1998 School Magazine

61rts Grammar ^, chout ;!, rt5baiie 1998

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Japa-- Trip : December - January 1997/1.998

inbarking upon a six-week eXchange, there is an mevi- table sense of apprehension and doubts about coinmu- nication skills and cultural differences. Yet soon it became blinding Iy evident to Susannah George, He Ien Kim, Vicki Morrison and myself, that warm hospitality can make these disparities insignificant. Nagoya was our destination, and we were to attend Grammar's sister school Tsushima over what would normally be our summer holidays. 11 would be chilly - there was no doubt about that! The plane trip was drawn out and filled with vocabulary drills and panic attacks, which promptly subsided in the face of our host families' friendly welcome and out host sisters' impeccable English. After nine long hours we had arrived, and our cultural odessy into Japanese life had commenced

Dr, 'MAI, 18 Ibe sac, ert ware,

of Nagoya by two very kind Tsushima girls who, although they hardly knew us, were ready to escoit us round the best shopping spots. The day-trip for eXchange students and their host sisters to Kyoto was also a highlight, filled with memories of the Golden Pavillion, shrines, temples and souvenir shops And after weeks of waiting through cold bleak days, it finally snowed at school, and all the eXchange stLidents rushed out of lessons to take photos and enjoy the novelty while it lasted

(Z-R). S. Geolge, L Pet, Descbeuskv-Mare, ; H KIIN, V Mo, ,'!ton

We expel'ienced an insight into Japanese life beyond that which any tourist might gain. The DecemberJanuary period is probably the most cultLirally rewarding time to experience Japan, and we will all fondly remember the week long celebrations which welcomed the New Year. New Year is a habulous fLin-filled celebration in Japan, and is a 11ighlight of the calendar equivalent to Christmas liere in AListralia. it the festivities were to be divided up according to activity, at least seventy-five percent would have been devoted to eating, and the remaining twenty-five percent to chatting, gift-giving and sleeping off the food. it was the I. efore hardly sui'pi'ISIng that after the brief winter holidays the foul of us waddled back to Tsushima Girls' Higl\ slightly more rotund than before! School in Japan was another Linforgettable cumii'al expe- Tience, thongh admittedIy when we attended our host sisters' classes we understood virtually nothing. The girls and teachers at TGH were wondei'fully hospitable, which 11ndoubtedly enhanced our eXchange. Girls we did not know always waved and talked to Lis. He Ien and I were taken on a shopping tour

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A CLIltural eXchange is noriT challenging and rewarding, and transforins learning a language train a classi'o011T experience to a real-life encounter. All of us wlio went to Japan nave reltirned froiTT oui' eXchange with a itILicli enhanced appreciation of the culture, largely due to the kindness and support of the Japanese people who Inade our stay so special LUCINDA PZETROESCHEVSKY-MAYER

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