2018 FF Howden Homestay project report by Toshihiro Kurosawa

Transcription

1 2018 FF Howden Homestay project report by Toshihiro Kurosawa The visible outcome Firstly, after the homestay project four participants started to study hard especially in English, according to their parents, as if they had become different people. Their individual thoughts are shown in their reports. They had a wonderful time and experience and I am sure that this project is having a great impact on them. Their parents and I look forward to seeing what their futures will be like. Preparation: Overall it went well, cooperating with FF and Ms Cheryl Roberts. Great care was needed to avoid making mistakes regarding all sorts of issues. The preparation covered the following: Parents consent document on the homestay trip to UK prepared by FF Parents consent letters to the immigration office from parents (the form was provided by FF) The letter from Cheryl Roberts to the immigration office about the homestay and the four children Purchase of travel Insurance and return train tickets to Narita Mobile phone contract for use in UK Details of health conditions and emergency action agreement from parents (The form was provided by Cheryl Roberts and translated by FF) Page 1 of 6

2 Translation of the project plan s brief Japanese version and the guide for the trip prepared by myself Provision of the code of conduct for children prepared by FF Provision to participants of the details of host families with photos (They were prepared by Cheryl Roberts and translated by FF) Preparation of participants letters with their photos to host families (translated into English by FF) Orientation meeting attended by the four participants with their parents and FF (Kumiko Akatsuka) in the community hall in Koriyama city My observation of children s experiences during this homestay Communication: It is often said that Japanese are not used to expressing their feelings and thoughts, this was clear during this stay. The four children were not accustomed to say thank you aloud and this could be rude in English culture. In the global world it is crucial to gain the appropriate attitude to communicate with anyone. The children were reminded by Cheryl Roberts in the class how to express themselves clearly. English speaking: The four children prepared for their homestay in their own way in terms of English in advance and during this trip made an effort and struggled to communicate in English, and as a result they really felt the desire to speak better English to communicate with their host families and all the others in the world. This is the best thing for them and means that they will learn! Education: The friendly attitude by English people, not only adults but also children, was very impressive. That was the same for the leader of the council who came to attend the farewell party on the last day in Howden. She danced with all the other people. This is again about communication and it showed that English people were brought up and educated to be in that way. The four Japanese children were shy and found difficult to be engaged themselves but must have observed and learned those attitudes. On the other hand, people ignored the traffic lights which is an extreme opposite to Japanese obedience to rules! Beautiful and historical England: Visiting historical beautiful cities and unspoiled countryside was a wonderful experience. The spectacles are very different without electronic wires/poles and so on. The children were taking photographs all the time and being moved by what they were seeing.. Page 2 of 6

3 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Reports by the four participants My homestay in England by Moe Abe At the beginning I was a bit anxious, wondering if I could cope with life in a different culture and being a burden without good English speech. In fact, I was very tired first after arriving from Japan, but my host family (Emma and her family) made me feel at home and I got used to the life with them and felt at ease as if I had been with my own family. I was made aware and learnt a lot about England. For example, life style is very different. In the town where I stayed, it was only active until early evening. I must say that the London visit by bus and train was most exciting as we saw so many kinds of people from all over the world like in Harajuku Japan. We met many kind people who helped us and talked to us gently. We managed to do sightseeing very comfortably and the shops in London were amazing. It was the most fulfilling time, finding all sorts of new issues. I am sure that we need to speak English. Not only for travel but work and helping others, English speech is essential. I may not be going to study abroad but at least would like to visit England again to see Emma. I hope that Emma can come and stay with my family. By then I hope that I can speak better English and will become closer to her. My homestay in England by Mari Munakata First, I was not sure if I would participate in this project, going abroad for so many days where no one would understand Japanese. But I rethought that it would be a good experience to nurture myself. In Fact, I experienced many new things during this trip. I was simply glad about flying above the sky, though a bit scary. Page 3 of 6

4 My host family was one-year senior to me, Harriet, her mother, younger brother Franky and a cat, Max. Her father was out on business. They welcomed me warmly. We visited many places. On the first day we had an English lesson in Howden school and had a tour of the school which is very different from ours. In the afternoon we learnt about the history of Howden. It was surprising to know that a part of Howden was once under the sea, though it was a very prosperous town from old times. On the second day, first we visited the National Railway Museum in York and the Jorvik Viking Centre. Both were frightfully interesting. Seeing the oldest steam engine train in the world and the old Japanese Shinkansen in England was strangely appealing. Learning about old Viking life going through the special exhibition was enjoyable. The third day we went to the sandy beach at Whitby. This sea was beautiful, and we played and were happy. The fourth day we visited Cusworth Hall that is full of historical stuff and we played together in the huge garden. We, Japanese and English children taught each other games and had so much fun. We played a bowling game together which was enjoyable as we helped each other and were happy together. Losing the game was not important. On the fifth day we saw many great sculptures. I was surprised at seeing a Japanese artist s work. We tried to make art work inspired by the Japanese artist. In the evening there was a farewell party. I had to give a speech and was tense but did ok. I felt sad as it was the last day of homestay. The last day of the trip was in London. We had a great time on the sightseeing bus and shopping. The British museum is magnificent, and it was such a good experience to see all ancient Greek and Roman exhibitions etc. Finally, I was so excited seeing the scenery and the station from the Harry Potter books. London was so beautiful, and I felt as if I was in a film scene. Communication in English was not as bad as I had worried about and I managed to understand it to a degree. I am going to study English harder and would like to go abroad whenever there is a chance. My homestay in England by Shion Ninagawa Page 4 of 6

5 What I learnt from this homestay project was how to communicate with English people and I experienced nature and life in England. I am going to write about my week in Howden with my homestay family and the half day in London. Houses in Howden were beautiful and there were not many people on the nearby road of my homestay family s house, and we played basketball and tennis on the street. There was a potato field and wild rabbits in front of the host family house. They were so cute. We studied English in Howden school, but it took a while to learn as there were a few words that I did not know. We also went to the church and town which was full of interesting history. One night the dinner was fish and chips. It was so big and very different from the Japanese version. After the dinner, the host family s father guided me around the nearby streets by bicycle. The National Railway Museum was impressive, and the history of trains was interesting. The cathedral in York was enormous and town was pretty. I bought lots of souvenirs and first it was not easy to use pounds. The sea we went to was really beautiful. We ate fish and chips again and it was again very tasty. We visited a manor house which is very historical. In the big garden we played together and it was very much fun. We also played bowling and I felt closer to all the English children there. The Yorkshire sculpture park was wonderful, and I was so glad to see the Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota s work was exhibited there which was what I always wanted to see. We gave a speech at the farewell party and danced. I am not used to dancing but enjoyed the party. I made a lot of English friends, I am so happy about it. I am keeping in touch with the host family through texts and s. In London I went to the British Museum and on a London bus sightseeing and shopping. It was great to see the old artefacts and the beautiful city. I thought that I would love to live in this city when I am an adult. When I shopped at the airport, I had a good conversation with one of the shopkeepers. I really enjoyed talking to her. I also spoke to the passenger next to me. I managed to communicate with lots of people during this trip. I want to speak better English and will study hard and take an English certificate exam. I also would like to learn world culture and history for when I go abroad in the future. I will not miss the chance to meet people in the world and would like to cherish the exchanges with them. My homestay in England by Honoka Kondo This was my first homestay experience. I learnt about British daily life, culture and history. Although I had worries about English speaking and being away from my family, I felt very comfortable as my host family were very friendly. After I came back from England, I missed my host family. I would like Page 5 of 6

6 to improve my English and visit them again. Eating habits are so different from my country. I was very surprised by the difference. The arrangement of bathroom is also different. It is interesting to have different ways according to country. We visited Howden, York, Whitby, Cusworth Hall and the Yorkshire sculpture park. We have seen and learnt about Buildings and their history. I was most interested in Whitby. This seaside town looked like the fictional town in the Japanese animation film Delivery by the Witch. I heard that there has not always been a sandy beach there. That is also interesting. The famous fish and chips was as big as both of my hands together, and tasty with lemon. After we came back to host family s house every day, we had the dinner, a conversation and played games. Gradually I felt closer to my host family. I was glad feeling as if I was a part of the family. I really had a good time with them. In London, we did shopping and a bus sightseeing tour. The city was so beautiful, and my eyes were just following and absorbing everything we were passing. The British museum is enormous, and it seems to be not possible to see everything in one day. It was surprising to see so many artefacts and some of them which I have seen in the textbook at school. I learnt a lot of things through this homestay and understand that the world is really wide. I would like to improve my English and be able to express what I think and feel. I want to go to England again by myself. I thank everyone for their support and for enabling me to come to England. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Page 6 of 6