The Destiny of the Belarussian Sensei

Hieroglyphics is the most challenging element in the Japanese language. You have to memorize them. There are over two-thousands of them! And of course, there is the grammar, punctuation, pronunciation, and more. Of course, you can get away without the complete baggage. But for Sensei Akira Furusava, this is not an option. He strives for perfection and demands no less from his students. He fully embraces this difficult, tedious, and detail-oriented learning process. Not everyone is ready to walk this road with him, but those who accept the challenge make the sensei proud. 

“When Japanese delegations visit Belarus, my students always assist me. And our guests always comment that my students speak very well, that they use beautiful and correct language,” – tells us Akira with pride.

And looking at Stephania, his student, he adds:

“She has excellent pronunciation. Tell you the truth; I was apprehensive at first. When she joined, she was very carefree, but with time, she proofed to be an earnest and dedicated student”.

Accents, intonation, and the length of the vowels are all essential in the Japanese language. This is why people with previous music experience find learning the language easier. Akira is an ex-musician. He studied at the Conservatory of Music and played a saxophone. He uses his previous experience in the classroom now and creates an orchestra of voices of his students. One of his dreams is to organize a Japanese choir.

I Decided to Give People Abroad More Insight about Japan

 Akira is flying home to Minsk from Japan. And from Minsk, he flies home to Japan. In Belarus, he has a respectful job, friends, home and family, a wife and a son. He is thankful to live here, and it is home. But still, he is Japanese and is a patriot of his first homeland. For many years now, he has been teaching Belarussian people the language, traditions and culture of Japan.

“I was a part of the work-study program in Habarovsk [Russia] at a children’s camp, when I was studying the Russian language at the University of Tokyo. It was then that I realized that Russian kids did not know anything about Japan, other than the world-known brands. It was then that I’ve decided that I wanted to share the Japanese language and culture abroad,” – tells us Akira.

In 2000, Akira came to Belarus to realize his dream. He became a professor of the Japanese language at the Belarussian State University; he established the Center for Eastern Languages, he manages an online educational channel with video blogs and has many more exciting plans that are waiting to blossom.

The Japanese Character

Students call him a Sensei just like it is done in Japan. There are already legends told about his demands for discipline and dedication. This should not be surprising, as we know that duty, honour, punctuality, discipline, respect are all traits of the Japanese character. Even though his students are not Japanese by birth, Akira does not give them any slack. His philosophy is if you study the Japanese language, you have to respect the Japanese culture: you can’t be late, you can’t cheat, and you must do all your homework! And, of course, respect your teacher.

“It is crucial. I don’t just teach the language. I want them to be able to move to Japan, live there and work. They need to know the culture to understand how to behave. I want them to be comfortable in Japan,” – explains Akira.

Akira wants to connect all teachers of the Japanese language in the post-soviet countries to create a portal for sharing the experience. And based on that, he plans to create a new, updated Russian-Japanese and Japanese-Russian dictionaries.

The Saving Grace

Akira tells us that when he first came to Belarus 19 years ago, it was the Belarussian children that helped him assimilate. If it wasn’t for them, he might not have stayed in the country. He was a translator at the time. He was at the Medical Center for Rehabilitation when the desire to help the children overcame him. He would spend days on end with the children, teaching doing origami, conversing, playing, walking through the woods. He needed that time with the children as much as they needed him. This is how the children became his saving grace. Akira still finds time to spend with children all across Belarus. Just like back then, he still tells them stories about Japan and does origami.

“It is like a vacation for me. I love it. I don’t think of it as volunteering; I spend time with my equals” – highlights the sensei.

The Japanese Cuisine

The national cuisine is unique to each nation. Japanese cuisine is no exception. Akira loves cooking, and he runs a cooking blog. At first, it was hard because he could not find the proper ingredients in the Belarussian stores. With time, he got used to the Belarussian cuisine and now points to some of his favourites, the soups. But he does admit that the real Japanese cuisine is missing in Minsk. As one of his many plans, he wants to open a real Japanese bar, where you can eat authentic Japanese food and be immersed in the Japanese culture.

To Understand Belarus

Belarus welcomes Japanese visitors all the time. And Akira is often the principal host. He tries to share what he knows about the country with the guests. In his opinion, Hateen’ is the best reflection of what the country and its people are all about.

“Sometimes I ask my students to host the visitors in his families. This is better than any local tour you can have. You can understand the Belarussian people by living with them,” – shares the sensei.

Photographer: Андрей Щукин (Andrew Schukin)
Style: Елена Митт (Elena Mitt)
Design: Денис Недельский (Denis Nedelski)
Interviewer: Светлана Криставчук (Svietlana Kristavchuk)
Make-up: Надежда Слижевская (Nadya Slizhevskaya)
Video production: FolioArt Studio

In project used hardwood floor Coswick Oak Batiste.

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The Two Loves

 Forward Alexander Kulakov is known as the king of the corners. No one can, so skillfully, take the puck into a corner, around the opposition and give a pass to his teammate as Alexander does. He is an excellent hockey player, a good friend, and a joy to be around and can celebrate life. He knows how to balance his two loves: hockey and family.

We met Alexander just before the final game between Yunost and the Finns in the play-off of the League of Champions. His sense of duty and obligation caught us off guard – he is a true athlete. At the same time, he had a lighthearted tone and easy-going personality to the point of disbelief. It was hard to believe we were speaking with a celebrity, a well-known hockey player, a two-time champion of the Republic of Belarus Hockey Cup and the winner of the Spengler Cup. He has been through 14 seasons with Dinamo-Minsk, which is the club’s record and 10 seasons in the Continental Hockey League (CHL). He started his career with Yunost, he played with many clubs throughout his career and is now back with on his home team. He is the only active hockey player that has been entered into the wall of fame of the Dinamo-Minsk Hockey Club. He is recognized on the streets, people ask for his autograph, he is a public figure. But he is indifferent to publicity and doesn’t like giving interviews.

“I know that people are always more interested in the negative than the positive. My family does not need to be a part of the rumours. So, I try to stay low and not give in to the media,” – explains the athlete.

Life of the party

What do his teammates say about Alexander? It turns out that he is the center of attention and a big joker! “He is full of stories. He would start telling one in the change room and then take it to the shower!” – told us Charles Lingle, a Canadian hockey player who played together with Alexander on team Dinamo-Minsk.

“Yes, we love to joke around. This is positive. There is enough negativity as is, – continues Alexander. – We have lots of young blood joining the team now. We have тto help them relax and take it easy. Jokes work the best. By the way, in hockey leagues, there is a tradition that a new player has to tell a joke or a funny story before his first game.”

Kulakov and Kulakov Junior

Alexander is one of the most experienced hockey players in Belarussian hockey. But he is not done yet. “I thought about it, but I am not ready to retire yet. This is my life. Of course, it is tough sometimes, but I am used to the constant action and adrenaline”, – adds Alexander.

But he does think of the future. He might choose the path of becoming a professional coach, and, just in case, he is currently studying to become one.

For now, with lots of enthusiasm, he is watching his 11-year old son, Iliya, who is training at the Dinamo hockey school and plays a forward, just like his dad.

“He had a game yesterday. He scored twice and made two passes. He was so proud and happy,” – commented Alexander on his son’s game.

But Alexander does not intervene in the training of his son: “I try to take it easy. I can give a suggestion, but I think that my son should listen to his coach first. The coach leads a team to victory.”

Everything for my Family

Alexander changes when we ask about his family. He tells us that he loves to travel with his wife. They dream about travelling through Europe by car as soon as their daughter gets a little older: “We travel for vacation for our children. We want them to see the world, all the different countries.”

It is evident that his wife, son and his 5-year old daughter are so important for Alexander. “I love them very much. Practically everything I do, I do for them. I want them to feel safe and protected. I want them to know that they have a husband and a father who will always be there for them”, – Shares Alexander.

After the interview, for the second time in history, Yunost made it into the play-offs of the League of Champions. For the first time, we watched the game of our team against German’s Red Bull München.

Photographer: Андрей Щукин (Andrew Schukin)
Style: Елена Митт (Elena Mitt)
Design: Денис Недельский (Denis Nedelski)
Interviewer: Светлана Криставчук (Svietlana Kristavchuk)
Make-up: Надежда Слижевская (Nadya Slizhevskaya)
Video production: FolioArt Studio

In project used hardwood floor Coswick Oak Indigo, Silk Oil ultra matte.

The post Discovery Gallery with Coswick. ALEXANDER KULAKOV appeared first on coswick.com.

Very soon we will start counting down the days of the new year, with which we always have many hopes and innermost desires. We will open a new calendar – 366 (leap year!) pure, not yet written pages of our life, which everyone will fill with their events, experiences and discoveries.

We tried to bring you one more discovery every month with the Coswick calendar. Our heroes are gifted people who have found their calling and achieved recognition in their favorite cause. Talented Photographer Andrey Schukin has created a gallery of artistic images, each of which brings a living emotion and tells a unique story of life and success. These stories are not always straight and simple, but they are more valuable and interesting.

Photographer: Андрей Щукин (Andrew Schukin)
Style: Елена Митт (Elena Mitt)
Design: Денис Недельский (Denis Nedelski)
Make-up: Надежда Слижевская (Nadya Slizhevskaya)
Video production: FolioArt Studio

The post Discovery Gallery with Coswick appeared first on coswick.com.

I am So Far from Being Fragile

Elegant, fragile, graceful, weightless – this is how we see her. She is a ballerina, after all!

“This is just an image, an illusion. I am so far from being fragile or helpless. I am such a strong person. Life made me strong. A long time ago, I would get upset or get emotional. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to handle the three kids. But it turned out that I can. There is metaphor: a lily on a steel rod. I think this is what a ballerina is; at least this is what I am. I can stand up for myself, yet I have a wonderful group of people at the theatre who will always be there for me.

“Mommy, am I beautiful?” 

“We all have those moments in childhood that we remember for the rest of our lives. I remember when I asked my mom: “Mommy, am I beautiful?” “You are pretty,” – she responded. But I really wanted to hear that I was beautiful! My mom’s words are still with me to this day. With my children, I give them all the complements in the world; I want them to remember my love.

Being a mom is the toughest than a ballerina

“I think being a mom is so much tougher than a ballerina. In ballet, there are specific rules that you have to follow. But in motherhood, each day is a new experience, a new lesson. If I lose my career, I will find something else, but with your children, there is no room for error. Every word, every act in one way or another, reflects on them; it influences their personality and their worldview. I understand how important I am to my children, so I simply give them all my love.

My favorite occupation is my profession 

“I relax when I spend time with my family. My favourite occupation is my profession. But at home I simply enjoy being present, I can dedicate myself to the warmth and comfort of my home, spend time with my children. I think this brings joy to everyone.”

Are you ready for your dream?

“When I was younger, I have always wanted to jump with a parachute. But somehow, I was never able to do it. And just recently, my friend approached and said: “I arranged for a plane, and we will be jumping on such a date.” I was shocked! And I knew that I couldn’t because of children, because of fear. It was so unexpected; someone offers you your dream – here you go, take it! – and I am not ready for it…

This is how she is. Strong but fragile, sincere and purposeful, she is not blinded by the stars and glory, but a caring mother who is not afraid to dream like her last trip to India. “Indian people have a different philosophy. They are happy with the little they have. I’ve also learned to be happy with small things, like the moment we have here and now.

Ballet artist: Ирина Еромкина (Irina Eromkina)
Photographer: Андрей Щукин (Andrew Schukin)
Style: Елена Митт (Elena Mitt)
Design: Денис Недельский (Denis Nedelski)
Interviewer: Светлана Криставчук (Svietlana Kristavchuk)
Make-up: Надежда Слижевская (Nadya Slizhevskaya)
Video production: FolioArt Studio

The project has been realised with Coswick Natural Oak Chevron flooring, Lacquer.

The post Discovery Gallery with Coswick. IRINA EROMKINA appeared first on coswick.com.