2019年8月の記事一覧

Four students in Class 24 participated in the exchange program above from August 18th to 23rd.  High school students from nine Asian countries gathered in Hanoi, Vietnam and worked together on the topic: Diet in Vietnam and how to improve it. This was our third time to join in the program. Once they were in a group of people from different cultural backgrounds, the four participants from our school were overwhelmed and somewhat disappointed to learn how incapable they were compared with other Asian students, even though they had expected it. They matured mentally during the week; they acted voluntarily, listened carefully to others, and never gave up. They learned many important things which are helpful in their school and social lives.
【Voices from the Participants】
At first, our group had a lot of disagreements and a hard time. We had no meeting at night just because our leader said that he was tired. The four Japanese members were worried and worked until midnight.  I suggested that we should meet to talk at breakfast time, but nobody came. I was sometimes annoyed and other times, I felt frustrated that we were not able to communicate with each other because of our poor English and cultural differences. However, we won the first place in the final presentation on the last day. Why? It is because we never gave up despite the barrier in language and culture.  In discussion, conflicts arise between people who have different opinions. Those who are shy and are not assertive like me tend to give in to people who have strong opinions.  Other Japanese members had their own strong opinions and tried to make themselves understood in English to other Asian students, who spoke English more fluently.  On some occasions, they clearly said no, which led to severe arguments, but the members from other countries gradually respected our opinion, which resulted in a better group discussion. That is why we succeeded in making a good presentation.

Four students in the SG course participated in SR Summit Focus hosted by Ritsumeikan Uji High School. Eighteen schools from all over Japan gathered in Ritsumeikan University in Kusatsu, Shiga, and joined in the three-day workshop that started on July 30th.  In the workshop, the participants learned new problem-solving skills such as how to brainstorm and map ideas, and they actually tried out the new methods to work out solutions with the help of the mentors.
(Voices from the Participants)
・Before the program started, I was worried about whether I could make it for the three days, because I did not know who would be in the project team. Now the program is over, and I found that I was able to enjoy the program two or three times more than I had expected.  One reason for this is that I was able to meet people who had the same ambition. I was inspired by how actively they worked, so I decided to try without worrying about mistakes. I also thought that the well-organized slides and presentations were breathtaking. I asked them about their secrets of such wonderful performances. They said gaining a lot of experience was important. I decided I should be more active and participate in this kind of event more often.
・It was an exciting three-day program.  We talked about one topic for more than twelve hours during the two days of the seminar, which was my first time to think for such a long time. I cannot deny that I was tired, but I was never sick of it, nor did anybody suggest giving up.  I think it was not because they had concern for others but because they were passionate and hardworking. Although we were not in the same group because we had anything in common, we became really good friends in a short time. It seems to me how long we stay together doesn’t matter if we have one goal in common.