view of what we are going to study for the coming two terms.  One of the important elements that PR practitioners need is the ability to catch the trends and news like antenna.  I may be able to take advantage of my experience as a journalist to have a job in PR industry.
I like my programme mates with wide variety of backgrounds and experiences.  What will happen after we mix up what we bring?

No "Sell-by date"

Pret, a cafe in London, sells only fresh sandwiches, putting a sign "No Sell-by date".  They don't use any preservation nor give you leftovers from the former days.  The rhetoric sounded quit interesting for me as an English language learner.  I just found out it is part of public relations carrying a symbolic message to the customers.  On the way back to the residence, I took a close look at the "Use-by date" of fruit juice at Marks-and-Spenser.

Communication

   Partying is the best way to build up communication.  We, residence mates, had a happy birthday party at the common room.  It is interesting that we are all from the different parts of the world, the UK, Germany, the US, Brazil, Jamaica, Libya, India, Holland and Japan.
   Japanese people are generally shy and reserved, so we might not have a party like this.  Now I am experiencing European way.  Expecting next party.

Reference Books

   I spent the whole afternoon of the first day of Term 1, reading one of the reference books "Exploring Public Relations".  I came across some words which are mainly in UK, not US.  As I was taught American English in the Japanese university, it is quite an interesting experience studying in the UK.
   Starbucks is a nice place for hitting a book.  I spent five hours finishing only about 50 pages, but was very well concentrated.  Well, now is the time for going out for a party of residence mate's girlfriend's birthday party at the residence.

Books

   The Programme Leader introduced six reference books to start up our course, MA Public Relations.  The total pages of these books are about 1800.  How long will it take for me to finish all?  I hope I will improve my reading skill, too.
   When I worked as a journalist for newspaper, I only had to find out fact sheets and witness, sometimes interview those who are concerned to the case.  On the other hand, when I do research for university degree, I came to realize that I need more theories supported by several researchers and discuss the different perspectives.  It will be challenging for me to be like a researcher rather than a field worker.

Starting up new life on camps

University of Greenwich held International Student Welcome Programme for students who arrived in London recently.  The international advisor from faith groups explained what kind of people British are, and took us to campus and library tour.  The funny thing is that British are shy and reserved, but if you ask for help, they are very helpful.
They also explained how to report to UK border because students from certain countries need to consult police.  The majority of the international students are Chinese, Indian.  We, Japanese, are minority here, with two students so far.  I hope I will find more later on.

Nuclear disaster and communication

"Japanese government and scientists lacked the sense of public relations", Mr Koide, former senior editor for The Yomiuri Newspaper, argued at the lecture for Japan Club on Wednesday.  The Head of Nuclear committee appeared and talked in front of media for the first time in two weeks since the great earthquake.  Japanese citizens really need information about how serious the accident at nuclear plant is, how the radioactive materials affect human body, but nobody was there to make clear explanation.  Foreign government such as Germany well convey information instead.  Mr Koide pointed out, "Somebody had to take initiative to give out a strong message and show the goal on how to resolve the problem from the viewpoint of people not familiar with science"
I agree that the government or civil servant is really bad at public relations.  We, Japanese, were always upset not knowing the value of every information presented about nuclear reactor and radioactivity.

Studying at Greenwich

   Studying abroad is an invaluable experience.  This is second time for me to drop out of my life in Japan and start up a new career overseas since I was 20 years old.
   I will join MA public relations at University of Greenwich, London, UK in September.  It is very challenging for me to quit my job as a journalist.  I have worked at newspaper journalism industry for 12 years after I graduated from a Japanese university.  My friends and colleagues were surprised and sometimes annoyed by my decision because people, especially men, in Japan usually work for the same company till their retirement.  However, I would like to develop my career by learning about the different field of business such as public relations which is closely related with mass media.
   In this blog, I will record what I thought and studied at Greenwich for a year.  I hope this will help other international students get into PR industry.  Thank you.

#The photo shows the campus of Greenwich maritime campus with clear sky