Blink and Guide Dog #6 - 1st job, 2nd trip to America, CA & LA

Nikki didn't have a chance to come to the US until 1995. Meanwhile, she got a job at the Kumamoto YMCA Language School (where she learned English.) as a receptionest! It was against the speculation that she would have a hard time finding an employment outside the major career path for the blind! Of Course it wasn't easy to convince the employer that a blind person could do the job. So they put nikki on provation with minimum wage for 4 years, which was half the time she worked there!!!

Yeah, the pay sucked, and Nikki always felt that she had to prove herself in order to keep the job! However, the fact that she was working in the sighted world made her prowd. There were also plenty of opportunities to use English at work and make friends with English teachers from other countries, as big part of her job was to help them adjust to Japanese life. What more could she ask for??? She still keeps in touch with friends from the Y days.

Then the 2nd opportunity to go to America came in 95! She was one of the interns, sponsored by a large Japanese company, to live in the US for a year and learn about American social services pertaining to their own disabilities. During her internship, Nikki worked at the Lighthouse for the Blind in New Orleans and San Francisco, and the Center for the Blind in San Diego. Thanks to the YMCA! By that time, she could speak English well enough to answer phones at the front desk and become a teacher's aid in Braille and daily living skills classes! In San Francisco, she was a camp counselor for the blind at the Enchanted Hills Camp. Needless to say, the experiences were great, and she made many good friends! She also met many low vision guide dog users!