15 December 2009

An Autumn Report from IPU Exchange Student Samuel Hall

By Samuel Hall. Translated by Shirley Ghozalli. Edited by Moira Blake.

During his study as an exchange student at International Pacific University (IPU) in Okayama, Japan, IPC student Samuel (Sam) Hall, a New Zealander, is sending a series of monthly activity reports, chronicling his day to day life. Some of the reports, like this one, will be published online on this website.

In this report, Sam tells us about some of his adventures, such as participating in festivals, enjoying the autumn colours while visiting a school, and eating oyster okonomiyaki.

Sam Hall and friends at Shituzani School, with the autumn colours behind them

Sam Hall reports (written in Japanese and translated into English):

3rd November

Together with IPU students, I participated in the Children's International Exchange Festival, which was held at the Toys' Kingdom, a franchised family recreation place in Japan. Delegations from 12 foreign countries came together to communicate with each other. That day, I talked in English to the children. I could also meet many people who came as volunteers to help with the event. Because there were many people from each of the 12 countries, we also played a game in which we exchanged greetings in the mother tongue of each country. It was fun and we all, including the children, enjoyed it very much.

5th November

I went to visit Shizutani School with 4 IPU students. It was the best time to visit the school because of the very beautiful autumn colours of the trees. The view was fantastic and I could taste the spirit of autumn. The leaves were incredibly beautiful, with vivid red, orange, and yellow colouring. As I got to know the history behind Shizutani School, I became interested to learn a lot more. It is a public school built in 17th century in Okayama. It is one of Japan's National Treasures.

After the visit to Shizutani School, four of us headed towards a bay in Okayama, which is famous for its oysters. We ate oyster okonomiyaki for our lunch. They were very fresh and tasty. I was surprised that they (IPU students) put so many oysters in the okonomiyaki.

7th and 8th November

On 7th and 8th November, I participated in one of IPU's festivals, Kantasai. In the room for the New Zealand display, together with friends from IPU, we set up a Halloween themed display. We decorated the room with Halloween decorations, things that remind me of New Zealand, and posters about New Zealand. We played many games with the children who came to our display.

On Sunday, 8th November, I went to the ET King Concert. It was a very powerful performance. It was very interesting to be able to see the band at close quarters.

Note: Kantasai is a special festival to open the university for the public or in short, it is IPU's Open Day. There are usually stage performances, cultural displays, and food stalls around the campus. The word ‘Kanta' is taken from the first 2 characters of IPU's Japanese name.

Sam with IPU students and the country delegates at the Children's International Exchange Festival

Sam enjoying the okonomiyaki filled with fresh Okayama oysters

Halloween themed accessories and decorations in the New Zealand room at the Kantasai Festival (IPU's Open Day)

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