1993 School Magazine

adapting to walking in the freezing cold with pink shoes that never seemed to want 10 stay on our feel, but we got the hang of it One of the things we were most worried about was the Japanese food. We had heard 100 many stories of the various delicacies such as raw fish, seaweed and live octopus. looking back now it really is surprising to think of what we ale but most of the dishes were actually delicious and the food was something we missed very much when we left The celebration of New Year is the most important festival in the Japanese calendar. On this special day we followed the CUSIonT cleanino the whole house ready for the New Year dressing in kimonos and going to the shrine. Our eXchange trip 10 Japan has proved an unforgettable expe- lience for all of us. We have to thank Mrs Thornquist foi makino the trip possible so that we could make so many friends and experience such a different culture almost half a world away A FEW WORDS OF FAREWELL (This is the text of eXchange student Sagiri FLikaya's fai'ewell speech at Assembly after lier year at BCG. S. ) Tilese words are from an English poem I like 11 lakes so little 10 make us glad Now here I'd like to thank all of you for your kindness anc hospitality. I do ITot think I could nave survived 111 Austinlit wiihout your great help. You always listened to my Englis1 tolerantly. tried 10 11ndersland me and gave me your warn suppoi'I in my limes of trouble. h is the evidence of you I encouragement that today I stand here and ntake my Ias speecli at Brisbane Gills' Grainmai' School Now as I look back on this year, I value the opportunity o 11aving this learning expel'Ience. Bel'o1'e I came liei'e my won( was so small and seemed limited. I have learned. nowever about a difi'erent culture. thougliis and values by living it Australia and meeting and talking with a 101 of people. T( know a different world has Inade nTe analyse my former wa: of thinkino. To undcrsiand a diffei'Grit world has Inade in! compromise my old thoughts as I consider new ones ant tilerefore expand iny views. I believe this has ITelpcd int mature gi'Gaily and given Ine a inucli wider view of life have a collfidence in nTy fuiure because of this. British novel isI, Dons Lessing says in her novel, "That is what learning is. You suddenly understand some thing you've understood all youI' life. but in a new way That's exactly WITai nappened to nie I now believe my character building experience at Brisban^ Girls' Grammai' School is complete. bccause last week I suf lei'ed lily fii'SI detention ,, just a cheei'ing clasp of a friendly nand just a word front one who can understand and we finish the task we long had planned and we lose 11te doubt and the feai' we 11ad So little it takes 10 make us glad

Germany; suffice it to say there was very little that was not enjoyable As well as enjoying ourselves we also gained an appreciation of German culture and way of life. Our historical perspective was widened through visiting museums, birthplaces of histoTi- cal fioures, churches and many palaces. all of which were ably documented by Mr Miles, our personal historian. in between looking for ice-cream shops and spotting every McDonalds there was, we also tried to speak as much German as we could, and our language gradually improved The trip helped us with our comprehension of classroom German, but it has also helped us 10 experience and appreci- ale a totally different culture from our own. We would like to thank our teachers, Mr Miles and Mrs Kiolle, for making the whole experience educational, enjoyable and definitely untor- genable SEVEN WEEKS AT MATSl_ISAKA Three days aftei' completing year eleven, five Grammar girls sei off for Japan 10 spend the 11' Chi'is tmas holidays on eXchange. We, Meta Hari'is, Mika Uchiyama. Kaiherine Henzell, Brooke Marsh and Kathryn SIoane, lived willI a Japanese family and attended Matsusaka Girls' High foi' the seven weeks we were there We were all very fortunate 10 nave been allocated wonderful families who tried 10 please us in every possible way. The home life was very different fi'o1n what we were used 10 bLii oLir host families and friends were very Linassuming and were able 10 lielp us with any of the difficulties we encountered Trinity Ryan

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Kathryn SIoane (Li and Brooke Marsh IRi at Matsusaka Girls' High OLir host families look us on 11'ips 10 Kyoto, Ueno. Nagoya, Yokkaichi, Osaka. Nara and Tokyo 10 name a few. We were also inn'oduced 10 suclT interesting colicepts as Japanese style baths and Japanese style toilets and wc watched 101s of Japanese soapies and comics TITC Japanese culture is very different from the AUSiralian CUI- lure and we noticed this pariicularly in school life. Japanese studenis confine Iheir SIudies 10 one classroom and the teacli- ers change classrooms for each lesson. At school all the SIu- dents wear slippers in 111e buildings and special wooden slip- pers when entering the bathi'o0ms. Initially we had difficulty

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