September 30, 2015

Laurence's September web post!

Laurence here!


My second month in Japan is coming to an end and while I was very busy with moving into my new apartment, buying furniture and settling in, there were a few highlights that made this month truly memorable for me.


First was the rice harvesting trip I went on earlier this month. It had already been postponed once because of bad weather conditions, so even though it was raining cats and dogs that morning, we still had to go.


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I was a bit worried at first because of the rain, but it turned out to be a really fun trip! Everyone was in a good mood and motivated despite the weather and rice harvesting in itself is definitely an interesting experience.


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Cutting the rice and tying it is not especially hard, but it you want it done quickly and well, teamwork is the key. The students were especially nice to me (they thought I was a student at first,which might have helped) so it went very smoothly. It was exhausting work of course, but definitely a satisfying experience.


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The other very important event this month was the school’s bunkasai, or culture festival. The international department also had to prepare a room, so it kept us very busy the week before.


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We had a lot of work to do in the time frame we had, but we still managed to get it all done just in time! Along with the displays in our room, we also had a fortune telling booth and candy that definitely helped bring more people in.


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It was fun playing fortune teller for two days. We had lots of guests coming into our room, including lots of potential students and younger kids, whose English was surprisingly good; we even had a few votes for the best room of the festival, so I’m pleased to say it was a success!


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Now that our schedules are starting to be more final, my workload is only going to increase from here, so I’ll do my best to keep up and become a great assistant teacher!
See you next month!


Laurence

September 18, 2015

Fairhills HIgh School students visit Seiritsu

Once again we have had the chance to host students and faculty from Fairhills High School. This year we had five students and one teacher spend two days with us. It was a short but very fruitful visit.


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The students were spread out among three home rooms but mixed into a number of different classes so there was a lot of possible interaction between the Japanese and Australian students.


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In the morning the five students sat in various lessons with their Japanese peers.


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At lunchtime they spent their time just hanging out and chatting with our students.


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In the afternoon, the visitors participated in two more regular classes. It isn't easy to sit through that many classes in another language. They did an amazing job!


After school, we had special sessions arranged for the visitors. On Monday, the guests were treated to an introductory tea ceremony session. Members of the tea ceremony club got to try serving the guests and explaining things in English. This is not something many people are able to experience. The explanations in English by the teacher, Nakamura Sensei, and the students, were very enlightening.


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After the tea ceremony, we had a little time left to try out a little Budo. The students were taken to the karate dojo and they tried their hands (and feet) at this soon to be Olympic sport. With only 20 minutes to spare, the lesson was very fast paced and brief.


On the second day, after the regular classes, a special session was held up in the student hall. The band played some musical pieces and then the dance club performed an exciting show.


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At the end, gifts and hugs were exchanged and some tears were shed.


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The beginnings of some life-long friendships have certainly been formed during this wonderful experience.


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September 11, 2015

Welcome to Seiritsu, Melissa!

Hello, my name is Melissa and I am an 18 year old student on the Gap year programme here at Seiritsu.


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It has only been roughly two weeks since I arrived in Japan but I have already learnt and seen so much! Back in England I have already finished college and taken my University exams meaning that right now I am on my gap year. As I plan to study Japanese at University I realised attending a Japanese high school for 7 months would be a fun and rewarding way to improve my Japanese whilst simultaneously exploring Japan.


Japanese High School has been such a new and exciting experience with my favourite parts so far being the tea ceremony club, making friends and an afterschool trip to Harajuku.

September 4, 2015

Pete, Richard and Lawrence and the Wadokai World Cup

Pete, Richard and Lawrence and the Wadokai World Cup


On August 15 and 16th, the JKF Wadokai World Cup was held in Nagoya.
Our very own Pete Williams was a member of the English team and they earned a bronze in the Men's Team Kumite division.
Congratulations Pete!


Richard and Lawrence both competed as well. They did well in their divisions but did not manage to medal.


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To all the members that took part, "Otsukaresama Deshita!"

(There is no natural English equivalent but it comes out something like "great Job")

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about Seiritsu

Seiritsu Gakuen is a private co-educational high school created in 1925 and it is located in Tokyo, Japan.

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