Minori's report 

Below is a report from Minori, our Japanese Intern.

Do you know Pokémon?

Do you know Pokémon? Right now, Grade 3 and 4 are learning about Pokémon. Actually, Pokémon is an anime that was born in Japan. It has already been broadcast on TV in Japan since I was a small child. I still remember when I was in Grade 1, Santa gave me Game Boy (one of the game consoles) as a Christmas present. The game software at that time was " Pokémon Gold/Silver." Has anyone ever played with this software? I remember being very enthusiastic about it. What surprised me when I came to Australia is that many children know and like Pokémon. 

The other day, they tried their hand at drawing Pikachu while listening to the video instructions. Many of the students even carefully colored the picture. They were all very cute! These will be the covers of the booklets we will use in the future.

And now, Grade 3 and 4 will be learning about body parts, colors, and some adjectives in Japanese through this Pokémon theme. And the goal of this unit is to create your own original Pokémon and describe its characteristics ("Its ears are blue. It is very strong," etc.) in simple Japanese. We hope they will enjoy learning with their wonderful creativity!

Can you read Hiragana?

The Japanese language has three characters. They are kanji, hiragana, and katakana. In Japanese, these three characters can be used in a single sentence at the same time.A long time ago

First, kanji was introduced from China a very long time ago. Therefore, in ancient times, sentences were written using only Kanji characters. However, kanji were complicated and difficult to read and write, so katakana, a kind of symbol used to decipher them easily, was invented. Hiragana was invented as a simpler way of writing kanji. In other words, hiragana and katakana are simpler than kanji.

These days, most words are written in hiragana and kanji. Words from overseas are often written in katakana. This term, the 5th and 6th graders will be learning hiragana, etc.

So, here is a hiragana quiz from me!

What are these?

   Q1, はんばーがー (food)

   Q2, みるく (drink)

   Q3, すぷらいと (drink)

   Q4, かりんだ (school)

   Q5, とうきょう (city)

   Q6, めるぼるん (city)

   Q7, おーすとらりあ (country)

If you figure it out, you'll be great! Please try your best to decipher it. If you figure it out, please let me know!

Host Family Diary

Starting this term, I am living with a new host family. That family is the KEELER family. Everyone is very kind and nice. Actually, I had a cold during the first week because I was tired from the holiday. But they took me to the hospital and took care of me. Thanks to them, I am now feeling very well! And this family has many pets. 2 dogs, 2 cats, and fish... It is like a zoo! Every day is very lively and fun. And Katherine, grade 5, is a very good cook. The first time I went to their house, they presented me with a homemade cake. It was very colorful and delicious. We also made dumplings and spring rolls together using recipes we learned at school. After school, I look forward to cooking and playing with Katherine at home every day. Also, when I attended her class (5B) for a whole day, she made the seating chart and timetable for me, which was very helpful. She also helps me make teaching materials for my Japanese class. Katherine is like my teacher and assistant. My host father, Andrew, is also a great cook and is like a chef. He also loves spicy food, and when we made and ate sushi together, he used "wasabi" as a topping! Emma, the host mother, is a very kind and charming person. She is also a teacher at a nearby elementary school, so we often talk about education together. One of the best things about Australian education is that students often express their opinions and are very good at expressing themselves. She and I talk about education, but we also talk about many other things. I really enjoy having casual conversations with her.

Also, I went to The Lume with this family the other day. I love Aboriginal art, so I was very impressed by the Aboriginal digital art projected all over the space! Just looking at it was so refreshing. On the way back, I went to Costco for the first time. What a big place! There is a Costco in Japan, but I had never been there before, so I was also very impressed. I am fortunate to have had the experience of spending time with many host families. In the process, I am accumulating many "firsts". Every day is so much fun! I am excited every day to see what "firsts" are in store for me in the future!