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.
