8月19日

Our time in New Zealand has come to an end. We are now at Auckland airport waiting for the first part of our journey home to begin. We enjoyed a farewell party on Friday and a last day with our host families yesterday. Thank you Marist College and everyone who helped make this trip possible! Now, time to go home, take a bath, eat some miso soup, and get ready for school.

See you soon.

8月18日

Hello everyone! Today is Friday and this is our last day at Marist college. Right now our students are taking their last English classes. The past couple days have been full of activities, so here are some pictures.

Our students had a lesson about Maori culture, and they learned some Maori words, music, and dance. The girls enjoyed themselves so much, and were so noisy, that students from another class came to see what was so fun.

８月16日

Before they left for New Zealand, our students made groups and prepared presentations about Japanese culture. Some groups did quizes, one group told the story of Momotaro, and one group did Ninin Baori with the New Zealand students.

After the culture exchange it was time for sports! Everyone played lacrosse for the first time. We were able to run around and use our energy.

Today we will have our farewell party. Pizza time! Nokami-sensei is looking forward to eating pizza. Allen-sensei is still enjoying winter weather. Tomorrow is our last day and students will spend it with their host families. Then Sunday we are on the plane and making our way back to Osaka. Talk to you from the airport.

Good morning all. It is a fine Wednesday here in Auckland, and the students have just finished homeroom with their buddies. Today’s schedule is three English classes, one native class with their buddy, and then studying about Maori culture after lunch.

Yesterday we went to the Auckland Museum and a guide talked to us about Maori history. The students then were able to explore all of the museum and enjoy a snack at the cafe. Below are some pictures from the day.

The front of the museum.

Group picture!

Robert, the guide, talking about Maori history.

A traditional Maori storehouse for food. Only women allowed inside!

A restored Zero fighter from World War 2, and the story of pilots who survived the war.

A beautiful sky greeted us as we left the museum.

Although the students want to drink some miso soup and take a long bath, they are still working hard for the last three days of class. Tomorrow they will have a culture exchange, and then Friday is the goodbye pizza party. Talk to you soon!

８月15日
こんにちは！ニュージーランドに到着してから早くも１週間が経過しました。天候にも恵まれ、生徒の皆はそれぞれのホストファミリーたちと有意義な週末を過ごしたようです。月曜日にはMarist Dayと呼ばれる文化祭が行われました。この文化祭では、生徒も先生も様々なコスチュームを身につけることがルールとなっているようで、今年のテーマは”ディズニー”でした。ハロウィンかと思うくらい工夫を凝らしたコスチュームを見ているだけで楽しかったです！信愛生も週末に用意していたコスチュームを身につけて参加しました。

今日は、午後からAuckland Museumに行ってきます。

Hello all,

It is hard to believe that we are more than half-way through our New Zealand studies. This Saturday and Sunday the students spent time with their host families. Some students went to the Auckland Sky Tower, others went shopping, and still others went to a museum. The weather was very fine to be out and about.

However, they all had special homework. They needed to prepare for “Marist Day”, which is the school festival. The theme this year was “Disney”, and all students dressed up in costumes.

Marist Day began with mass, and the Bishop of Auckland came to give the service. During the mass, 2 girls were baptised and 16 girls were confirmed into the church. There was a lot of music, singing, celebration, and communion.

After the mass, students changed into their costumes and the festival began. Just like Wakabasai, there was lots of food, fun, and laughter. Some of our students even helped their partners work the food stalls!

Now it is Tuesday morning and back to the classroom. There are English classes all morning, and then a trip to Auckland Museum in the afternoon. For the last three days of school, students will study about Maori culture, have a culture exchange with younger students, and then the farewell party with their buddies. Every day is busy, but everyone is enjoying themselves.

８月12日
Hello everyone,
Today is Friday, and it is 4th period. Students are in the cooking room having an English cooking lesson. Miss Nokami and I are hoping that the result is delicious, and that there are extras. Everyone is feeling fine and the weather is warming up. It may rain tomorrow, but next week should be warm and dry.

Yesterday in the afternoon we all took a bus to “Kiwi Valley”, which is a working farm. We could see baby animals such as sheep, pigs, and rabbits. Then we went to feed the bigger animals. They ate the food right out of our hands! Finally we enjoyed a maze and lunch time in the sun.

Students learned about some of the main farm animals in New Zealand, their products, and why they are important. After seeing all the baby animals I think we may have some new vegetarians…

This morning we had an assembly with all the students in the gym. The student council talked about Monday. We are very lucky this year because Monday is the school festival, called “Marist Day”. There will be a mass in the morning, and then the school festival with food and activities in the afternoon. After practicing the songs for mass, the students role-played as teachers and the teachers role-played as students in order to talk about the rules. It was very funny.

Now the weekend is coming soon and everyone will enjoy some time with their host families. We will update again after the school festival. Thanks for reading!

８月10日
昨日お昼に到着し、お昼ご飯を食べた後、学校でホストファミリーと初対面しました。皆、緊張しながらも笑顔でホストファミリーと挨拶を交わしました。そして、今日から本格的に学校での研修がスタートしました。全校集会に参加し、それぞれのbuddyと挨拶を交わした後、liturgical welcomeで信愛生のためのミサをしていただき、校長先生から歓迎のお言葉をいただきました。

その後、中学生と高校生のグループに分かれてESOLという英語のレッスンを２時間受け、buddyとランチを食べた後、それぞれのbuddyの授業に参加し、ホームステイ先に帰宅します。

明日は、学校で授業を受けてから、午後にKIWI VALLEYという農場に行く予定です。生徒の皆は、大きく体調を崩すこともなく、しっかり頑張っています。

Hello everyone, thanks for reading. Today the students started their two-weeks of school life in New Zealand. There was high tension last night as they met their host-families, and again this morning as they met their “buddies”. These are NZ students who will help guide our girls around the school this week, eat lunch with them, and even study with them.

Today the students split into two groups, JHS and HS, to study English in the morning. This afternoon they are using the computer room, and then will have a class with their buddies. Some will study science, while others will study math or religion. After that, school is finished for the day at 3:10pm!

The weather is not great, but spirits are high. We will check in again on Friday after our visit to the kiwi farm.

８月9日
元気に関西空港を出発した２９名は、今日(９日）、無事オークランドに到着しました。　皆、元気だと連絡ありました。　意義深い２週間になりますように。