Japanese Exchange Student Report

Japanese Exchange Student Report

St Andrews College has started a short-term homestay program with our sister school, Isahaya Commercial High School, Nagasaki in Japan this year. Miss Kokoro Iwanaga was the first student to participate in this program. She came to our college with another 21 students from Isahaya Commercial High School in July and spent her first two weeks of the program with them so she could get used to the exchange student life in Australia instead of feeling lonely in the beginning. 

Kokoro was very lucky to celebrate her 17th birthday during her visit. Her classmates in the Year 10 Japanese course prepared a birthday cake and a gift for her. Kokoro always willingly participates in all opportunities provided  to her at St Andrews College. 

Kokoro has now successfully completed the program. Her seven weeks in the homestay program have gone very quickly. She had really great experiences and made wonderful memories throughout this homestay program. 

I am so glad to see that Kokoro has really grown in all aspects. I hope this opportunity has equipped her with the right mindset for the future ahead. Wishing her all the very best in life.

Ms Mariko Suzuki

Leader of Learning - Languages

Japanese Exchange Student Report by Kokoro Iwanaga:

It has been almost seven weeks since I came to St Andrews College. 

First of all, thank you, everyone, for sharing the fun time and memories with me during this time. Time has passed very quickly and I’m really happy that all the students here are kind, funny and friendly, and speaking to me positively. 

Also, I would like to thank the teachers who gave me advice so I was able to enjoy my school life at St Andrews College with peace of mind. 

In the beginning, I didn’t understand what everyone was talking about, which often caused trouble due to my misunderstanding. But I started to understand better day by day during my stay and I am grateful to everyone who has helped me and had a conversation with me. 

Now, I would like to talk about things that surprised me in this school. There are many things that surprised me. For example, unlike in Japanese schools, students can leave the classroom after class and spend time outside the room together. I was surprised because most students in Japan spend their school time indoors and rarely go outside when they are at school. Also, the way students spend time after class is different from here. In Australian schools, you can play sports during recess and lunch outside, but in Japan, you cannot play sports and need to stay inside the classroom. So I thought it’s good that you can play outside. There are many other differences and it is interesting to learn about Australian school culture. I learnt not only English but also many Australian cultures here and I was able to have a lot of valuable experiences.

I am glad that I made a lot of good memories by talking, playing sports and laughing together with students at St Andrews College. There were fun times and difficult times, but I believe that I was able to grow as a person through many experiences. These experiences made me want to learn English even more, and what I have experienced here will be useful for my future as well. 

Thank you to everyone who welcomed me, helped me, supported me and talked to me. I like Australia even more now and I hope to come back to Australia again in the future. 

I am very grateful to be here. There is only one week left, but I want to enjoy the rest of the time with everyone. Thank you very much.

From, Kokoro Iwanaga