Australian girls interact with their teachers in class more, horse riding can be scary, and shearing sheep looks like hard work. These are some of the observations of students from a Tokyo high school who have been part of a diverse educational and cultural program in Armidale for the past two weeks.
Thirty students and two staff members from Kichijo Girls’ High School have been hosted by New England Girls’ School in the latest round of an exchange program between the sister schools, which started back in 1981.
The students got used to boarding school routines, immersed themselves in normal classes and experienced much about Australian rural life, including fossicking, trips to Dangarsleigh Falls and UNE Deer Park, and horse riding at the NEGS Equestrian Centre.
“There is more com-munication between students and their teacher in the classroom here than in Japanese schools, and it has been really good to communicate in English,” said Tomomi Homma, 16. “I also really liked seeing the kangaroos at the Deer Park — one had a joey and it was so cute.”
Schoolmate Sayaka Kaito, also in Year 10, said there had been plenty of variety in the cultural excursions.
“We have done a lot of different things. I also like the climate here and NEGS is so big — it is a good place to relax.”
NEGS teacher Amber McCulloch, who co-ordinated the visit, said the cultural exchange experienced by girls from both schools gave them a more worldly perspective.
“As a Japanese teacher who hasn’t been to Japan, it also gave me some insight into the curriculum and education system, and we were given some terrific teaching resources,” she said.
