Monday August 18th by Y.M. and S.Y.

Today, I went to school in the morning and attended an ESL class. 

The theme of the lesson was Japanese and Australian food. 

We also talked in English about what we did over the weekend and played a game where we each said something we bought while shopping and continued in turn. 

I could tell that everyone had an enjoyable weekend, and I felt that we spoke up more than last week and were making progress.

During the lesson, I also tried speaking with the teacher. 

Sometimes my pronunciation did not come across well, but when I was understood, I was very happy and it motivated me to try harder.

We also decorated cookies with icing and made koala faces using marshmallows, chocolate, and gummies. 

Everyone’s mouths turned blue from the icing, which was very funny, and the cookies were delicious too.

At morning tea, I went to the school shop with my buddy to buy some snacks. I was happy because it was my first time shopping at the NCC canteen.

In the afternoon, we ate lunch on the bus and then went to a university called UniSC. On the way to the bus, an NCC student asked me, “Do you want some rice?” and put rice in my hand, which was a very funny and unique experience.

At the university, we had a campus tour and even saw kangaroos. 

Listening to the talk made me more interested in studying abroad. 

After that, we had some free time and bought snacks at the cafeteria with friends.

When we returned, we had a taco party. The food was very delicious. 

After that, we roasted marshmallows at a campfire. 

We were also given hot chocolate and Tim Tams, and I was taught a unique Australian way of eating Tim Tams with hot chocolate. It was so fun and interesting that I want to try it in Japan as well.

In the evening, I played with my host family’s kids by dancing and listening to music together. 

It was a lot of fun. Before going to bed, we prayed together, and I taught them how to say “Itadakimasu” and “Oyasumi” in Japanese.

I was able to learn English while experiencing Australian culture, and also share Japanese culture with others. It was a very enjoyable and fulfilling day.

Y.M.

In the morning, I played a game in ESL class about what we did over the weekend. We also made and ate koala icing cookies. 

The activities we did in class, such as comparing Japanese food with that of other countries and explaining Japanese food trends in English, were a little difficult.

I usually eat lunch with my buddy, but today I ate it on the bus during the trip.

In the afternoon, we went to the University of the Sunshine Coast and toured the campus while listening to a guided tour. 

During our 20 minutes of free time, we all went to the cafeteria and bought snacks.

Afterwards, we went home and played a Japanese game called "Katamari Damacy" on my host sister's PS4. She said it was her favorite game, and I was surprised and happy to learn that Japanese games are loved overseas. 

Today was a great experience, and I hope tomorrow will be just like it.

S.Y.