Category Archives: 地域学習

訪問地, 地域学習, 大牟田市

2014 Host family day in Omuta

Host family day in Omuta

Host family day in Omuta

Day of activity: June 29th 2014

On Sunday I went with my host family to Beppu, a town known for its hot springs. We went to eight hot springs, which were all different and had different colors; one was cobalt blue another was red and another white, it was really beautiful to see! Our lunch consisted of vegetables and meat that were cooked in the steam of a hot spring. It was a special experience and a really good lunch! After we returned home and ate dinner, my host mom let me play on her violin and we also played together, she on piano and I on violin. It was so awesome and it made me very happy!

Iris (The Netherlands)

訪問地, 地域学習, 大牟田市

First Activity Day in Omuta (Fukuoka)

First Activity Day in Omuta (Fukuoka)

First Activity Day in Omuta (Fukuoka)

Day of activity: June 28th 2014

After the morning meeting everyone is eager to have the first activity of the day. We meet up with local kids and a lot of host families did also bring their host kids to. Two of my host kids, Goten and Mone, are also there as the host father Takamitsu did bring them with me to the meeting place the Miike community centre.

The LOC and some people from the community centre introduce us to the games the kids play there twice a month; most games are popular in rain the season (Tsuyu). Karuta, Origami, Takeuma and Otedama ohajiki Ayatori.

My host kids did play catch and run and with balloons and did juggling with small balls. I was invited to do some Origami a Crane and Kabuto (Samurai Helmet).
After that we had a lunch break, we had yummy curry rice.

In the afternoon we had a lecture about the history of Omuta, that it was a coal mine town and very important to the development of modern Japan since the edo period. The 4 local people explaining about it did focus in relationship and community building and not so much on the facts when did what happen.

They were also very interested if someone did come from a country where mining was important so I did speak up and told them about Luxembourg how it was also a country which got developed because we had some iron mines and that my grandfather did work in an iron mine but had to retire early due to dust lungs.

We did also sing 3 songs together that were songs that were written to uplift the spirits of the miners from this town. They told us we should visit the Coal Museum or some of the sites if we have time, which I will do when it is host family day is my host family lives 1 minute away from one of the mining sites, I can see the site from the house which is quite cool.

It was interesting to hear them telling so much about the city and being passionate about its history.

Daniel (Luxembourg)

熊本県荒尾市, 訪問地, 地域学習

Chuou Elementary School

Chuou Elementary School

Chuou Elementary School

Day of activity: June 23rd

On the last day of the first session we visited Chuou Elementary School. The school took the opportunity of us coming to the school to let the children practice their English. The conversations we had with the children were simple, but I think it was great that the children could use some English and some children really made an effort to communicate with us, I hope the children learned a lot this day!

During the discussion time with the teachers later that day we talked about the Japanese school system and that of various other countries. The teachers were interested to know more about our countries and they shared their knowledge with us. It was a great opportunity for us to have time to talk with the teachers.

At the end of the day we had to say goodbye to five of the participants because their World Campus experience had sadly come to an end. I am really going to miss them and I hope I will see them again someday, maybe in Japan!

Iris Spruit (The Netherlands)

熊本県荒尾市, 訪問地, 地域学習, ホストファミリー

Host family day in Arao

host family day in Arao

host family day in Arao

Day of activity: June 22nd 2014

For our host family day in Arao, my room mate and I went to Yanegawa with our host family. Yanegawa is famous for it’s beautiful river, and we had the pleasure of being able to ride a guided tour through the river. Although the guide was speaking in Japanese, which is not one of my strong sides, the ride was still very much entertaining. The guide was throwing jokes, singing us songs, and was welcoming enough to let us try to steer the boat, something that turned out to be incredibly difficult. The view of the river was fantastic – there was beautiful trees and flowers along the rivers edge, the river itself was filled with turtles, and the air was full of butterflies. Every now and then, our boat had to go beneath a bridge, however the water level of the river was very high due to the rainy season, so we all had to take cover to avoid our heads from hitting the bridges. In the evening we went to a restaurant where we enjoyed unagi (grilled eel). It was, like most Japanese food, very delicious. The day was all great fun, and I’m very glad I got to experience this with my host family!

Joakim (Norway)

熊本県荒尾市, 訪問地, 地域学習

2014 Arigato Event in Arao

Arigaro Event in Arao

Arigaro Event in AraoDay of Activity: June 21st

Today we rehearsed for the Arigato Event that we preformed in the evening. For the culture pieces we not only had someone to play the piano but also flute and violin involved in this part of the Arigato Event, which I thought was very impressive. After rehearsing the event a couple of times, we were told that World Campus International were having a mascot contest. The purpose of the contest is to find a mascot for WCI that best represents the message of WCI. Everyone is encouraged to participate to design the mascot and the prize is one free session in WCI next summer so many were eager to participate!

The Arigato Event went very well and the evening ended with a lot of happy host families and WCI participants. My stay in Arao has definitely been an unforgettable experience that I will never forget and the Arigato Event only confirmed my decision to return to this wonderful city again in the future.

Amalie (Denmark)