Moe's page- Japanese Intern

MOE’S REPORT  09/09/2025

🏠 My Third Host Family

Since August 31st, I have been staying with Ollie’s family (Ollie is in 1L). They welcomed me so warmly, and I’m having a great time. Thank you so much!

Tomoko, my host mother, is Japanese. When we talk about Australian culture, I feel like I can understand it more deeply by sharing feelings and perspectives from her experience living here. And her homemade meals remind me of Japan.

Chris, my host father, loves Japan. He even knows more Japanese singers than I do. We enjoy sharing our culture by showing YouTube videos to each other.

Ollie goes to a Japanese school every Saturday, where he studies not only Japanese language but also math at the same level as students in Japan. He has a lot of homework and it looks tough, but he works hard. I truly respect him.

🧸 Creative Ollie

Ollie is really creative, and his talent always surprises me. One day, on our way to school, we found a stuffed dog at an op shop. It was so cute that Ollie recreated it with origami.  We made the dog’s head together while following the instructions on YouTube. Then, he even created the dog’s body and a leash all on his own, so you can walk the dog! The dog was named ‘Iny.’ Can you guess why? As you know, Aussies sometimes say ‘doggie’ instead of ‘dog’, and based on that, the dog was named ‘Iny’ after the Japanese word for dog, ‘inu.’ I thought this cute idea reflected his character.

Now, we are making picture books and a smartphone out of origami. There is nothing he can’t make!

🇯🇵 My friends from Japan

Some time ago, my friends, Haruka and Mina visited me! We had a great time along Great Ocean Road. I booked a tour randomly, but actually the tour guide was the same person Haruka had met before. What a miraculous reunion! The guide’s talk was enjoyable and we had breathtaking scenery. On another day, we rode the Puffing Billy Railway. We sat with our legs outside the train and looked at the beautiful scenery of the Dandenong Ranges. In some places, the trees were so close that we were almost able to touch them. It was a fun and nostalgic journey. Then, we went to Healesville Sanctuary. Koalas were very active – one was eating leaves,  another was moving on the tree, and another was striking a pose. We quickly became fans of the koalas. During the trip, we talked a lot, and I was motivated by their efforts in Japan. Thanks again!

Moe has been enjoying staying with Kalinda host families and sharing Japanese culture with them. We are looking for a families that would be willing to host Moe in Term 4. It could be for a short or long term stay. If you’re interested please contact White Sensei (Jessica.White@education.vic.gov.au)