Goodbye, Osaka!

Six days have gone by so swiftly. The students missed their own families during the homestay as it was their first time staying away from their parents. A few also missed their Japanese buddies

Home Sweet Home!

A Day at Kyoto

Yesterday, we all woke up early as we were eager to sight-see in Kyoto. The first stop was Kiyomizu Temple which is over 400 years old. It is one of the 21 landmarks that may become the new 7 wonders of the world. Visit the website http://www.new7wonders.com/ to vote.

Before lunch, we went to the Handicraft Centre for the art lesson. Boys, wearing huge aprons, did the woodblock painting while the girls enjoyed the doll painting. The dolls they painted were then wrapped up in a gift bag to be taken home as souvenirs.

We had lunch at the Nishijin Textile Centre and proceeded to the workshop to weave a piece of cloth which we got to take home. Each was a unique piece of handmade cloth which they truly treasure. Four girls dressed up in kimonos and don't they look simply fantastic? The rest of them spent some of their Japanese yen there.

After an hour of shopping at Loft, we had okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza) for dinner. The waiter showed us how to prepare it ourselves. Most of the kids could not flip their pizza over but they managed to add the necessary condiments to suit their palette.

Mini Concert & Farewell (sob...)

It was a day we will not forget. Ms See and I arrived early at Josei Gakuen to wait for the students to turn up but Nina and Wei Ying were already there. Guess these girls were anxious to meet us again.

They put up a great performance for the international class of students who have been learning English for 4 years. Our new friends sang Singapura with us.

Other lessons planned for us were interesting and engaging. The calligraphy teacher penned a word (in Chinese) for each of us and our best works were presented to us in a pretty folder. The principal was very warm and hospitable towards us. She continuously ensured that we had enough to eat and drink. She was always on the move and full of energy.

Some Japanese buddies broke down as we were leaving and even walked us all the way to the coach and waved till we were out of sight. Chernis only stopped crying after 10 minutes on the bus travelling to the restaurant where we had buffet dinner.

Gotta go now. Breakfast is beckoning.

Part 2- Meeting Host Families

The host families were eager to meet our students and plan a list of activities to make their homestay experience as memorable as possible. Some even lingered for a while to find out more about their likes and dislikes through JTB officers and the tour leader, Mr Kay.

I am sure the kids miss us, the teachers and we keep wondering how they are coping. We cannot wait to see them again to find out how the homestay has `transformed` them. They have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow so I hope they sleep well tonight.

Keep watching this space!

Sports Day

It was a chilly and rainy day today. Yet the Sports Day carried on and we took part in the game too! We won 2nd prize! After that, we had bento lunch filled with sushi. Due to the rain, the event was delayed by one and a half hour so the last student only left at 6.30pm.

It is Yusnah:s birthday today and we all sang her a birthday song last night after dinner. She also had a cake which we shared. All these girls in the photo just found her so kawaii (cute). Notice how they pose for photos?

Wei Na is a lucky girl as her host family has prepared a BBQ party for her tomorrow night. Others have planned a day out tomorrow.

Here We Are, Finally!

Look how excited we all were at the airport! We had a huge sending-off party made up of parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles (even Mr Lim SS, Ms Goh HM and Ms Cheong were there!)

We have had a long day - visiting Osaka Castle and Universal Studios. The students had time to jot down their thoughts in the midst of all this! Amazing!

Look how they wolfed down their lunch at Osaka Castle! Especially Kah Yiong (you cannot tell it:s him with his face deep in his bento lunch box!)

More pictures!

Look at the concentration on your faces! We are confident that you will all do us proud.