STUDENT EXCHANGE Broadening Horizons
A group of College Japanese language students returned from a two-week exchange trip to Japan in the September holidays, full of enthusiasm and with a better understanding of the sights, culture and society of Japan.
A highlight for all the boys, say Jonty Mills, Wilson Cowie and Jack Song, was the home stay with families in the brother school in Kobe where the boys experienced daily family life and a taste of Japanese schooling. Wilson says, “We had loads of fun with the billets, although it was a bit hard at first when we met them at the Seminar House. We had to be alert about how we were talking and acting, because you can’t be disrespectful when you first meet Japanese people. “So we were all very polite in our first introductions, but once we got back home with the family, it was much more laid back. We all stayed with such nice people who really did their best to accommodate us.’’
One of the highlights of the trip was a day trip to the Peace Park and museum at Hiroshima. The memorial building is in the ruins of the Hiroshima Industrial Product Hall that was the only building left standing after the first atomic bomb was detonated. Trip organiser Mr Steve Everingham says it was a sobering experience for the boys. “It was a fitting time to visit as it is the 70th anniversary of the bombing,’’ he says. “I have been telling the boys in class about the bombing and the on-going implications of World War 2, but it was a real experience for them to see and understand the atrocity of war.’’
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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