Penglais - Otemae High School Exchange

Penglais students visit Osaka 2006

Our trip started early on the 4 th July, 2006. When six extremely tired, slightly nervous, over packed girls arrived in Birmingham International we had no idea of what the next 10 days would entail. They turned out to the most memorable 10 days to date.

After a tiring flight and some strict security checks we were greeted by a friendly Mr Yoneda and taken on a few hours drive to Otemae High School. All being greatly exhausted from an almost 24 hour flight, we were in no mood to socialising, but that was exactly what was expected. A gaggle of overly enthusiastic Japanese teenagers greeted us with all the hospitality they could manage (which trust me, is a lot). Shown to our own ‘room' where we would retreat for English speaking and a haven away from the craziness which ensued, we were given a lovely meal and promptly taken out on our first sightseeing visit of the spectacular Osaka Castle, located directly opposite the high school, giving amazing views and scenery to rival any city.

Shown briefly round the school, the differences were abundantly noted. The queue for the lift (yes, lift) was patient and calm, the lockers contained a million different pair of shoes whilst everyone inside the building wore identical grey slippers. The corridors were a picture of serene, with talented musicians filling the rooms.

After visiting the castle and discovered we were indeed going to have our photo taken more than necessary, despite how bad our hair looked from the heat, we were united with our host family. Having no previous experience with the girl in question except for a few brief emails which consisted mainly of basic questions, it was nervous experience for all of us. I met Rie, the girl I would spend my first 5 days in Osaka with. After having a lift with a different family to my new ‘home' I nervously lugged my too heavy bag up flights of stairs to the flat where Rie lived with her mother, father and brother. There's no denying it; compared to our big cosy British rooms, Japanese houses come as somewhat of a shock. Basic necessities are laid out; no more, no less. Straw matting on the floor act as carpet, and everything is clean and in order. Shown to the room I would be sharing (very few of us had the luxury of having our own room) I was then shown to the living room where we would be shortly having food. I sat nervously glancing round at the food being prepared avidly by Rie's grandma when Rie decided to type on her gizmo of a dictionary “Don't look scared!” because of my panic stricken face, which eased me slightly. A few hours later and I was happily full on food which was surprisingly delicious and pretending to understand J-Pop and quiz shows

The rest of the time spent with Rie was nothing less than fantastic. Everyday we would catch the bus into school, often bumping into school friends of Rie's, and even Eri who came to Wales last year! I could almost pretend I was back in Aberystwyth. The days in school were a bit more stressful, preparing English lessons and playing Welsh bingo with a class full of confused looking students. Most were polite, nodding at every word and taking it all in; sometimes it was harder, realising nothing you were spouting was being taken in by a soul in the room. After our lesson, which was often to classes as large as 50, individual conversation would ensue and we would walk around and try and chat with the classes to improve skills in English. This we all found hard; it was awkward conversing with people who have no idea what your trying to say. The most commonly asked question would often be “Do you have a boyfriend?” which seemed to be a subject of immense interest, but if the conversation wasn't going very far, certain things such as ‘Harry Potter', ‘David Beckham', or ‘Avril Lavigne' would be sure to get it moving again! Seeing how excited everyone was to meet us was such a shock- we we're greeted with such enthusiasm, people feeling as if it was a privilege to speak to us - it was very flattering.

After a morning of teaching and attending classes, activities would precede. These included things such as flower arranging, Japanese tea ceremony, trips to a different Art high school for pottery, to see temples in Kyoto, calligraphy, shopping, etc. Even if the task wasn't particularly to your taste, all was enjoyed- everything is so different, there would be so much to take in you wouldn't be bored for very long.

To try and describe the immense differences between Japan and Wales would be impossible. Being alert all the time was vital- there was so much to take in all the time, if you blinked you would miss something. I over packed, and forgot how much I would buy once I was in Japan- clothes, accessories, etc are all very cheap, and everything, EVERYTHING is cute, not forgetting the generous gifts given over the 10 days. So advice I would give is to not overestimate your host families hospitality, they offered to wash my clothes every evening so the amount I had brought was ridiculous. Don't be afraid to try new things - at first the thought of eating such different food was incredibly daunting, but came to really like most of it. I was quite worried about getting ill from the drastic change in diet, but no one on the trip suffered any illness. Learning basic language was a big help- things like hello, thank you (essential!), ‘kawaii' which is cute, ‘shumi' which is hobbies, and ‘hashi' which is chopsticks, etc. I bought a guidebook before going which came in incredibly useful- if there was troubles with communication there was always a sentence similar which I could use to refer to. Don't bother taking an umbrella- the weather is very unpredictable and showers come and go but 1000 Yen shops mean you can purchase them for about £1.00. I did have a problem with my 2 nd host family- I'm not a fan of small, ‘yappy' dogs, which they unfortunately had! After an incident where the dog was a bit aggressive I wasn't happy being around it and it caused some problems within the house, being a loved family pet the dog would come into my room, etc. After explaining I wasn't a fan, the problem was solved and the dog was kept outside for the remainder of my stay. It would probably be a good idea to check if you have any phobias etc, as if I had found out the family had a dog the host families could have easily been switched long before arrival.

There really is nothing to be worried about- going to Japan is an absolutely extra ordinary experience which you should hopefully get so much out of. After going on this trip, I have since decided to study English & Japanese Joint Honours at Leeds, hopefully having my 2 nd year in Japan- you never know what opportunities may arise! If you have any questions etc, don't hesitate to email me at bekkaeds@hotmail.com .

Thanks!