Minori's report 

Below is a report from Minori, our Japanese Intern.

~City Trip with My Host Family~

One weekend in November, I went on a trip to the city with my host family. It was the first time in September that I stayed in the city, and I saw Christmas trees and Christmas decorations there. It was strange to see that the temperature was getting warmer and warmer, but it was getting closer and closer to Christmas. This is because, in the northern hemisphere, where Japan is located, it gets colder and colder as Christmas approaches. At Christmas in Japan, everyone wears coats and scarves around their necks. I heard that here, people wear T-shirts. It is interesting to see the complete opposite.

On our trip, we first went to Sea Life. I was very surprised to see a 5-metre-long crocodile there. This is one of the animals I wanted to see in Australia! Its mouth was much bigger than my head and it was very powerful. Then we went shopping at the market, enjoyed Thai food for dinner, and went up to Sky Deck to enjoy the view. It was a fast-paced two days.

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~My First Camp!!~

This past weekend, I went camping in Inverloch with the Langley family and their family of friends. This is my first time camping! I have never experienced this in Japan before. Plus, they invited me to caravan with them! The caravan was much bigger than I had imagined and I was told that as many as 8 people could sleep there. It was amazing! There are many nice houses in Inverloch and the beach is beautiful. We all walked along the beach watching the sunset. I took off my shoes and walked in the sea water. It felt cold at first, but I got used to it and it felt great. I remembered the day Cheryl and I went to the beach in April, and to think that more than half a year had passed since then made me realize how fast the months had gone by. 

We also enjoyed the swimming pool at the caravan park, which is a great place to relax and have fun. I hadn't swam in a while so I was worried about whether I would be able to swim properly, but I was able to do so! The kids enjoyed splashing water in my face. I also enjoyed splashing water on them and playing make-believe with them in the pool. We also went to the Food and Wine Festival. I felt very sleepy after drinking some good wine. I fell asleep on the lawn. This is also a good memory. In the evening, we ate fish and chips and played card games while watching the beach. It was a very enjoyable three days!