The Tokai Study Abroad Summer Programme for
2016 has come to an end. All the boys are now safely back with their families
in Japan. This year has been a very eventful learning journey for them all. The
boys have been fantastic. In each of the three locations that I visited,
Edinburgh, Marlborough and Malahide, I was told that this year’s group was the
most outgoing and friendly group that had come from Tokai in all the years we
have been running these trips. There was a really fun atmosphere in the air led
by some particularly energetic and big-spirited individuals. Their courage
allowed the whole group to be lifted to new heights.
The Irish group had the misfortune of
Tomoki Shimizu’s knee injury and early return to Japan. This was very unlucky
and disappointing for him but he was well treated in hospital and thanks to the
care of Horiguchi Sensei and Learning Journeys leader Michael Branagan he was
not lonely and wanted for nothing. We hope
he will return to Ireland next year. My daughter, Ami enjoyed teaching him
English and playing battleships with him on our sofa.
Highlights of the trip to Ireland were
again the Sailing and Horse Riding courses which the boys very much enjoyed.
Watching the boys fall into the cold Irish water is always fun and they seem to
like it too! The students get a great deal of confidence from this course and
the same is true for the horse riding. You can see them grow in independence
day by day.
We also got very good feedback from the ICE
teachers about the Tokai boys’ conduct in their English lessons and on the
excursions. Their homestay families also spoke very favourably of them and the
boys have told us that they were all well looked after. The warm hugs at the
bus stop really confirm what we know – that there is nothing like a warm Irish
welcome. The group seemed to really bond well with the other groups and at the
airport the students were able to tell me at least 10 different nationalities
of people with whom they had made friends. That’s one of the most important
goals of the programme – to build bridges with the rest of the world and for
students to understand that they can use their English to communicate and to
make friends.
We can see this very clearly at Japan
Corner. That’s when the boys have a chance to show off Japanese things such as
origami, happi, kendama, furoshiki and so on. People always love seeing their
own names written in kanji and learning how to use chopsticks and folding fans.
This year, the event was a triumph. The other teenagers, young kids and adults
are fascinated by this display of cool Japanese culture.
This year’s group should be very proud of
themselves. They have been excellent ambassadors for their families, for Tokai,
and for Japan. I hope that their experiences will have a positive effect on
their further English studies and that they will continue to broaden their
minds through study abroad and developing friendships with people around the
world and with foreigners living in Japan. I also hope that they will keep in
touch with us and with the people they met in Ireland, building up their
network of contacts and friendships. Some of them may even want to join the
Tokai programme next year.
This year we celebrate that 500 Tokai boys
have studied abroad during the past 13 summers. That is something that the
Tokai teachers who have made this possible should be very proud of. Without
their energy and dedication none of this would have happened. Particular thanks
go to Mr. Tatsuya Ito who has been an inspiration to the whole programme. He
makes close friendships everywhere he goes and that makes him the best role
model of all for the boys. We hope that those students who have enjoyed
themselves will share their adventures with their families and ‘kohai’ back in
Japan. This will ensure that the programme goes from strength to strength.
Finally, a great big thank you to all the parents and grandparents back in Japan who have supported this project. I can assure you it is a wonderful gift to your sons and grandsons.
It’s a Learning Journey!
The first thing Chiin said after he took off his shoes at our entrance was “Can I return there next summer?” This short statement well describes how pleasant his stay was. I playfully suggested him to make a phone call to Vera and Noel so that they could know their boy was home safe. “Sure,” he said without a hint of hesitation. Actually we didn’t know how to make an international call to Vera’s cellphone, so we missed the chance to have a chat with her, but I was still very happy to know that my son was no longer shy to express his gratitude to someone who was really important to him. It doesn’t matter how well or poor he conducts English conversation – he is now eager to communicate is all what matters, I think.
ReplyDeleteChiin spent the whole afternoon yesterday to unpack. It took him a long time to empty his suitcase, for he had a story or two for every item he dug up! And what was funny was that he was unpacking while (already) thinking about packing for “the next time.” “Mom, do you think I should throw away this box (in which his alarm clock was packed)? Oh no, no, I need it. I should keep it for the next summer!” In only a day, I learned a lot about some changes occurred to him from hearing his words and watching his behavior. Although I can’t name it, something very rich and complicated has took root in him, for sure. Positive attitude toward multilingual communication? Sound sense of multicultural surroundings? Something like that. He has now started growing in a completely different direction – a direction that wouldn’t have been possible without this oversea study program. And he is now 15 years old (8/16 is his birthday). Your program gave a wonderful epilogue to his year of age 14. Thank you very much!
Thank you very much for this wonderful story. In all the 13 years of doing this work this is the best feedback we have ever had. It says what I have always believed which is that these trips really have a deep effect on the students who go on them. With your permission, I would very much like to post this on our Learning Journeys Facebook page for others to read. I think anyone who reads it who is thinking about joining next year's program would be encouraged to join. Many thanks indeed and for letting us know that your son has benefitted so deeply.
DeleteFeel free to post, but please make any necessary corrections. I am not confident about my writing skills at all -- I haven't spoken or written English on a daily basis for decades. I have just heard from my son, by the way, that you are a big fan of Dairy Milk, and it shouldn't contain macadamia nuts or anything that kind! The way my son describes his days there is so animated that I sometimes get confused and feel as if I have also met you in person!
ReplyDelete