My name is Midori, and I am Japanese. Soon after I began volunteering, I’ve made some very good friends. Honestly, my English is not perfect. However, everyone is kind and tries to communicate clearly, often teaching me new words. Sometimes they patiently help me with difficult pronunciations, like “squirrel,” and they gently corrected me when I mispronounced “April.”

I started volunteering at Orbit because I thought it would be a good way to improve my English. Now, after a little over a year, Orbit has given me much more than just language skills. I am delighted that we can always have enjoyable conversations about Japanese anime and British films. I usually work entirely online for a Japanese company, so without this volunteering, I would not have had the chance to make local friends.

No matter how busy my work gets, I don’t think I will ever give up this once-a-week volunteering. My fellow volunteers show me a side of “real Britain” that you won’t find in guidebooks. This includes unique idioms and culinary traditions. I have learned about delicious British sweets that are virtually unknown in Japan and how they are made—knowledge I would not have gained otherwise.

I look forward to continuing this volunteering journey and gaining many more experiences.