Seirei 2018

A Big ありがとう or Thank You to Our Host Families

Thank you so much for sharing your homes with our sister school students from Japan. Without your support, our Peace Exchange Program would not have been so successful.  Thanks to your warm hospitality and care, all of the visiting Seirei students enjoyed their 2 week stay in Australia. If there is any feedback or comments regarding homestay to make our program more meaningful, please do not hesitate to contact us at the College or email me directly: thayashi@msj.vic.edu.au

Takahiro Hayashi

Japanese Teacher

My Host Sister

Hosting a Seirei student was an amazing experience that I would definitely recommend to anyone. The student I hosted was named Erina, she was very shy but extremely kind and was curious about the Australian culture. Before we met we exchanged emails and began to chat, little did I know that we had more in common than I first thought. We both loved to sing and also had a passion for Harry Potter. Before I met her in person and thanks to the emails, I felt as if I had known her for years. During the time that Erina spent with us we visited many places such as Sovereign Hill, Sun Theatre, Melbourne Zoo and the penguins at Saint Kilda. Sovereign Hill was really fun, we thought it would be good to show Erina a bit about Australian history. 

We thought that since Erina enjoyed singing we should take her to see Mamma Mia 2 Here We Go Again at the Sun Theatre. The soundtrack became a staple on the radio on the way to school. Erina and my family visited the zoo, we showed her the Australian animals section. Erina had once told me that her favourite animal was a penguin so on the last night we took her to Saint Kilda to watch the penguins. It was very cold and started to rain but it was worth it to see the penguins.

I really enjoyed having a Seirei student stay with me, I definitely want to host another student next year.  The day she left she gave me a hair tie that matched one she had. After she left I took out the hair tie and flipped it over, it said “Erina and Imogen best friends”, I almost cried. The hardest part of the stay was saying goodbye, it was such a short time that Erina stayed with us and I wished she could have stayed longer.

By Imogen Seward

Exploring Melbourne

The Year 9 Japanese classes took our Seirei students on an excursion to the Melbourne CBD. Whilst there, some of the student groups chose to explore the Queen Victoria Market, the State Library and Melbourne Central. Each group of girls was in charge of organising the locations that they visited and taking care of their visitors. The MSJ girls created personalised videos for the Seirei students, of their city experience.

Sharing Our Indigenous Culture

MSJ welcomed back Konrad Ross “Yamba” to the community. Konrad is a highly respected Aboriginal elder and prolific artist. 

Students from Seirei College in Japan were immersed in our Australian Indigenous culture. Konrad shared his peoples’ stories, music, dance and art with the Japanese students and teachers. They were painted in ochre, taught how to dance the mosquito dance, learned about native Australian animals, boomerangs and the yidaki (didgeridoo). The students had a lot of fun and this will no doubt be one of their lasting memories of their time in Australia.

Nick Tresize

Music teacher