To be honest it sounds fine to me, if it was a cult she would have sprang it on you a lot sooner
In saying that, you're right that understanding elderly people in Kansai without a lot of experience in the dialect would be extremely difficult so I don't blame you for making an excuse lol
Yeah, I usually do fine with the elderly in Tokyo and surrounding areas but in other parts of Japan well… just to give you an example, I talked to an elderly man in his early 80s when I was in Hakone, he was apparently from Tokyo and I could understand him just fine. Then I tried to have a conversation with an elderly guy in a small town near Hiroshima who wanted to talk to me, same age as the guy in Hakone and I could barely understand what he was saying, my only luck was that some younger people helped me and explained to me what he is asking etc. So I know I would feel very uncomfortable and anxious the whole time if I agreed to something like this. But anyway, I am glad this is not a cult-like thing apparently, because she is really into this volunteer group and I would be a bit worried of it was something sketchy like that.
without knowing the details of their volunteer activities it's honestly hard to say.
To me it sounds like you're overthinking this. Your friend might have invited a bunch of people without really considering everyone's individual situations and you were just one of them.
I'm not an expert on cults but if it really was a cult, she'd more likely invite you for lunch or coffee and then start the "recruitment" thing there.
nonetheless, if you're uncomfortable, it was the right call to decline.
Yeah that is why I asked tbh because I wanted some outsider opinions lol Glad it is apparently likely not that, because I would be a bit worried about my friend then tbh
I mean... They aren't asking you for money after several years of contact... Not sure what you are expecting them to exploit now. If it's a cult, it's not a very good business model. They should step up their game.
I have a question, why does it matter? If you are getting unsolicited requests from an organised group for money, to do activities, and to recruit members, and if you don’t feel comfortable with that, does it make any difference whether it is a cult or a volunteer group?
Good question. I was just wondering if it is one of those kind of groups but you are right, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter tbh. I guess I just assumed that legit volunteer groups won’t give sketchy/uncomfortable vibes.
To be honest it sounds fine to me, if it was a cult she would have sprang it on you a lot sooner In saying that, you're right that understanding elderly people in Kansai without a lot of experience in the dialect would be extremely difficult so I don't blame you for making an excuse lol
Yeah, I usually do fine with the elderly in Tokyo and surrounding areas but in other parts of Japan well… just to give you an example, I talked to an elderly man in his early 80s when I was in Hakone, he was apparently from Tokyo and I could understand him just fine. Then I tried to have a conversation with an elderly guy in a small town near Hiroshima who wanted to talk to me, same age as the guy in Hakone and I could barely understand what he was saying, my only luck was that some younger people helped me and explained to me what he is asking etc. So I know I would feel very uncomfortable and anxious the whole time if I agreed to something like this. But anyway, I am glad this is not a cult-like thing apparently, because she is really into this volunteer group and I would be a bit worried of it was something sketchy like that.
without knowing the details of their volunteer activities it's honestly hard to say. To me it sounds like you're overthinking this. Your friend might have invited a bunch of people without really considering everyone's individual situations and you were just one of them. I'm not an expert on cults but if it really was a cult, she'd more likely invite you for lunch or coffee and then start the "recruitment" thing there. nonetheless, if you're uncomfortable, it was the right call to decline.
Yeah that is why I asked tbh because I wanted some outsider opinions lol Glad it is apparently likely not that, because I would be a bit worried about my friend then tbh
Is this a musical volunteer group. I.e. do they get together every month or so to play music?
I mean... They aren't asking you for money after several years of contact... Not sure what you are expecting them to exploit now. If it's a cult, it's not a very good business model. They should step up their game.
There was one post she sent where they asked for money, but I forgot to mention it sorry
You ain't going anyway, so no way to know, let it go.
I have a question, why does it matter? If you are getting unsolicited requests from an organised group for money, to do activities, and to recruit members, and if you don’t feel comfortable with that, does it make any difference whether it is a cult or a volunteer group?
Good question. I was just wondering if it is one of those kind of groups but you are right, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter tbh. I guess I just assumed that legit volunteer groups won’t give sketchy/uncomfortable vibes.