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The Pecha Kucha Session at the Haru no Kenshu, 2010, marked the first official work related activity of the three day reunion the NFSA scholars had during April of the present year. Its function was two fold; as a first goal, it had the intention of presenting the newest scholars (7kisei) to the rest of the group. Its second aim was to keep everybody updated on the progress all of the present scholars have made during the past twelve months in things related to their work. As it is done in the original format of Pecha Kucha, PowerPoint presentations of 10 slides with twenty second intervals were used by the scholars. The challenge is to make the presentation as swift and entertaining as possible, while keeping within the constraints mentioned above.
This year, 28 scholars participated in the Pecha Kucha session, with experience as NFSA scholars ranging from 3kisei (third generation) to the newly arrived 7kisei (7th generation). Being a member of the later, the way I view this activity may be very different from the one an older scholar may have. None the less, I think that most, if not all the scholars have felt similarly to how we new “kids” felt before and during this activity or in similar ones held in past Kenshus.
Since Pecha Kucha was held on the morning of the second day of the Kenshu, the night before held a bit of an aura of anticipation within the 7 kisei group. The six of us were, in some measure feeling a bit nervous (I’m guessing this, though some of us didn’t actually mention it), and somewhat shy as to what we were to say the following day. Though it did help that we already knew most of the NFSA scholars we were going to present ourselves to, there still was a bit of a tingling feeling in our stomachs as the time drew nearer to the presentations.
It turned out that we were to be the first to present, the order progressing to the 6 kisei, the 5 kisei and so on. After a few initial comments were mentioned, the lights were turned off and our turn at the bat finally came. And then, a little more after 3 minutes had passed, the first of the presentations was over and the nervousness suddenly gave way to applause, laughter and expressions of awe or appreciation from the older scholars as the following people took their turn. After monologues that were a combination of some preparation and some improvisation we had gotten a chance to show everybody where we came from, where we were going and in some measure, our willingness to let everybody know who we were and our desire to know in turn, the people who were sitting in front of us.
As the morning progressed, the list of scholars that were to make their presentations grew thinner, while the amount of things I learned about each of the scholars grew larger and larger. It amazed me how distinctly dissimilar most of our disciplines are. From acupuncturists and designers, to biologists and computer program developers, the variety of professionals this scholarship funds is quite impressive. It dawned on me how small an area my skills cover and how extensive human thirst for knowledge has really gone up until now. Maybe it is in this realization where the value of the Pecha Kucha session lies. It is a rare occasion where one can share a room and comments with such a heterogeneous crowd and be able to learn about subjects like the work being done in the insertion of dyes obtained from plants into bacteria, the manner in which an endoscopy is carried out or the value of preventive medicine, to name a few. It just blows one’s mind how many valuable endeavours are taking place in the world at this very moment without one even realizing it.
As interesting as all of the subjects were, I did get to thinking once or twice about the length of the activity, or at least the way it was progressing. At times I felt it lost its momentum, and at others, I felt that tedium gripped the audience. I know that everything was prepared so that everything went as swiftly as possible. It was obvious that the presentations were practised beforehand and that the order in which they were carried out had been given a lot of thought. Even so, I did catch a glimpse of a yawn or two, a few eyes struggling to keep open and a bit of distraction. I’m sure that the curiosity to know about what all our colleagues have been up to is in all of us, but still, maybe 28 presentations in a row, even if they are 3 and a half minutes long, is too much for any crowd to take without there being a drowsy face or two. A break perhaps? Maybe next Kenshu.
All in all, my feelings toward this activity are on the positive side. It really does seem like a very good way to get to know everybody. As a first timer, it helped me a lot in getting to know the “professional” side of all my friends here at NFSA. I had the impression that the Pecha Kucha session has been refined throughout at least a couple of Kenshus, and it really did show that everyone had it in their mind to make their presentations as enjoyable as possible. I repeat the value that this has for us 7kisei in getting to “break the ice” with the other scholars. In the end, how cool was it when you were the “new guy” in school and you actually got a laugh out of the kids that were there before you? Or even better, having them share a joke or story with you. This works the same way, I guess.
Maybe, to sum this all up, Pecha Kucha can be defined as a small taste (like the ones they give you with little spoons at an ice cream shop)…a taste of what we all do, a taste of what we all are. It is a small, but very rich sample of the very complex people that surround us here. It is a way to know each other, and even, when you stop to think about it, to remember a little about yourself.
Kenji Fuentes
7 kisei.
