1973 School Magazine

F'irst impressions at school left her a litttre con- cerned as she was made to feel so much older than her ctrassmates. Actualtry they are now in senior year but are rather childish in many ways when compared with the youth of the Western World. Jo-Ann made it known to them that she was relying on them to help her with her studies and was willing to assist them in return. The girls all do eleven subjects, some even do thirteen - of course they attend school on Saturday mornings as well. Jo-Ann started off with a special time table, which included lkebana, cooking, sewing, art, Shodo (.Iapan- ese brush writing). The rest of the time she had English, Japanese, Maths, and Chemistry but World History and Modern Japanese were completely hope- less owing to language problems, now overcome. As far as her teachers are concerned, they were a little stand-offish at first and Jo was amazed that they had a knowledge of English grilmmar but practically no English conversation. However, one of the English teachers had a flat tyre while riding her bicycle home from school and Jo-Ann in slow and halting.Tapanese offered to help. The teacher was flabbergasted that a Westerner would offer to help and had taken the trouble to try to speak in Japanese. They are now firm friends and a number of teachers get together at t very opportunity to have Japanese/English conversation. As a direct result JoAnn can now converse fluently in or out of class. Since tradition demands that classical Japanese is spoken to teachers and older people 'she is now studying the "polite" foim 'of speech. She also quotes "My first Shodo lesson was hilarious. The teacher was very patient and showed me the basics, but when I picked up the brush I nearly floored him - being left-handed. He was quick to point out that Shodo could not be done correctly left-handed so now I have learned to use my right hand." Apparently they have plenty of sport and now have alarge swimming pool with 20 to 30 hair dryers in the dressing room. She has been called upon on many occasions to qpeak at Rotary Meetings etc. as part of her duty. The subject is usually Australia and we are very pleased that she addressed a meeting recently for an hour in Japanese without notes and was very well received. The Rotary Clubs in the immediate area and some much further afield are sparing no expense in time or money to ensure that Jo-Ann learns and sees as much of Japan and its people and customs as is possible during a stay of twelve months. A group of American exchange students arrived for a short conducted tour and Jo-Ann along with a few other students was invited to join them for a week. This break to be with an English speaking group of her own age was a great success, and her knowledge of Japanese was put to good use. . . Since then she has visited the ski country for a week+nd as a guest of a Rotary member in that district and was instructed by a member of tlte Japanese Olympic Ski Team. She has also toured the usual National Parks, Gardens, Shrines etc. and has

visited and joined in the irnportant F'estivals atrd laas gailled a iot of inforr-nation that is mot readily available to the ordinary tourist. One of her most recent breaks was a camping holiday as a guest of the principal of a .Iapanese language school and a group of his young pupili. As a matter of interest, his son attended Erisbane Grarnmar for some time a year or so ago. trn general she appeats to have settled down very easily into the .Iapanese way of life and has now become accustomed to the food which was rather strange at first. Needless to say she doesn't see much steak, which costs anything from $10 to $i5 Austra- lian per pound. We look forward to her return in January next year and sincerely hope she had done lrer little bit to promote a better understanding of Australia and our wav of life. Carolyn Sandercoe arrived on lst February at Yatsuo, on the west coast of the island of Honshu, in the prefecture of Toyama. it is a beautiful town surrounded by high, often snow-clad mouratalns and has a population of twenty-five thousand. This is an area where very few foreigners trive or even visit, and traditional Japanese life is less westernised than in many areas. Carolyn attends the co-educational Yatsno Senior F{igh School, which comprises grades ten, eleven and twelve, and school is held on Saturday mornings as well as week-days! Senior High Schools provide vocational training and a general course for thos6 going on to University. Carolyn at frst took Science subjects similar to the ones she took at ts.G.G.S. but now she is learning cooking, and sewing and is looking forward to making a ukata or summer kimono. She enjoys lessons in shoda, or Japanese writing and each day at school she has a lesson in Japanese given by a teacher of English. [Ier school is a modern three- story building with library, grmnasiums, tuck shop, club rooms, a tea ceremony house and playing fields. Clubs are very much a feature of school life, and pupils stay back at school until late in the afternoon. Clubs include Drama, Newspaper (which produces the school newspaper), Brass Band, Boating, English Conversation, Fen Pals, Painting and Owara. The Owara Club learns dances for the special Owara Festival held 1st-3rd September to celebrate the rice harvest. Carolyn is an active member of the Drama Club, and says Japanese chjldren are creative and imaginative and are very good at drama; they are equally at ease wearing modern dress or kimonos. The girls at Carolyn's school were very interested to see a B.G.G,S. uniform. Their own uniform is a knee-length navy pleated skirt with blouse andjacket in Wnter; a waist-coat is worn instead of the jacket in spring and autumn and a sailor blouse in summer. Carolyn and other Rotary Exchange Students attend an Interact Conference with a couple of hundred Japanese school children, and they were accommodaied at a Buddhist temple' She has giveir speeches in Japanese to a number of Rotary Clubs and has had two television interviews. She has visited Tokyo and other cities, and loves Japanese mountains covered by snow or by wild-flowers, including cam-

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