オーストラリア研修

2024年の春休みの約2週間、オーストラリア研修を行いました。
昨年から再開されたオーストラリア研修に、今年も新高1から新高3の20名が参加しました。
滞在先のブリスベンでは、この季節としては珍しく雨が続き、プログラムの変更に見舞われましたが、様々な授業や体験を通して、個々の英語力を向上させ、ホストファミリーやLourdes Hill College(LHC)の生徒との良き出会いにも恵まれ、とても有意義な研修となりました。

研修に参加した生徒による礼拝報告です。

 

During the spring vacation, from March 19th to April 1st, a total of 20 Eiwa students went to Brisbane Australia for a short study abroad program.

Brisbane is one of the biggest cities in Australia.  Since Australia is in the southern hemisphere, the weather there is the opposite of that of Japan. When we went there, it was in the middle of autumn but still it was so hot.

During our stay in Brisbane, we studied at Lourdes Hill College. It is a Christian girls’ school and 7 year to 12 year students, 13 year-old to 18 year-old students, are in this school. Junior high school students (7th year to 9th year ) have purple uniforms, and senior high school students (10th year to 12th year ) wear white ones. 

At Lourdes Hill, we usually had English classes in the morning.   Not only did we study English, but we also did some research and learned about Australian animals, culture and slang.  There were times when we made a presentation or role plays based on what we researched.  We also had some opportunities to attend classes with the local students. For example, we attended their classes such as drama, history, information technology and P.E, and experienced what they usually do in class.  In addition, we participated in their Japanese lessons and there we introduced Japanese culture such as origami, chopsticks, Ayatori or cat’s cradle and traditional games. At first, we were quite nervous about whether we could introduce Japanese culture to them and let them have a good time, but we were glad to see them enjoy learning our culture and playing with us.

We also spent time with the Lourdes Hill students at break times, morning tea and lunchtime.  Morning tea is similar to our 15 minute break at Eiwa, but the students enjoy their time with some light meals together.  I was worried whether I could talk with them first, but they spoke to me and I was able to make good friends. And then, they introduced us to many things about Australian culture. They were so kind, and we exchanged letters with each other on the last day.

After school, we stayed with our host family.  My host family was a family of five members including two girls, who were twins and were Lourdes Hill students. I remember the day when I arrived at their house on the first day.  I received a warm welcome from them.  My host mother gave me a doll of an Australian animal as a welcome gift, which is now one of my treasures.  At home, we usually watched Disney movies and played with my host family's dog. We spent the entire weekend together.  Each host family prepared very fun weekend activities for us, such as going to the mall or to the beach. One of my best memories with my host family was when they took me downtown at night and we rode the Ferris wheel there. The view from the Ferris wheel was beautiful and we took a lot of pictures and tiktok together.

Before leaving Japan, I was anxious and nervous because I was not very good at speaking English, but once I met with people there and experienced Aussie life, I realized that things were more fun and interesting. I met new friends at school, enjoyed talking a lot with my host family, experienced Australian culture with Eiwa friends and  of course, visited many tourist attractions. Through these experiences, I learned that people can connect with each other regardless of race or language, and that you can communicate even if you are not good at speaking but willing to communicate with others. I gained a little more confidence in my English. I was also surprised at how different Aussie culture is from that of Japan, such as food, housing, and the spirit of “No worries” or slow, and take-it-easy way of life at school and at home. I got used to it after living here for two weeks, and on the last day I felt sad that I had to go back home.

Overall, this training program was a valuable experience for me. I would like to thank my teachers, host families, and classmates who spent two weeks with me.