1998 School Magazine

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Gingerammar ^, rhool ;Brisbane 1998

Japan Study Tour

or five girls, Laura Cameron, Allana Smith, He Ien Smith, Suzy Nisbet-Smith and myself, the 97/98 Japan Study Tour to Mie High School in Matsusaka provided an opportunity to discover and increase our awareness and understanding of a unique culture, and to improve our language skills while coping with unusual conditions, vastly different from those imposed by classroom Japanese

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students welcomed us warmly, and included us in all their activities. Everyone introduced themselves and made a huge effort to immerse us in the lives of Japanese high school students. BGGS students should really try to respond to our international students in the same way We all became a part of a Japanese household, adjusting to their lifestyle quickly. Some of us were able to stay in a traditional Japanese room, with tatami mats and sliding doors, sleeping on the floor on futons and rice filled pillows (comfort able!). Alternative aspects of home life in Japan include bathing in hot, deep tubs - each day's water being shared by the whole family; wearing special slippers inside the house (and different ones in the toilet); and eating food vastly different from what we enjoy at home. To tempt our taste buds we were offered: dried guppies, raw fish and egg, frog, seaweed and various rice products. Oui' families generously welcomed and included us in family celebrations such as those at New Year with all the relatives. We visited manyJapanese shrines, temples and castles in Matsusaka, Toba, Ise, Nagoya, Tokyo, Nara, Kyoto and Osaka. Through doing so we gained a varied insight into Japanese cultLire. My family even gave me the chance to be dressed in a kimono, having my hair and Inake up done and professional photos taken! But despite hoinesickness,

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Upon OUT arrival, it became evident that learning Japanese for four years scarcely prepared us for a stay in the country. At school and home we were forced to speak and listen to Japanese and our listening skills and pronunciation improved considerably Mie High School gave us an insight into the life of our Japanese counterparts. it surprised me to see that in such a technologically advanced country as Japan, a school of 2500 students spanning three year levels had one computer room

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birthdays away froiii nome, the bitter cold and Christmas willTout our families, the BGGS students suppoitedeachother, and learned a lot about them- selves. I will never forget the comfort I foLind in being with Laura, Suey, Allana and He Ien when things were dimcLilt. We went as girls froitT Grammar and returned the best of friends

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and a vety traditional style of education. With the exception of PE, stLidents were in the same class and the same loonT for the entire day witli ten minLites between lessons and a short lunch break spent in the classrooni as well. The staff at Mie organised activities such as tea ceremonies and flowei. arranging to allow us to take part in some of the age old traditions of Japan. The

MEAGAN CAFFER Areagnii, ill rinditib, iai costi, ,lie

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