นั่งอาจ Volunteer Guide จาก องค์กร NICE ประเทศญี่ปุ่น ที่ส่งมาให้อาสาสมัครคนที่สองเพื่อเตรียมตัวเดินทางไปเป็นอาสาสมัครระยะยาวคนแรกจากประเทศไทย ได้ประสบการณ์จริงขำ ๆ ที่หากพิจารณาแล้วอาจไม่ขำ สิ่งเหล่านี้เกิดขึ้นจากการแลกเปลี่ยนเรียนรู้ภายในค่ายอาสานานาติ สถานที่ที่ทำให้เราทำตัว "กร่าง" น้อยลง แต่เข้าใจโลกมากขึ้น เช่น

Please say Hello (KON-NICHIWA) when you meet locals.

As the group walked back to the accommodation, a girl spoke with an elderly woman working in the fields. She knew only "Kon-nichiwa" but they talked through body language and smiles. She was given a watermelon that tasted of global friendship! (All the others began saying "Kon-nichiwa" starting the next day, but they never got a melon...)

* In one workcamp, a girl who claimed to be a "magician" played tarot cards every day. One day she said suddenly that she strongly wanted to leave Japan because "There is an omen that something terrible will happen". The group allowed it and she left on the 7th day, but nothing happened, except decreasing the morale of the group.

In a past workcamp, when a leader asked volunteers to go to bed, they answered "We're not kids. We can decide by ourselves." The next day, many of them got up late for work, while locals waited for them, and they worked poorly because they were sleepy. If you are an adult, you may go to bed late only if you can be on time and work well later on (please do not instigate or disturb other people).

Please respect local customs and don’t make inappropriate displays of affection…

Two volunteers became a couple in one of the workcamps. When the group visited a kindergarten school, they made a very inapproriate display of affection for a long period of time. Often local communities in the country side are relatively conservative, so were offended and got very angry. Through this small action, the workcamp as a whole was substantially damaged because some thought that this behavior was representative of all volunteers and one person even asked us as a group to "Get out, Workcampers!!" 

* In one of workcamp, some boys entered into the swimming pool of a school (which was providing our accommodation) at 3:00 AM with loud noises and without permission. The local people got very angry.

* In one workcamp, a few volunteers did not want to schedule to take turns cooking. They said “It is just like the army. I came here for my holiday. We can take turns, but just naturally.” It did not work, and in the end only some volunteers did it.