Why did I decide to attend this school...?

The "Holistic College of Nutrition" is the Japanese affiliate of the "Nutrition Therapy Institute" in Colorado, USA, which teaches the latest in holistic nutrition. The course I took involved attending monthly in-person classes for a year (with the option to catch up via web viewing for missed sessions), then writing and submitting essay-style answers to assignments for 20 subjects by a deadline. Achieving an average score above the benchmark qualified one for the NTI-certified nutrition consultant qualification.

To begin with, the reason I decided to attend this school is the same as the reason I started my vegetable garden, which I wrote about in my November column. I became passionate about raw food and was truly impressed by the power of vegetables and enzymes. And I began to wonder, not just about vegetables and enzymes, but how all foods are digested and absorbed by the body, and how they specifically affect our physical and mental well-being—a desire to learn this systematically welled up inside me.

Also, I wanted to "learn the latest in nutrition!" After searching online, I found the "Holistic College," which perfectly matched my needs and constraints (attending daily wasn't feasible). Fortunately, they were recruiting for the autumn term starting a month later, in September, so I quickly submitted my application. It was accepted, and I was officially enrolled.

Embarking on Extended Classes for the First Time Since Childhood!

On the day of the first in-person session, I entered the classroom clutching the study materials I'd received, my heart pounding. Looking around, I saw about twenty-odd students. The age range was wide, from their 20s to their 50s. I later learned that some students had traveled from as far as Hokkaido, Shizuoka, and Kyoto, not just from the Tokyo area. Many were also involved in medical or food-related fields, suggesting they already had some connection to nutrition. Perhaps I was the only one from a completely different background... Feeling a bit anxious, the first lecture began.

Classes ran from 10 AM to 1 PM in the morning, followed by a lunch break, and then from 2 PM to 5 PM in the afternoon. It had been years since childhood that I'd attended classes for such extended periods. My brain felt overloaded just from that, and with the abundance of technical terms and chemical formulas, missing even a moment of the instructor's explanation rendered everything incomprehensible. By the end of the day, my mind was utterly exhausted, leaving me feeling drained and unfocused.

The lectures covered topics like, "All carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and are classified as simple or complex carbohydrates based on their molecular size. The primary monosaccharides of simple carbohydrates are glucose, galactose, and fructose. Because the atomic arrangement of these monosaccharides differs, their molecular structures are also distinct. Their chemical formula is..." While I knew some of this, there was so much more I didn't know – perhaps dozens of times more. Although I had enrolled to learn this, I hadn't anticipated being this tired or realizing how much I didn't know. I wondered if I could even get through all the sessions, and if I could keep up with everyone else. That first day was filled with such anxieties.

I Must Review the Lecture Material to Deepen My Understanding Before Answering!

Furthermore, as soon as I started working on the assignment tests, I realized that this wasn't something I could just rush through at the last minute like summer homework. The school had informed us beforehand that answers copied directly from textbooks or written without understanding would be recognized by the graders and would not receive a passing score. In other words, I had to deepen my understanding by reviewing the lecture material before writing my answers. Each month, we had to submit assignment tests for two subjects, and each test contained anywhere from 25 to over 30 questions, covering a wide range of topics. It was easy to predict that without a plan, I'd face all-nighters in the days leading up to the deadline. However, I tend to get sleepy by 9:30 PM, so pulling an all-nighter is out of the question. This meant I'd have to dedicate time in the morning, but with my other work commitments, I could realistically allocate only about an hour a day to report writing. Depending on my schedule, there were days I couldn't dedicate any time at all.

So, I made a decision. I decided to create a solid plan, taking my work schedule into account, and stick to it. When I had an hour available, I would focus intently. It might sound obvious, but it was the only way. As I continued this steady effort, I believe I became more accustomed to it, and my concentration improved. I could now attend the full day of lectures without feeling completely drained (laughs).

The Desire to Learn Something New and the Fear of Becoming an "Old Lady"

I spent nearly a year studying nutrition in this way. In truth, for several years prior, I had felt a desire to "learn something thoroughly, anything at all." As one gets older, new things don't just happen unless you actively pursue them, and opportunities to learn new things become fewer. I believe this yearning for "something new" led me to study. Moreover, knowing how much there is that you don't know makes one humble, but without that, don't women risk becoming what is commonly called an "old lady"? Therefore, I feel that encountering something to study at this particular time has been a fortunate opportunity for my future.

Although I have now obtained the NTI-certified nutrition consultant qualification, my knowledge is not yet fully integrated and ingrained in my brain to match it. I intend to continue studying and processing what I've learned so that it doesn't go to waste.

I've also begun to think, albeit vaguely, about approaching "beauty" in a holistic way. It's not just about makeup and hair, but also about lifestyle habits, exercise, state of mind, and diet – all of which are connected to health and beauty, and ultimately to a "happy feeling." Perhaps my future dream is to be a "Total Beauty Artist"?

INFORMATION
As a result, I will be giving a lecture at Ikebukuro Community College on the topic of "Lifestyles That Create Beauty." The content will cover various aspects of living a vibrant daily life (gardening, growing vegetables, nutrition, interior design, skin and body maintenance, etc.).
Date: Saturday, November 30, 2013, 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
If you are interested,Ikebukuro Community CollegePlease contact them!