PETALING JAYA: To lighten up the current restrictive period, Mercy Malaysia has been airing a video series on learning Japanese presented by its volunteer Shoji Endo.
Every day at 9am since April 4, the cheery-faced Shoji-san has been greeting visitors via the brief clips of Keep Calm and Learn Japanese uploaded on the medical relief society’s social media platforms.
Viewers and followers learn five Japanese words in every mini-episode on a range of topics from fruits to cutlery and general greetings.
The host is, in fact, a volunteer at Mercy as its pharmacist and public health specialist.
Shoji, 39, who has lived in Malaysia for about three years, said he first came to the country to study public health at Universiti Malaya.
“It was my dream to study in a foreign country, and Malaysia with its quality in education fit the bill.
“I am drawn to stay longer by the accessibility and affordability of healthcare in Malaysia,” he said in an interview.
For the last year and a half, Shoji, a bachelor, has been volunteering with Mercy, and recently, started to host the Keep Calm and Learn Japanese video series.
It was his colleague at Mercy, Chan Li Jin, who suggested Shoji start the mini-series sometime after the government imposed the movement control order (MCO).
“I had a thought one day after getting frustrated in a meeting that maybe we could make something that’s different and helpful for people who are bored and stuck at home during the MCO,” said Chan, Mercy Malaysia’s communications and strategic engagement head.
Shoji said keeping the videos to less than a minute allowed even the busiest of people to watch them.
Although the videos definitely liven up his day, the pharmacist said he still preferred his more serious work at Mercy.
When he first joined Mercy, Shoji revamped its entire pharmacy to make it more organised.
“I spent almost two months just relabelling and organising an itinerary to keep track of all the medicine.
“It was just me, alone, in the pharmacy but I enjoyed the work.
“It reminded me a little of working life in Japan,” he said.
The Yokohama native recalled the culture shock of his early days in Malaysia.
“People were more relaxed ... if you have a meeting at 9am, sometimes people will only come in at that time!”
However, he is effusive in his praise for Malaysians.
“People are incredibly helpful and kind here. They’re more friendly and the culture is so diverse,” he said.
For now, Chan said Mercy was busy expanding its warehouse operations to accommodate medical supplies and food, which it planned to properly and efficiently distribute throughout the coming months.
With the MCO extended to April 28, there is more work to do – and more language tips to share.
Every day at 9am since April 4, the cheery-faced Shoji-san has been greeting visitors via the brief clips of Keep Calm and Learn Japanese uploaded on the medical relief society’s social media platforms.
Viewers and followers learn five Japanese words in every mini-episode on a range of topics from fruits to cutlery and general greetings.
The host is, in fact, a volunteer at Mercy as its pharmacist and public health specialist.
Shoji, 39, who has lived in Malaysia for about three years, said he first came to the country to study public health at Universiti Malaya.
“It was my dream to study in a foreign country, and Malaysia with its quality in education fit the bill.
“I am drawn to stay longer by the accessibility and affordability of healthcare in Malaysia,” he said in an interview.
For the last year and a half, Shoji, a bachelor, has been volunteering with Mercy, and recently, started to host the Keep Calm and Learn Japanese video series.
It was his colleague at Mercy, Chan Li Jin, who suggested Shoji start the mini-series sometime after the government imposed the movement control order (MCO).
“I had a thought one day after getting frustrated in a meeting that maybe we could make something that’s different and helpful for people who are bored and stuck at home during the MCO,” said Chan, Mercy Malaysia’s communications and strategic engagement head.
Shoji said keeping the videos to less than a minute allowed even the busiest of people to watch them.
Although the videos definitely liven up his day, the pharmacist said he still preferred his more serious work at Mercy.
When he first joined Mercy, Shoji revamped its entire pharmacy to make it more organised.
“I spent almost two months just relabelling and organising an itinerary to keep track of all the medicine.
“It was just me, alone, in the pharmacy but I enjoyed the work.
“It reminded me a little of working life in Japan,” he said.
The Yokohama native recalled the culture shock of his early days in Malaysia.
“People were more relaxed ... if you have a meeting at 9am, sometimes people will only come in at that time!”
However, he is effusive in his praise for Malaysians.
“People are incredibly helpful and kind here. They’re more friendly and the culture is so diverse,” he said.
For now, Chan said Mercy was busy expanding its warehouse operations to accommodate medical supplies and food, which it planned to properly and efficiently distribute throughout the coming months.
With the MCO extended to April 28, there is more work to do – and more language tips to share.
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