17 February 2010

A Winter Report from IPU Exchange Student Samuel Hall

By Samuel Hall. Partly 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.

Sam Hall reports:

In my winter holidays, I was very privileged to have been invited to the home of one of my teachers, Yamaguchi Sensei, in Kyoto. During the week I spent with him, he was very kind to me and showed me a lot of Kyoto.

I was able to see the famous school that he had worked at - Fushimi high school - which still has a strong passion for Rugby. I greatly appreciate Yamaguchi Sensei's kindness and hospitality while I stayed at his home.

冬休みに、山口先生にご招待いただき、京都に行ってきました。私は1週間、京都で過ごしました。山口先生はとてもよくしてくれ、京都をたくさん見せてくれました。先生がお勤めしていた、今もラグビーに熱い情熱を持つことで有名な伏見高校を見ることができました。私は、彼の親切なおもてなしに、とても感謝しています。

After staying with Yamaguchi Sensei, I went to visit a friend who lives in Shizuoka, Mochan. I joined a bus tour company (operated by Mochan), called ‘Wish Club'. Mochan is a very good friend and he has a lot of people visiting his place.

山口先生の家に泊まった後、静岡に住む友人、もっちゃんに会いに行きました。"希望部/ウィッシュ・クラブ"という名のバス旅行に参加しました。彼は、とても優しい日本人の友達で、多くの人を家に招待する親切な人です。

Mochan took us in his bus to visit places around Japan such as Kyoto, Nara, and Tokyo. He also took me to a place where I could have a good view of Mount Fujiyama and to other interesting places.

もっちゃんとのバス旅行中、私は日本中の場所を訪れました。 京都、奈良、東京を見ることができました。彼は、富士山がよく見える場所など、特別な場所へも連れて行ってくれました。

Sam Hall with Yamaguchi Sensei in Kyoto

Participating in a tea ceremony in Shizuoka with other Wish Club members

Learning Japanese with Kawasaki Sensei

During my time at IPU so far, I have studied Japanese with 2 lecturers, Kawasaki Sensei and Kanou Sensei. The photo above was taken in Kawasaki Sensei's class. I was studying how to do translation from Japanese into English, using material from a book "Nihon wo Hanasou" (=Let's speak about Japan). The topics covered were to do with Japanese history, religion, and the economy.

Kawasaki Sensei has high level skills in English and translation, so it was very valuable to be able to learn from her. I feel that my understanding and knowledge of Japanese language have improved thanks to the teaching of the lecturers. I hope I can apply my skill in Japanese and will be able to work in Japan some day.

IPUに居る間の6ヶ月間、川崎先生と加納先生に日本語を教えてもらいました。 上の写真の川崎先生のクラスでは、「日本を話そう」という本を日本語から英語へ翻訳しました。特に、日本の歴史や宗教、日本経済などについての内容を学びました。

川崎先生の英語スキルや翻訳スキルはとても高く、日本語から英語への翻訳技術を川崎先生から学べたことは、とてもためになりました。

日本語への理解と知識が、先生たちの教えのおかげで向上したと感じます。私はいつか、日本で働けるほどに、日本語の力をつけていきたいと思います。

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