毎年、本校のたくさんの生徒が短期あるいは長期の海外留学を体験しています。留学中は、現地の学校やホームステイ先などでの数々の交流をとおして、英語はもちろん、普段では学ぶことのできない海外の文化や習慣などさまざまなことを経験します。
　昨年度（2007年度）のおもな留学先はカナダ、ニュージーランド、アメリカなど。海外留学を体験したほとんどの生徒たちは推薦・AO入試で志望する大学に合格しています。4人の外国語コースの生徒たちが留学先での体験をレポートにまとめました。ここでご紹介します。

I learned a lot of important things in New Zealand

New Zealand has magnificent scenes of nature and warm weather, so every day is sunny.....That was my image of New Zealand before I went there. Therefore, I was surprised to feel cold when I arrived at Auckland City Airport. Actually, the weather in New Zealand is very changeable.

When I first arrived in New Zealand, my English was very poor. I couldn't understand what people around me were saying.
When they asked me easy questions, I could understand what that meant but I couldn't answer them. Sometimes when I talked to them myself, they often asked me again. I was afraid of talking to someone myself. As a result, I didn't talk so much and I tended to retire to my room. I knew it was not good for me, but I really didn't know how to communicate with people in New Zealand then. My host family worried about me. They tried to make me feel happy. My host father always made me laugh at his jokes. My host mother took me out for a walk, shopping, and so on. My host sister, who is the same age as me often asked me to go out with her. They were always very kind to me. They were all cheerful people. I laughed and talked with them, I slowly began to enjoy my life in New Zealand

One day in the morning, I woke up with a piercing headache. I felt so dizzy that I couldn't get up from my bed. My temperature was 40 degrees then. My host father took me to the hospital in Auckland which was about an hour by car from our house. I felt so sorry that I apologized to my host parents again and again. Then they said to me "Aya, I think you are like my daughter. When you feel not good, we would like to care for you. You don't have to say I'm sorry. We love you." I felt my tears fall fast down my cheeks.
I was in the hospital just one night. I wore strange clothes for a patient which was like a one-piece dress in there. Doctors were kind to me so I could bear the blood test and other treatments. Afterward, I had a high temperature (new high was 41 degree! ) about once a month before I returned to Japan. Whenever I felt not good, my host family cared for me kindly.

In school, there were many international students from many countries like Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Korea, China, Japan and so on. Especially there were so many Japanese. In general, this environment is thought to be bad for Japanese students to improve their English skill, but I don't think so. Japanese students who stayed in there longer than me naturally spoke English fluently, so they had many friends. I worked to improve my English every day because I wanted to be like them. Also, we always shared our happiness and bitterness.

Our school holds so many events through the year. We had a swimming day, an athletics day and so on. It was a good chance for me to make new friends. I liked the mufti day the best. We didn't have to wear school uniform on this day, instead paying some money for charity.
Our school has a unique system called "Whanau". Actually this word means "Family" in Maori (Maori is the original inhabitant in New Zealand). Every student in school belonged to each Whanau to have friendship with other students in the same Whanau class. We had to go to this class in the morning and after lunch time. We called students in the same Whanau class "Whanau sister" and "Whanau brother".
Sometimes we had parties in this class. We played games, talked and had so many snacks together. I had many brothers and sisters at once !

I took a school bus after school every day so I didn't have time to go to town with my friends, but I enjoyed such a beautiful view through the window. I often thought about my family and friends back in Japan while I was riding on the bus. That time was very important for me to cheer myself up.
When I wanted to talk with my family in Japan, I could talk to them on my host family's Skype phone. I was worried about university before I went abroad, so it was really helpful to discuss my course with my parents. I think when you are overseas, it is really important to keep in touch with your parents.

There were various beaches around our house, so I often went there with my host family. Especially we went to swim on almost every weekend in November and December. I couldn't believe that I was swimming in the warm sea in December !

During the holiday, I joined camping with my friends' family. She was an international student from Switzerland. We took the same ESOL class before the holiday, but we were not such close friends.
We enjoyed barbecue, swimming in the sea and exploring in the wood to find kiwi birds at midnight. We spent an awesome time together. By the time the camping was nearly finished, we had become good friends.

One day during the holiday my host sister asked me to go to Big Day Out with her. This is the most popular festival among the young people. Actually, I hesitated to go there with her because I didn't like a crowded place. Finally I decided to go with her and her friends. I was surprised that there were so many young people. They shouted and danced with happy smiles. I found myself enjoying dancing with them. We came home at about 2'oclock in the early morning but I really enjoyed it.

Fortunately, I had a room partner from February. She was also an international student from Switzerland. Her parents and my host family had known each other when my host family lived in Switzerland. She is 1 year younger than me, but we became good friends soon because we came here for just one thing, "to improve our English". That helped me so I could talk to her easily.

Both of my host sisters were interested in Japan. Sarah, who is the same age as me took the same Japanese class. She had been to Japan before, so she knew Japanese culture better than me. It was amazing to me. Moreover, her older brother and his partner loved Japanese Animation. Vanessa, my room partner liked Japanese characters. I learned Japanese culture is not for Japanese people only. I wanted them to know about Japanese culture more since then. So when Vanessa suggested to me we should do something for Mother's Day, I thought it was a very good chance to introduce Japanese culture to my host family. Then, we made Norimaki together for that day. It was the first time to make Japanese food for my host family. We enjoyed Norimaki together.

My 8 months had passed quickly. My English is still not good, but I learned a lot of important things from people in New Zealand when I felt down, always someone gave me a helping hand. Now, it's my turn. I would like to do something like volunteer service in other countries in the future.
I am going to study global economics at university. I will keep studying English and developing my abilities. Then I would like to go abroad again to study economics and to meet new friends all over the world.

Canada is my second home

On the day I left Japan, I was so anxious because I had never been to a foreign country before. Nor had I been in regular contact with my host family waiting for me in Canada. Therefore, when I arrived at the airport on Vancouver Island, I was really relieved to find them smiling and waving at me, welcoming me to their country. At the same time, I began to feel excited about how my life in Canada would go.

After several weeks, my excitement had reduced somewhat. I realized how much I couldn't understand what people around me were saying, so I had no idea what to talk about or how to join in their conversation. It made me sad. What could help me from this frustration? The answer to my question was time. Though little by little, I could understand what the people around me were saying. Then I could start focusing on speaking English.

At school, I took ESL, band, baking and leadership classes in the first semester. In the ESL classes, it was easy for me to solve some grammar questions, but I couldn't talk at all about political and social issues. In the band classes, I really enjoyed playing the Euphonium because I had played it when I was in Junior High School. In the baking classes, I could memorize the names of ingredients and baking implements while I was using them. I still remember baking cookies or cakes, struggling with my friends from Korea and Hong Kong, and being covered in lots of flour. In the leadership classes, it was fun to run some school events. Every day, during lunch time, I talked with many international students about our countries, our families etc.

In October, my host family and I had a Halloween party, which was a first for me. I dressed up as a jack-o'-lantern. I also went the rounds of the neighbors living in the same area that my host family lived, Saying "trick-or-treat. I was surprised that the bag I put sweets into got much heavier than I had expected. It was no wonder why my weight increased a few days after the party.

In December, we had a Christmas party. I was amazed how big the turkey was. Because it was the custom of my host family, we went to get an actual fir tree, and decorated it with shining tinsel. In the morning on Christmas day, I found a lot of presents under the tree. They were clothes, socks, cups, necklaces and so on. In the evening, over dinner, we had a good time having conversations about the day.

The first semester had finished and I took band, textile, English, social studies and communication classes in the second semester. In the band classes, the students practiced some music for our concert. The music was more difficult than the music we'd played in the first semester. In the textile classes, it was hard to use the sewing machine, but the teacher, who was talkative and funny, taught me how to do it neatly. Thanks to her help, I was able to make a cushion cover and a hood for a child. In English classes, the teacher gave his students a vocabulary assignment every week. I couldn't keep up with the class, so I spent each break between classes doing homework. Moreover, he gave us an essay assignment about once a month. I groaned under a lot of homework. We also had poetry classes once a week and I found it very difficult to learn about old English and rhetoric. In the social studies classes, I enjoyed studying Canadian history. On the other hand, I struggled over lots of words I didn't know and the memorizing of significant people in history. That's why each time I had homework, I brought the text books back to my home and answered the questions, after asking my host family for help when needed. In communication classes, there was a mass of opportunities to enhance my English skill by reading and writing many stories, and speaking with my friends. It was a lot easier for me to understand the political or social topics we covered because of the English and social studies classes. In not only the holidays but also on weekdays, I went shopping, to my friends'birthday parties, out for dinner and movie with my friends from Hong Kong, Korea, Thailand and Japan.

During the spring vacation, I went to Vancouver and Long Beach with my host family. In Vancouver, we went to an aquarium and a facility called "Science World." I was impressed with what was there. We saw a 3D-movie and went to a small amusement park. I met the Assistant Language Teacher who used to work at my Junior High School. We mostly talked about my friends, the teachers and ourselves. At Long Beach, I enjoyed the slow life, seeing beautiful scenery, walking on the beach and reading a book. While we stayed there, my host family held a birthday party for me. They prepared my favorite food for dinner, and gave me lots of presents. It was the best birthday that I've ever had.

During the summer vacation, my host family and I went for a trip from Vancouver Island to Alberta. What fascinated me most was the huge glacier. I still remember how wonderful it looked.

As the proverb goes, time flies. On the day I left Canada, I didn't have any particular emotion in my mind. I thanked people a lot and said "good bye" to my host family. When the plane began to take off, the tears of sorrow ran down on my cheeks and I could hardly stop crying until I got to Japan.

I was busy laughing, crying and worrying about many things within those 10 months. However, it is lucky of me to have had such a very nice host family, who accepted me as a member of their family, and my friends, who I was able to talk with about anything. Thanks to them, I have experienced a lot of important stuff I cannot forget in my life.

Lastly, I really want to say "thank you very much" to IKUEI and to my family for giving me such a fantastic opportunity, and I promise to keep working hard so as to make sure the time I spent in Canada, is put to good use.