Spreading “Goodwill” from Coast-to-Coast
Anshu Jain is the Embassy’s Spring 2018 “Digital Intern,” and shares his thoughts about his Goodwill Ambassador and Internship experiences as a guest contributor.
Growing up in Cupertino, California, the idea that I would spend a springtime in the nation’s capital meeting Ambassadors and Mayors at huge receptions, or being a backstage dancer on a parade float behind a Top-40 star on national television wasn’t something I thought possible. But, after my experience as one of the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s Goodwill Ambassadors this year, I’d be excited to tell my younger self about my amazing adventures under DC’s famous cherry blossoms, and all the great friends I made during this national celebration of Japan-US friendship!
Ever since I was a kid, people have been curious about my ethnicity. I’d get a variety of guesses about my heritage, but I’d always hear “Oh my gosh, that’s so cool” when I revealed that I was half-Japanese and half-Indian. While my grandparents only spoke Hindi, the rest of the family spoke mostly in English, outside of the times my mother scolded me in Japanese.
But as I grew older, my mother slowly introduced me to my Japanese roots. I became a devoted fan of anime, sushi, and ninjas. I started taking Japanese language classes to further my understanding of my mother’s culture, and soon fell deeply love with the country.
This year, as a Sophomore at The George Washington University, I had the opportunity to explore my interests in Japan on a higher level, working both as an NCBF Goodwill Ambassador, and as an intern at the Embassy of Japan. These are just two of the many organizations that partner to celebrate Japan’s gift of 3000 cherry blossom trees to the city of Washington DC as an important symbol of strong Japan-US ties.
As part of the Goodwill Ambassador team, I acted as a cultural and educational liaison representing the NCBF at events throughout the Festival’s busy schedule, which gave me a chance to attend everything from the Opening Ceremony to the Ambassador’s Reception. I even got to ride on a National Cherry Blossom Parade float behind rapper Silentó, a chance to show off my “milly-rocking” on national television!
Participating behind the scenes and on the front lines of this amazing festival was truly a priceless experience, and having first-class seats at performances and unlimited plates of delicious Japanese food only added to my happiness. But most amazing were the people I met, including the Japanese Ambassador, company presidents, Mayor Bowser of Washington D.C., as well as the Cherry Blossom Queens and Princesses, Japanese artists, and tourists from all over the world.
I learned so much from each of these encounters, but a conversation I had with a Chicago businessman who shared my Indian heritage stuck with me the most. As he told me about his own endeavors working for a Japanese company and his efforts to develop his Japanese fluency, I felt myself growing more and more confident that I could forge a future for myself in this amazing community.
While writing this post, I remembered that I actually attended a Cherry Blossom Festival as that younger kid in Cupertino. However, I remember being very bored, questioning why people cared so much about these flowers: Why would all these people come see a tree being planted, and why are there so many long speeches and performances? But after participating in planting ceremonies alongside people who’ve attended dozens of these events, listening to their stories about trips to Japan to continue this friendship, and seeing their treasured pictures of the growing trees that they helped plant, my views have significantly changed. While this act of “goodwill” seems simple or even cliché, there is something incredibly powerful in these representations of a friendship that you can watch grow year after year.
Due to my interest in the future of the Japan-US relationship, I traveled across the country to our nation’s capital to get directly involved in making a change for upcoming generations. From now on, when the cherry blossoms begin their bloom to mark the beginning of spring, I will see every flower as a symbol of the peace and friendship between Japan and the United States, and I will look back at the Goodwill Ambassador Program and my internship at the Embassy of Japan, thankful for the connections and experience that have guided me onto the next steps of my path.
