【8/2】無事帰国できました！

 ブログの更新が遅れてしまい、申し訳ございませんでした。

（到着口まで撮影が禁止でしたので、成田空港での全体写真が撮れませんでした。）

先週8/2(土)、ブリスベン空港からの6時間超にもおよぶ長旅を終え、生徒たちが成田空港に着陸しました！みな久々の日本に安心しながら、嬉々として成田空港の写真を物珍しく撮っていました。

みなさんはこのオーストラリアで過ごした２週間をどう振り返るでしょうか。
海外で２週間暮らすことは、英語教師である私にとってもチャレンジングで、良い刺激となりました。生徒たちにとっても、ホームステイ先や学校等で英語にどっぷりつかる２週間は、感じている以上に大きな学びとなっていることでしょう（思えば私も、英語が上手くなりたいと思うようになったのは中３で行ったイギリスへの語学研修がきっかけでした）。

英語についてインスピレーションを受けた人だけでなく、日本やいつも側にいてくれる家族のありがたさを感じることができた人もいるのではないでしょうか。日本の料理や物価、価値観や文化など、当たり前だったものが当たり前でないという経験は、なかなか得難い貴重なものです。僕の近くで一番それを感じていたのは、他でもない片山先生でした。　

さて、生徒たちがソーラン節を踊った動画を共有できていませんでしたので、こちらで共有させていただきます！

【ソーラン節　動画】

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1836GjBBvkt_n1LHGqNMTSKQTY9WvDCSg/view?usp=sharing

↑のリンクからご視聴ください！

２週間を振り返った生徒の感想を共有します。

Today I left our host family, returned to Japan and finished my study abroad experience. I was very sad when I said goodbye to my friends yesterday, but it was even harder to do that to my host family. 

Through this study abroad, I was able to experience various things that I can't do in Japan. One of the most memorable things is the weekly worship service. My host family had a strong belief in Christianity, so I went to church on weekends.  In Japan,  people usually don’t believe in a specific religion, so I was surprised to see that at first. Also, we say "Itadakimasu" before the meal, but they say prayers to God and I had a valuable experience. I felt I could cherish these different cultures for two weeks. They also took us to various other spots, such as beaches, where we could feel the richness of nature.

In this way, I was able to not only be exposed to English but also experience the local culture and environment up close, which allowed me to live a fulfilling life. (女子：S. G.)

Today was my last day with my host family. I was very sad because my host family treated me very well. When I started going to school, I wanted to return to Japan. This was because I was not good at speaking English, and I could not communicate with my buddy. But my buddy and teachers were very kind to me, and I started to feel like trying to speak it more. Toward the end, I began to want to stay in Australia longer. This experience taught me a lot of things, not only about English but also about different cultures and friendship. I hope to keep practicing English and maybe visit Australia again someday.
(女子：S. A.)

This morning, I took a flight back home from Australia. It was my last day in Australia, and I felt happy and also a little bit sad. I was happy because I had many wonderful experiences and I could back home, but sad to say goodbye to my host family. During my stay, I learn a lot of English and met many kinds of local people and friends. I enjoyed the nature, the animals, and the delicious food. Living in Australia made me more confident with my English and this experience was very valuable. I will always remember the fun times I had. Thank you, Australia, for the beautiful memories. I hope I can visit again someday.
(男子：S. N.)

英語に自信がついたり、もっと練習したいという思いが生徒の中で強まっていますね。

とてもうれしいです！！(⌒∇⌒)

みなさん、オーストラリアでの２週間の語学研修、

無事完走できた自分をほめてあげてくださいね！

Well Done!!

P.S. 夏休みの宿題は、どうか計画的に。