Finally some very tired students and teachers have arrived back at Miki High School, met by families and staff at the school entrance. Our class president gave a speech thanking teachers and parents for their support, and everyone was able to return home for some needed rest.

Some students were asked about what they thought of the trip. They said “it was fun, I could do and see things I can’t normally see in Japan!” or “it makes me want to try to go and study abroad, I want to visit Canada again!”.

Because of this the trip was a success and our GDAC students got the most from their short time in Canada.

Once more thank you for everyone’s support and co-operation for making this trip possible!

After saying goodbye to their homestay families, students gathered to leave Canada this morning. Class 2-1 said they’d had a wonderful time getting to know their host families. Many students say they want to return to Canada again in the future, and they were amazed by how many different nationalities live together here. Even if they are sad to leave Canada, they are excited to return and eat sushi!

Speaking of food, while students enjoyed a variety of different food from different countries during their stay, they were very happy to be served rice and miso soup for lunch on the JAL flight to Narita from Vancouver airport!

We are still only halfway into our long journey today, but soon we will return safely to Miki High School. See you there!

On our final full day in Canada, students enjoyed free time with their home stay families. Many students were able to go shopping in malls, or out to eat at local restaurants. Some students enjoyed time at home with their home stay family, playing games with the family’s children or even spending time with their pets. Others enjoyed excursions to local monuments. Students were also tasked with writing and sending a postcard to one of the Miki High School ALTs, today they went to the post office to buy a stamp and organize international postage!

It was also a free day for the teachers! We took advantage of Vancouver’s rich culture and nature, visiting Vancouver Art Gallery and the Capilano Suspension Bridge! Both students and teachers enjoyed a peaceful Saturday before our long journey back to Japan starting tomorrow!

In the afternoon, our students prepared for the Miki High School Culture Fair. They prepared English presentations and booths on topics such as 関西弁, 書道 and 三木盆踊り. Regent Academy students and teachers then visited and enjoyed learning about Japanese culture thanks to Miki High School students’ wonderful and exciting explanations in English! We could hear many Canadian students shouting “なんでやねん!” After the festival, Regent Academy staff gave a closing speech and prayer wishing for us to have a safe return to Japan. Class 2-1’s Shouta also gave a speech thanking Regent Academy for their support and hospitality. Tomorrow students will have the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a typical Canadian family. They will enjoy different activities and experiences with their home stay families.

This morning we met students at Regent Christian Academy for an orientation on the school’s culture and the day’s schedule. Students then split into two groups and enjoyed some ice-breaker activities in English. Students learned about Canadian culture and geography, then they presented on the differences between Canada and Japan in English. After a lunch box prepared by their host families, they had the chance to observe high school lessons at Regent Academy. Many students could make friends in their classes and were happy to use their English in a native classroom.

Students explored Downtown Vancouver this afternoon, with amazing views of the sea at the Waterfront, and some shopping in the famous Gastown. Students spent their time exploring and buying souvenirs for family and friends. We then returned to the bus and travelled to Regent Christian Academy. We were introduced to the staff at the school before host families arrived.

Our students were matched with their families, and left to begin their all-English home stay. Tomorrow will be another busy day, this time with classes and a cultural exchange festival with Regent Academy students!

After a good nights sleep and a big breakfast (sorry no rice!), we visited the University of British Columbia, one of the best universities in Canada, with around 60,000 students – almost the population of Miki City! We made three groups and had a tour of a part of the university, we were able to see research centres, archaeology exhibits, libraries and learning centres. Students were amazed at the size of the campus. One 2-1 student said – “This isn’t a university, it’s a city! It has four Starbucks!” We then ate at the university cafeteria, where students could try food from different countries from around the world, including Mexico, France and Korea. Students were able to try fruits and vegetables they’d never seen before! We will soon depart for Downtown Vancouver, our last sightseeing destination before students meet their home stay families.

It’s the end of the day! After a long day of travelling, sightseeing and trying local foods, everyone is ready to sleep. After Granville Island we went to the famous Stanley Park, well known for its nature and traditional totem poles. After arriving to the hotel, we enjoyed a course dinner at a local Chinese restaurant all together. We left happy with our stomachs full and excited for our day tomorrow, visiting the University of British Colombia and Downtown Vancouver. Class 2-1 will also meet their host families. Tomorrow will be another exciting day!

After a long flight, class 2-1 has finally arrived in Canada. We collected our bags and joined our tour group representative on the bus. We are now beginning our afternoon of sightseeing around some of Vancouver’s most famous sights and locations. We’ve started at Granville Island, famous for its Public Market, famous for artisan foods and handmade gifts and souvenirs. Class 2-1 have enjoyed some free-time to do shopping for souvenirs and try some local foods – all using English!

It was a short trip by plane from Osaka to Tokyo, only one hour but we safely arrived at Narita Airport. Some people may worry about flying but thanks to JAL there were no problems! After a short stay in Narita, where we can have fun looking at the different souvenirs, we will fly to Vancouver. We asked some students what they are most excited about, they said they are excited to meet their host families and eat different and delicious foods! We will arrive in Vancouver around midday local time, and we have a busy schedule of sightseeing… so let’s get some rest on the plane！

本校では、国際交流に力を入れており、今年度は、フランス・クロミエへの派遣（９月）、カナダ・バンクーバーへの国際総合科研修旅行（１月）、アメリカ・キャミアック高校への短期個人留学（３月）を予定しています。

去る７月５日（金）、１２日（金）にそれぞれ、フランス行き、カナダ行きに向けて、第１回の説明会を行いました。桂校長のお話の後、旅行業者様から渡航に向けての各種手続きの説明がありました。保護者様にもご出席頂き、生徒たちは自分のこととして、しっかりと説明を受けることができていました。ひとつひとつ準備を確実にし、出発の日を迎えたいと考えています。まずは、この夏休みにパスポートを取得することがファーストステップになります。

なお、１０月には三木市姉妹都市のオーストラリア・フェデレーション市からの来校も予定されています。

様々なプログラムが今後も予定されていますが、その都度ご案内いたしますので、ぜひ積極的に参加、およびご協力をお願いします。

International Exchange Activities in Canada (#11)

After lunch, groups A and B switched until local students finished school at 2:50pm.
From 3pm, our students prepared for their own presentations. Starting with a short introduction of Miki High School, our students showed local teens and teachers about different aspects of Japanese culture – origami, Japanese bingo, ayatori, kendama, paper-sumo, flat marble games, hankachi otoshi, and karate. Many people seemed interested and our students were also glad that they were able to share the things they learned while growing up!

Our day slowly comes to an end as Vancouver encounters a rare snowstorm. Though one of their teachers told them that Vancouver doesn’t usually get much snow, we still saw large, beautiful snowflakes fall all-day from morning to night.

Next stop: Back home to Japan! After one last night with their host families, students will head back to Vancouver International Airport tomorrow. Did you have fun, kids?

Back to School! (#10)

Monday, January 8th, was the first day back to school for many students in North America. It was also our students’ first time attending a Canadian school!

Today, we spent the whole day at Regent Christian Academy, a small K-12 school located in suburban Surrey, BC. In the morning, the academy’s international camp coordinator led our students through a small discussion and talked about different ways to study and communicate in English. Afterwards, we went on a short tour of the campus. Each age group of students had their own part of the building!

Then, our students split into 2 groups; Group A took classes with their assigned “buddy” while Group B talked about Canada and tried different activities and games with another instructor. Classes included Arts, Math, Science, Religion, PE, and even Cooking! The new games included variations of 20-Questions, The Big Wind Blows, and other icebreaker games.

At lunch, our students ate the lunches packed for them by their host families. Many students had sandwiches, others had noodles, and a few even had leftover pizza! Is this what it means to eat like a Canadian?

A Day Without Teachers (#9)

On Sunday, our students spent the whole day with their host families! Depending on the family, some of our students explored new places, tried new things, and ate delicious food they had never tried before.

Some of the boys found each other at the nearby Guildford Town Centre, a local shopping mall. Other students visited places like Walmart, Costco, and a North American dollar store for the first time! Some were able to do a bit more shopping and others were able to try new things with their host brothers and sisters. Try asking them what they did when they get home!

(The following pictures were submitted by the students themselves.)

Exploring Downtown & Meeting the Host Families (#8)

From the university, it took us about 25 minutes to downtown Vancouver. First, we took a picture in front of the Vancouver sign. Then, we had 2 hours to explore and pick up any presents we wanted to get for our friends and families.

Then, after a 50-minute bus ride, we reached Surrey, where we met some of the staff and our host families. After a quick orientation and some words of encouragement, our students all walked out with smiles on their faces with their new host-families. They’ll spend time with their families all-Sunday and then reunite at school on Monday. Have fun!

Exploring a Foreign University! (#7)

As we pulled into the UBC (University of British Columbia) campus, we were met by a group of six lovely volunteers. Our class split into 3 groups and followed our “buddies” for a tour of the UBC campus. In English!

Yesterday, the warm draft from the south caused rainy, warmer weather, around 8°C. Today, no draft meant that we had sunnier weather, but it was only 3°C and the sea breeze made it feel even colder!

UBC has over 70,000 students and is the size of 85 Tokyo Domes!! The university is over 100 years old and 1 in every 5 students is an international student. There are sakura trees, black-colored squirrels, and 11 libraries on campus. One of the libraries even has a Harry Potter-themed room!

After our tour, we took some pictures with our buddies and enjoyed lunch at one of the dormitory cafeterias before heading back downtown.

Continental Breakfast? What’s that? (#6)

Good morning! It’s day 2 in Vancouver! We have another exciting day ahead of us, but, before that, breakfast! Many of our students tried the standard “Continental Breakfast” that is common in Canada and the US. There were different fruits, croissants, pastries, danishes, potatoes, eggs, bacon, sausages, and orange juice! The variety was surprising, but everything turned out to be very delicious. “It was good! We’re all very satisfied.”

Next, we finished packing and got ready to go to our next stop, the prestigious University of British Columbia.

Stanley Park, Hotel, & Dinner (#5)

Our final stop for the day was Stanley Park, a large forest park on a peninsula (半島) in the middle of the city! We stopped for some pictures in front of the totem poles and then explored and looked at some souvenirs with designs by the First Nations in Canada. From the park, you can see downtown Vancouver very clearly! From the other side, you can see the sunset on the water, through the opening of Burrard Inlet and Vancouver Harbor.

Did you know that Vancouver is more north than Hokkaido? That’s right! That’s why sunrise is at 8am and sunset is at 4pm these days.

After our bus tour, we finally made it to the hotel where we ate a wonderful dinner all together! With this, we can rest and recharge for another fun-packed day! Starting tomorrow, we’ll be staying with our host families. So exciting! Good night!

First Stop, Granville Island! (#4)

A hop and a skip away from the airport, we first made a short stop at Vancouver’s famous Granville Island. Granville Island is a popular tourist attraction full of interesting food stands and shops! We stopped for a bit of lunch and some of us even bought postcards to send back to Japan!

Next, we hopped on the bus for a bus tour of the Vancouver’s downtown and Gastown areas. There were many interesting decorations, lights, and even a “steam clock” that sounds every 15 minutes! According to our tour guide, there’s a similar clock in Otaru, Hokkaido. Although we didn’t have time to explore today, we’ll have the time to visit shops and take pictures tomorrow!

Touchdown! (#3)

We arrived safely in Vancouver around 11:40am! We traveled back in time 9 hours! It was a short flight – between take-off, landing, and 2 meals, students only got about 3~4 hours to sleep. “I’m tired, but excited!” say many students. From here, we will continue on to sightseeing in the city. It’s a cloudy day with a bit of rain and wind, but it’s not at all freezing.

A Quick Stop at Narita (#2)

Both of our flights were delayed! We arrived at Narita a few minutes later than expected, but it was okay because our flight to Canada was also a bit late. Many of us enjoyed a small dinner and explored before our next flight.

今日から４泊６日の日程で、国際総合科２年生がカナダ・バンクーバーに研修旅行に出かけています。現地からの様子を英語でお伝えします。

Off to Vancouver! (#1)
First, we need to go to Tokyo! After leaving Miki at noon, we arrived at Osaka Itami Airport for our first flight. Everyone seems a bit nervous, but very excited! “So good! I look forward to traveling abroad!”