国際交流員 CIRs Emily Hammond....1 Madeline Thompson.. 4 Natália Cristina Ribeiro Abreu..8 Rodrigo Brinca de Jesus Limeira..11 県立学校 Prefectural ALTs Amba B

Transcription

1 JET 体験論文集 -

2 国際交流員 CIRs Emily Hammond....1 Madeline Thompson.. 4 Natália Cristina Ribeiro Abreu..8 Rodrigo Brinca de Jesus Limeira..11 県立学校 Prefectural ALTs Amba Bertie...16 Aziz Krich...17 Elizabeth Rock...18 Bradley Stevens.19 Constantine Tzoumanekas..20 Gwyn Browning.21 Jonathan Longden...22 Joshua Hodgson.23 Marian Kandler.24 Mikayla Rogers..25 Nicolle Ocasio.27 Preston Mitchum...28 Robert Pearsall...29 Samuel Ehrhardt...30 Subane Abdi.31 Zackery Messenger.33 Katelynn Wilson.48 Kenzel Jones 49 Kaycee-Ann Grant..50 Matthew Alberts.52 May Zhang 53 Megan St. Andrew..54 Nicholas Colaccino..55 Patrick Farrell.56 Phillip Park..57 Priscilla Wolfe..58 Rebecca White..59 Robert Ward..60 Russell Roberts.63 Sharon Goetz.64 Stephanie Smith...66 近江八幡市 Omihachiman City ALTs Logan Scott 68 Selena Miranda 69 甲賀市 Koka City ALTs Joshua McMillen..70 Rachel Boyle..71 長浜市 Nagahama City ALTs Alexandra Andrews 34 Amelia Devine.35 Bryan Barney..37 Caitlin Wolf..38 Carolina Swift.39 Ella Baylis 42 Genna Marie-Kilduff..43 Graham Boden 45 Isaac Morgan...46 Jessica Lacourse.47 高島市 Takashima City ALTs Brittany Ekejiuba.73 Brixton Sandhals..74 Caroline Wright.75 Florian Perret 78 Jessica Hammond.79 Nicole Brennan.. 80 Paku Daoust-Cloutier..81 Robin McLeod 82 Tyler Bass...83

3 東近江市 Higashiomi City ALTs David Turner..84 Ian Prager...85 Kate Featherstone.86 Kevin Lavigne...87 Kyle Jones...88 Lynsey Piernick..89 Robyn Pearce..91 Zach Lee..92 米原市 Maibara City ALTs Sarah Henry...96 Scott Paik 97 Stuart Wong 98 甲良町 Kora Town ALT Joseph Riggio 100

4 日 経験 明日 成長 ハ ン 滋賀県大津市政策調整部国際交流室勤務ア 合衆国 ン州出身 2 年目国際交流員 く国際交流員 大津市 配属 2 年 経 いう あ 信 せ 2 年目 業務量 増え く 対応力 向上 う 気 2 年目 1 年目 同 内容 く 新 い 大 機会 経験 多 翻訳翻訳 年 イン 業務 一 業務 中 最 難 く 最 や い あ 事 一 思い 文章 意味 違う言語 効率的 訳 大変苦労 当然あ 一文翻訳 翻訳力 日本語力 く 幅広い知識 身 い 例え 年度 依頼 多いパン チ 礼状 1 ヶ 半ほ 大津百 : 遺産 英訳 尽力 家 い 建築用語 歴史 関 情報 翻訳 明治時代 そ 前 大津市 様子や 建物 神社 寺 建築 い 勉強 十 翻訳技術 身 う 翻訳 機会 生 3 年目 頑張 い 思 い 通訳翻訳 最近通訳 回数 大幅 増え 内容 高度 依頼 多く 段 窓口通訳 乳幼児健診 表敬訪問 観 ア チ 通訳 い 留学生や英語 生 転入 転出届 国民健康保険 国連職員 中学校 講義 通訳 参加 1

5 加入 保育園 関 問い合わせ 最 一般的 次第 慣 そ う 内容 通訳 最近派遣 大津市 中学校 国連職員 チ通訳 全く違い う 通訳依頼 責任重大 貴重 経験 通訳力 向上 繋 観 PR 大好 大津市 PR 個人的 一番楽 い業務 都市 大好 理由 人 伝え や い 感 SNS 動 編集 磨い い い 思 い 現在行 い 観 PR 外国人対象 観 ア や 投稿や市 イベン い 動 作 最近 近江八 関 チ 様子県 ア 人国際交流員 一緒 近江八 い 頑張 い や チ 通 滋賀県 大津市 対 興味や関心 高 期待 い 最初 効果 い せ 時間 経過 何 変化 生 出せ 嬉 い 学校訪問 1 年目 比べ 学校訪問 回数 大幅 増え 現在 幼稚園 保育園訪問 主 高校 中学校 行く機会 あ 幅広い年齢層 内容 様々 幼い聞 手 対 簡単 英語 歌 絵本 ゲ ア 文化 紹 基本 私 姉妹州 ン 姉妹都市 ン ン 出身 あ 生 高校 中学校 訪問 際 姉妹州 姉妹都市 内容 優 入 い 生 教室 出 ン 内容 忘 姉妹都市 関係 覚え い え う 意識 い 保育園訪問 様子 イベン 最近 大津国際親善協会 開催 外国人 日本 文化 伝え う いうテ 日本人向 イベン 参加 い 神社 袴体験 茶道 穴太衆 石積 日本文化 外国人 や く説明 う 日本人 参加者 簡潔 英単 2

6 語 表現 伝え い う イベン 国際交流 益 く 私自身 日本文化 関 色々 勉強 い 終わ 国際交流員 様々 内容や目的 あ 事 事 機会 恵 や い 感 あ く思 い 国際親善協会イベン 英会話 ン 3 年目 2 年目 う 様々 経験 積 機会 触 事 幅 広 い う 世界 待 い 非常 楽 素晴 い一年 期待 い 3

7 ン ン ソン 滋賀県庁観光交流局国際室 合衆国 チュ セ 州出身 2 目国際交流員 そ そ JET セ 書 時期 来 去 セ 人 書い い う一 間 経 新 い経験 出会い い いあ そ 日本語 わ う 日本語 言え 言葉 言語 習い そ 文化 こ 少 わ う 2 い ホ 一緒 出前講 準備 い 時 日本 いいこ 考え い 電車や ン ニや桜 思い浮 び そ ホ 教育 言う 私 比べ い 問題 あ 答え い ホ 確 違う 日本 学校 学生 日本社会 一員 う 教え い う? 言い 私 び 考え 確 そう 思い 学校 方 自由 や 自分 人生 中心 考え方 教え い そ 私 当 前 こ 実際 的 こ い 10 間日本語 日本文化 勉強 私 考え方 人 考え方 そ 人生 変え い そ 変え い こ い 日本 長 滞在 大 経験 思い 8 帰国 将来 日本 戻 住 い 思 い こ 社会的 政治的 問題 い 勉強 何 様子 良 頑張 い 思い そ 世界 頑張 こ 感 い 4

8 学校訪問 出前講 毎 学校訪問 出前講 件 あ そ 学校や国際協会 行 や多文化共生関係 い 話 こ 多 小学校 幼稚園や高校 行 時 あ そ 一 会社員 研修 男女 等 い 発表 学生 うや 興味 いうこ い 自分 生活 簡単 比べ こ 一番いい 最近わ 例え 学校生活や祭 紹 生徒 自然 自分 文化 相違点や共通点 見 多文化 いうこ 少 感 思い そ 難 い話 失礼 社会的 政治的 環境 大学生時代 勉強 考え こ や 滋賀県 来 考え こ 必要 実 去 学校訪問 大 違い 気 学校 行 聞 考え? 聞 段 ン 自由 女神 答え 来 以来 い ン!!! ン タワ! 来 い 特 小学校 うや 社会や政治 様子 明 いい 悩 い ふさわ い答え い こ う 経験 人 責任 理解 こ あ い 高校 出前講 少 い 非常 面白い 自分 興味深い 選 簡単 明 う 頑張 発表 作 大変勉強 経験 去 大統領選挙 終わ 次 高校 行 そこ 5

9 美術専攻 時 絵 選挙 話 結び 差別や多文化共生 話 大成功 発表 政治 話 特 難 い 高校生 わ い 楽 優 明 意外 う 行 思い そ 社会 いい影響 あ 可能性 高い 思い 翻訳 ネ チ 翻訳 ネ チ 一番多い 滋賀県 産業 観光地 ン 知 様 招待状 感謝状 い い 内容 依頼 来 特 面白いこ わ い日本語 出 時 僚 中 多言語 話 人 多い そ 人 相談 さ 興味深い言語的 話 そ 滋賀県 観光客向 内容 見 こ 場所行 い! や こ 食べ い! 思 い 通 住 い 県 魅力 わ う こ 本当 素晴 いこ 思い 情報発信 : 近江八 ロ 滋賀県 CIR 情報発信 推 ロ や い 私 前任者 ホ さ 考え Yo!Biwako 記 や写真 滋賀県 いい こ 紹 最後 自分 ロ 案 そ 近江八 ロ いう こ ロ 近江八 浮世絵 ロ 地 見 行 そこ あ 現在 色 そ 歴史 調べ 記 書 そ 大津市 CIR さ 一緒 各地 行 動画 撮影 い こ ロ 私 CIR 独特 や興味 滋賀県 知識 伝え い 6

10 PA 関係最後 JET 取 PA 行 い PA 新 い ALT 向 ン ョン ALT 全員 研修 準備 実施 い そ CLAIR 情報 ALT 知 こ ALT 任用団体 質問 問題 解決 こ PA 内容 生 違う国 住 知 い言葉 毎日聞い 多文化 習慣 触 意外 大変 感 ALT 手助 本当 好 経験豊富 間 言葉 伝え い い感謝 い こ 滋賀 こ 心 刻 人生 楽 続! 7

11 彦根市 民 ~3 目 思い出 ~ タ チ 滋賀県彦根市人権政策課多文化共生係勤務 州出身 4 目国際交流員 最初 滋賀県彦根市 来 3 経 現在 私 4 目 国際交流員 勤 い 来日 頃 比べ 彦根市 生活 大分慣 楽 く取 組 い 尚 JET 参加 い 方々 中 国際交流員 4 以上勤 方 少 い う 思い 彦根市役所 引 続 働く 嬉 く思 い 今回 昨 度 主 活動 振 返 そ 思い出 い 報告 い 思い 子 多文化 成 28 度 前半 私 担当 一番大 業 夏休 子 多文化 子 多文化 対象者 彦根市内 小中学校 通 い 外国 繋 持 子 同 う 背景 あ 児童生徒 交流 様々 テ テ 取 組 夏休 7 月 8 月 併 6 回開催 今 私 1 人 ン 企画 機会 あ 昨 度 ン 全体的 運営 貴重 経験 業 企画 外国 繋 持 子 何 必要 何 喜ぶ いう う 疑問 参加者 子 楽 生活 役立 内容 色々考え 市内 企業見学や日本文化体験 学習支援や人権教育 係 テ テ 等 実施 ン ゼ 企画 全体的 運営 難 い あ 業 実現 く 段階 あ 共 働い い 方々や ンテ 協力 大 く無 6 日間 成感 あ 外国 繋 持 児童生徒 多く 親 共働 学校 休 外出 家 1 人過 珍 くあ う 状況 解消 子 多文化 子 多文化 開催 最終日 ン 夏休 宿題 い 様子 い い 体験 楽 参加 友 意見 書 い 改 業 行うや 斐 強く感 冬休 子 多文化 開催 夏休 い 冬休 1 回 定番 料理教室 夏休 子 多文化 同 く 彦根市内 小中 8

12 学校 通 い 外国 繋 持 子 参加 児童生徒 作 や 起 い材料 考え 様々 配慮 必要 業 企画 い 間 文化的や宗教的 情 参加者 同 う 食べ物 食べ い子 い 知 や食料 選ぶ う 文化的 気遣い 必須 感 今 度 冬休 前 私 体調 崩 元気 時期 あ く 方 支え あ 無 子 多文化 ン 開催 嬉 く思 い 冬休 様子 語教室 語教室 持 子 対象者 語 文化 学べ 教室 私 来日 業 開催 う 昨 度 業 3 目 語教室 5 月 2 月 15 回行い 以前 参加 い 子 新 く入 児童生徒 含 10 人程度 参加者 楽 く 語 勉強 昨 度 印象的 思い出 一 言う 語教室 1 目 通 い 日本生 育 人 児童生徒 帰国 いう そ 子 教室 通い始 頃 語 読 書 全く 少 読 方 覚え 3 目 小学生 学 向 簡単 文章 読 う 語教室 様子 両親 人 あ 日本生 育 子 学校 知 い 多くあ 新 い学校生活 慣 時間 思い そ 児童生徒 日本 い 間 語 少 覚え 学校 馴染 や く い 思い 日本 長く い 日本 学校 知 い子 突然帰国 あ や 語教育 必須 感 そ 理 親 ュ ョン 向上や 日本語 習得 語教育 大 思い 語教室 開催 あ 改善 べ 多い 感 い 将来 外国人 子 多い小学校 同 う 教室 開 語 く タ 語や ン語 支援 あ 多文化共生 く 進 い 思い 多文化交流教室 多国籍料理教室 私 担当 い 業 中 外国 繋 持 子 く 彦根市民向 教室 あ 一 目 語 文化 学べ 多文化交流教室 9

13 1 目 2 目 教室 参加者 日本人 社会人や高齢者 昨 度 高校生や小学生 参加者 い 若者 参加者 語 学 学校 通 い 人 友 話 い や 大学 語 勉強 い いう声 聞 更 チ ョン 上 目 業 多国籍料理教室 いう ン 参加 い 方々 外国 料理 作 食べ 世界 食文化 通 国際理解 深 いう 目的 料理教室 昨 度 ン ネ 料理 企画 ン ネ 数 間 経験 あ 日本人 講師 招 そ 講師 ン ン ネ 料理教室 ネ 食料 く ン ネ 料理 具 持 様子 い 興味深い教室 思い ン 外国人 タ 増や ほ い いう意見 書 彦根市民 外国人 交流 深 い気持 高 い い 思い 先輩 私今 度 JET 通 日本各地 活躍 い 人 国際交流員 中 私 滋賀県庁 勤 い ン 一番経験 長い 国籍 CIR く 経験 重 様々 意味 先輩 覚え く い 多く 彦根市 多文化共生 く 尽く い 思 い 昨 度 学 生 今 度 多文化共生係 業 向上 頑張 い い 思い 10

14 文化 翻訳 教育 い ン 滋賀県商工労働観光部観光交流局国際室勤 連邦共和国 ン 州出身 年目国際交流員 年間以 同 う 内容 事 慣 い い 新 い面 気 い 目線 変わ い 前回 体的 事 例 回改 説明 職 内容 各 野 う 方針 い 行動 い い 述べ い 思う 学校訪問及び出前講 国際交流員 職 中 将来 社会 あ 程 影響 え 能性 あ い 考え 学校訪問 出前講 思い浮 人 日本社会 一員 暮 い 外国人 外国 持 子供 人数 増加 あ 日本社会 少子化 高齢化 進 い 現在 外国人 日本人 接触 交流 機会 増え い 傾向 あ 子供や社会人 文化や 語 習慣 い 悪い 力 場合 あ いう 気 う 出前講 様々 紹 い 子供向 出前講 時 基本的 ワ ン ン ン 使 い ン 作成 時 考え い う 多面性 子供 簡単 説明 いい いう 注意点 気 い 大 い国 多面性 あ 言 う 推論 対 い国 多面性 い い や い 結局 気 い 多民族国家 ほ 国 あ 程 多面性 あ いう 述べ 当然 思う 年前 私 概念 わ い 気 体験 あ 住 い 滋賀県 文化 知 う 対面性 様々 場面 体験 ン 内容 簡単 決 う 言い換え 私 場合 日本人 い 効果的 説明 日本 多面性 あ いう 自 感 必要 あ 思う あ 国 い 面 挙 いう う 思う 国 地方 個人 面 当然 幅 広 広いほ 内容 近 う 実態 あ 程 証拠 あ 決 悪い 方 あ 思う 問題 あ 海外 事実 少 い 一般 方 情報 得 普及 う う 状況 国際交流員 一 大 事 崩 強 感 11

15 日本 国 面 治安 良 い 人々 陽気 好 等 個人的 嫌 ニ いう祭 あ 祭 期間中女性 ビ ニ い 服装 着 ン 踊 確 ニ いわ い 強調 特徴 私 和感 覚え 実際 前記 普及 共通点 幾多あ 少 複雑 述べ い あ 国 対 持 い 外国人 現地 人 う 異 本質 地方 面 海外 あ い いえ う 時 地方 面 ほ 国 単純化 各地方 特徴 あ 伝わ い 最後 あ 文化 中 育 人 経験 意見 含 個人 面 あ 自 経験 語 非常 知 普及 い う 個人 感 人 感 い い う 気 ン い う 自 ン 作 直 う 思 国 文化 個人経験 わ 幅広い情報 使い 一 一 ン 中 崩 前提 作 い 例え ニ 説明 際 国 文化 面 単純 全国 行わ 踊 祭 時期 伝え 地方 ン ン 州 各地方 ニ 特徴 子供 比べ 最後 自 経験 子供 頃参加 仮装 紹 いう い ン い あ 対象者 年齢層 合わ 国以 面 紹 能 前 ニ 例 場合 行わ ニ 教 祭 本来 説明 世界 国々 色々 あ 気 野洲市立中主幼稚園 翻訳 翻訳 私 事 大部 個人的 関心 持 あ 何 訳 際 考え べ 幾 あ 例え 誰 訳文対象者 自然 文書 原文 近い 翻訳 依頼 方 12

16 相談 訳 方 いい 実際 任 言わ 場合 多い 勝手 翻訳 わ い い 翻訳家 う いい う 実 方向 示 ン い あ 年間 ン あ 特 語 対応 い ほ い 深 考え 例 基 自 翻訳 い 年 国際室 一 事業 多言語 ン 同僚 翻訳関係 幅広い ン 観光 / 多文化共生 野 翻訳 機械翻訳 手動翻訳 媒体 課題 い 経験 あ 方 聞 機会 恵 気 い いい意味 気 う 資料 訳 際 時間 あ 限 対訳表 辞書 ン ン 場面 役立 覚え う い 県 ン 出来 私 事 い 易 ン 貢献 非常 あ い 国際交流員 Facebook 及び Yo!Biwako 管理 滋賀県 歴史 長 県民 近江商人 知 い 日本人 少 い 日本語 書 県 歴史 関 参考文献 豊富 外国語 教科書や あ い 滋賀 歴史 文化 知 い 日本語能力 十 外国人県民 主 対象者 国際交流員 共 2014 年 Yo!Biwako いう や 始 Yo!Biwako あ いう間 年 経 歴史的 記事 ン 祭 ン 自然 CIR 舞 年 一人増え 興味 持 い 書 余裕 記事 書 う 徐々 記事 数 増や 目指 い 人 子供 教育 最近 長い間 休 大津市 あ 夜間学校 人 日本語教育指 手伝う 学校 教育状況 加え 時折訪 公立学校や 人学校 大学生 頃 勉強 多言語教育 結局 私 日本 教育制 対 意見 大 影響 思う あ 専門家 意見 い あ 程 証拠 基 い い 思う 紹 い 最初 学校 通う子供 う 説明 必要 あ 型的 例 挙 両親 一緒 来日 あ 時期 人学校 通 公立学校 転校 中学校 卒業 定時制 夜間学校 卒業 専門学校 入学 大学 編入 進学 い 人 子供 13

17 見 目立 殆 子供 人学校 通 あ いう 通 いう 幾多 理由 あ 帰国 未定 いう面 保護者 見 公立学校 子供 い 遭う 実際 虐 遭 挙 帰国 関 両国 経済危機 大 影響 う わ い いう風 未 良 耳 長い滞在 方 間 日本 住 決 傾向 見 子供 日本語日常会 能力 BICS 1 - Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills あ 程 発 い 高等学校や大学 教育 必要 日本語能力 CALP - Cognitive Academic Language Skills 言語能力 い い 思わ 理由 考え 学校外日本語 ン 2 足 い 能性 あ 文脈 ン 理解 僅 高い 言語 示 い 日本人 ン 家族や日常生活 中 様々 ン ン 言語能力 徐々 人 子供 場合 家族 ュニ ン 主 語 行わ 語能力 ン 日本語能力 直接 あ 影響 い う ン 増や いう単純 う 当然 う 課題 ほ 簡単 解決 い 家 う ン あ 学校 ン 大 面 あ 言語 難 動機付 あ 学校 い 解決 い課題 記 課題 加え 意識 問題 あ 人 保護者 子供 現状 把握 い い方 多い う 人 ュニ 中 親 子供 無関心 批 方 少 い 個人的 思 い 日常会 い 保護者 子供 姿 見 子供 大人 場面 日本語 出来 う い 保護者 長い労働時間 子供 過 時間 限 い 日本 教育制 い 問題点 あ : 教育 保護者 半日制 比べ 日本 全日制 子供 大 負担 思わ い 能性 あ 子供 苦労 強 感 学校 い い時 休 遊 い い い う見 同感 あ 日本社会 中 子供 選択肢 増や 埋 必要 あ 数 限 い 教育補助や日本語指 行 い ン 団体 NPO あ 日本人 子供 交流 場 児童 あ 年 四月 大学経済学部 教授 ン 日本 住 い 人 う 教育 最 相応 い いう い 研究 行 結果 課題 向 合う 適 明 文化や教育 い 保護者 記 問題点 意識 い 難 参加 子供 未来 頑張 是非 通わ 必要性 気 い い い う 方 私 貢献 あ 1 BICS CALP ン 言語能力理論 用語 2 ン ン 仮説 用語 14

18 終わ 言葉 是非頑張 い 思う 前 年間 職 職 同 う見え う面 あ 同 う 回 前回 同 目線 国際交流員 限 様々 野 あ 課題 幾 立場 見 析 必要 あ や 文化交流関係 事 直接 大勢 人生 影響 自 影響 最後 う 様々 気 い 側 何 教え 同僚 い 同僚 滋賀 あ 方々 礼 申 終わ い 思う 年間 誠 あ う い う 願い致 15

19 Omiyage,OMG! Kokusai Joho High School: Amba Bertie 2 During my year in Japan, among all the aspects of this unique country that I ve really appreciated like the Japanese manner, prompt train schedule, and delicious food, there has been one thing that has really stood out. That is the Japanese custom of omiyage. Some people might say that it can be expensive when you have to buy omiyage for many people, or for many occasions. But, I think that the practice of giving and getting omiyage is unique. Each prefecture, and even famous towns and events, has their own special product. For example, the omiyage I have personally tasted are Momiji Manju from Hiroshima, Castella from Nagasaki, Red Miso chips from Nagoya, Green Tea cookies from Uji, and Tokyo Banana among others. Omiyage allows us to know more about these places through taste. Omiyage also starts conversation and gives us the opportunity to learn more about our coworkers. All it takes is a quick where did you buy this omiyage? and we can learn more about the people we work with, and find things in common. To me, omiyage is the best item to show appreciation and build good relationships with others. If I have an omiyage on my desk in the morning it makes me feel very happy, and gives me more motivation to interact with others. Also, omiyage shows the giving nature of the Japanese people and their consideration. Thanks to omiyage, I succeeded in talking with my fellow KJ teachers, and made good relationships with them. Omiyage is something that I ll really miss back in Canada; guess I should get used to Tim Hortons doughnuts again! わぁ おみやげだ! 国際情報高校 : ンバ バ テ 時刻表通 来 電車 い い食べ物 国 滞在中 体験 文化 中 特 印象深い 一 あ そ 日本 文化 あ 場面 多く 人 買わ い 高く く いう人 い せ 私 あ 文化 独特 思い 各県 有 町 そ ベン 物 あ 個人的 広島 う 長崎 カス ラ 古屋 赤 そ プス 宇治 抹茶ク キ そ 東京バ 食べ そ 味 通 私 そ 土地 教え く そ 会話 作 く べ 買い? 一言 始 私 僚 知 共通点 見出 私 人々 感謝 気持 示 良い関係 築い いく 一番 ム 朝 出勤時 スク 上 置 い 見 幸せ 気 先生 話 い いう気持 親 思い あ 日本人 性格 表 い う 私 国情 先生 く 話 仲良く過 カ 帰 日本 恋 く そう う いえ い ム ホ ン いう環境 慣 く い せ! ( 訳 [ 国際情報高校宮林祥子 ]) 16

20 1 Personal Connections Kusatsu Higashi SHS: Aziz Krich Weeks, if not months before moving to Japan I frantically searched forums and websites, eager to seek out perspectives on my new life. Needless to say, there were countless people offering advice but the one tidbit of information that was repeatedly hammered into my consciousness was that each situation would be different. Clearly this turned out to be correct - as ALTs no two situations are the same. We are all placed in different schools all over the country with different responsibilities and expectations thrust upon us in the classroom. Being an ALT however, is more than just standing in front of 40 students, it s about making connections and influencing the lives of students in a positive, more personal way. This exchange element is an essential part of the JET Programme and remains constant throughout the programme regardless of where we are placed. On my first day at school, after nervously reciting my self-introduction to countless new faces, I was thrust into a classroom comprised of just six curious students. This, it turned out, was my ESS group. In addition to regular classes, I would see these students for an additional two hours twice a week. As the months and years progressed my relationship with these students grew and I witnessed them slowly change from shy introverts to confident, mature individuals. As they developed as students, I felt that my ability as a teacher took a similar trajectory. Those extra hours we spent together were invaluable and before long they had no reservations at all asking me about my life or requesting advice on their futures. Last year, I had the pleasure to see those first six students graduate. It was left with a feeling of pride while recognising how we had mutually impacted each other s lives over the years. This just reinforced for me the importance and true value of forming personal connections as a teacher. 草津東高校 : ア ー ュ 人 一週間 う 一ヶ月 い 思う 日本 来 前 私 必死 新 い生活 見通 を立 べく ネッ を調べ 数え切 い人々 ア バイ をく 人生 岐路 立 一 情報 私を変え そ そ 決断 間違 い ALT 皆 異 学校 配属 40 人 前 授業を JET プロ ム 仕 初日 多く 生徒 前 緊張 そ 6 人 熱心 生徒 私を見 い ESS 生徒 通常 加え 週 回 2 時間彼 出会う 彼 少 成長 私 成長 昨年 初 卒業生 迎え 彼 過 時間 大切 を感 うい 経験 教師 一人一人 人間 個人的 を持 互い 影響 あえ 喜びを実感 ( 訳 [ 草津東高校翻訳者築地原尚美 ]) 17

21 Take a Chance on Fun 1 Ishiyama High School: Elizabeth Helen Rock This year, I ve been trying to create activities and lessons where students can show more of their creativity and share their own opinions. The biggest new project I added was an English skit. For me, someone who has a deep seated fear of failure, the planning for it was sort of terrifying. When creating new lesson plans, I am often plagued with what if s. For this, my biggest question was What if it doesn t work? What if it s too difficult and they don t succeed? One should never underestimate the creative power of their students. In their skits about The Best Summer Vacation, there were story lines I had never expected, most of which left me and their classmates in stitches. Some highlights included a shark falling in love with a human, students pretending to burn their homework, several cameos by Doraemon, a trip to Hawaii complete with a ukulele-playing narrator, and the most unbelievably frenetic and bare-bones retelling of the hit movie Kimi no nawa. What this year has taught me is that my students will never fail to surprise me, and that they are generally more capable than I expect. All I have to do is give them the opportunity. With this freedom, there is of course the possibility of failure but if I don t take a step back and let them try, neither they nor I will know what they are capable of. I hope to continue making more opportunities for students to use language creatively. I will also strive to live more by the words of Ms. Frizzle (whose magic school bus was like the dokodemo-door of my childhood): It s time to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy! 楽しいことに挑戦しよう滋賀県立石山高等学校エリザ ス ン ック 年 も 生徒 創造性 意見 分 合うこ 活動や授業 う 新 い企画 一 英語 キッ 作成 私 い も失敗 も恐 い そ 計画 少 安 私 い も も う 悩 い 一番 懸念 も う い も 難 首尾 い う う 生徒 創造力 過小 いけ 最高 夏休 いう 題 キッ 予想 あ 私も生徒も大笑い い 際 も 紹 サメ 恋 落 人間 宿題 燃や ふ 生徒 えも 名場面集 ワイ旅行 最後 タ ウ 演奏 そ 信 いほ 熱狂的 短 ヒッ 映画 君 名 テ ン 生徒 私 い も驚 私 思 い い いも 力 持 い こ 年 教え も い 私 機会 え け いい 自由 も 失敗 恐 もあ も 一歩下 生徒 や け 私も生徒 も何 わ い 私 生徒 言語 使 創造性 発揮 機会 も 作 続け い 思い フ 先生 先生 魔法 私 子供時代 えも こ も ア う も 言葉 教え い こ も 一生懸命 思 い さあ挑戦 う 間違 も 恐 実際 や う 翻訳滋賀県立石山高等学校教諭今井早織 18

22 Exchange before Teaching Kita Otsu High School: Bradley Stephens Being an ALT can be challenging at times especially when we re expected to teach classes of noisy and uninterested students. It becomes all worthwhile though when we have the opportunity to engage with our students on a more personal level. I m often reminded of this when I m not even at school at all. It s common for me to run into my students around town and one recent example really stands out to me. I was walking home from the supermarket one evening and I happened to run into a third year student who had graduated only a few weeks before. He told me he was coming home from his part-time job and as it turned out we were heading in the same direction. The more we talked the more I was taken aback by how well he spoke English. He had no problem understanding me as we talked about his part-time job, his brother who was currently studying in Australia or what my life was like in Japan. I asked him what he planned to do now that he had graduated high school and I was overjoyed to hear that he had been accepted into an English Program at a highly regarded university in Kyoto. Once we went our separate ways, I thought about how I wished I had spoken to him more in class. I wondered whether focussing more on communicating directly with students instead of getting caught up in the intricacies of teaching would make my time as an ALT all the more successful. The most useful piece of advice I ve received while on the JET Programme is The E for Exchange comes before the T for Teaching. In the experiences I ve had at my schools, I couldn t agree more. テ チン 前 チ ン 北大津高等学校 : ッ テ ベン ALT あ こ 時 困難 い あ 特 く興味 示さ い生徒 い 教え う 時 そ う 感 生徒 個人的 ベ 接 機会 あ 時 有意義 学校 い い時 さえ 私 こ こ 思い出 こ くあ 町 自分 生徒 偶然出会うこ くあ あ 最近 出来事 心 浮 く 夜 歩い 帰 途中 ま ま数週間前 卒業 3 年生 生 徒 出会 彼 終え 帰宅 途中 私 言 ま 私 同 方向 帰宅 こ 分 話 ほ 彼 英語 話 大変うまい こ 驚い 彼 い 話 時 私 言葉 理解 全く困 い オ 現在留学 い 彼 弟 こ 日本 私 生活 あ い 話 彼 高校 卒業 今何 尋 彼 京都 評価 高い大学 英語コ 入学 許可さ 聞い 大変嬉 彼 別 私 授業 彼 い 良 思 教授 法 問題 わ わ 生徒 直 コ ュニ ョン こ 重点 置く う 考え こ こ 私 ALT 時間 さ 有意義 う JET 期間 受け 最 有用 テ チン T 前 チ ン E く いうこ あ 私 学校 経 こ 絶対 賛成 日本語訳 : 北大津高校英語科教員福井隆之 19

23 Tainted Shores Upon arriving in Nagahama, Shiga I was unsure of what I felt. I was expecting to be placed in a country side, but found Nagahama to be more of a strange sort of cross between country and city. What I imagined to be Japanese country side was an image of lush green trees, hills of vibrant grass, with the warm colours of the sunset looming over, only to pass and reveal a sky of glittering stars. Living fairly central to Nagahama City, I was in for quite the shock. It felt like Nagahama, despite being quite deep into rural Shiga, failed to satisfy that image I had of Japan s country side, the place that in my mind I had accepted to be my home for the next year or few. Nagahama felt more like a downgraded modern city, so coming from a city that is reputable for being the most livable city in the world, it was a bit surprising, as I did not enter into the lush outback of Japan as I had expected, rather into a city that felt incomplete. Even so, I was able to make connections with the local people, however felt a certain coldness from the conceited JET community in Shiga. Which I m grateful for, because while my expectations were blown away, I was able to experience and connect more thoroughly with what was around me, and move slightly closer toward my own goals. Thus I depart, and not unlike the tainted shores of Biwa, I carry within me the ever so slightly darkened tinge of Shiga. 3 汚 た湖畔私 田舎 配置さ 思っ いた 滋賀県長浜市 都会 田舎 中間 う 町並 あった 私 想像し いた日本 田舎 木々 生い茂 夜 星 輝い い う 土地 あった 都会を希望し いた 都会 離 た住 い町長浜 住 こ った や 都会 配置さ った 残念 あ 様々 人たち 出会った そし 私 長浜 人たち 良い関係を築こう 努力した い い 面倒を く た人たち 本当 感謝し い 滋賀県 思い出 も 私 旅立 う 思う 20

24 Appreciation Torahime High School: Gwyn Ivy Browning In April, my mother, father, and younger sister came to Japan and were able to see the home that I have made for myself here. This trip was especially important to me, because I always have this nagging need to justify the distance between my family and myself. I need them to know why I live so far away and why I keep choosing to incorporate Japanese culture into my own. This was my chance to show them what Japan means to me. My family not only saw my home in Shiga, but they got Your Picture to meet some of the people who support me here. My American family and Japanese family finally came together and we could enjoy each other s company. Connections were made and my family has come to love Japan and its people more and more. Upon returning to America, my father bought a yuzu tree and a fryer for making kushikatsu. Then for Mother s Day, my parents got a stone lantern for the yard. Their appreciation of the Japanese way of life is evident in their efforts to incorporate the Japanese lifestyle and aesthetic into their own. I hope my family subsequently spreads their positive impression of Japan through their connections, introducing international mindedness and respect to other American people. In a small way, this experience has given me relief and hope that the xenophobia expressed in the media and reflected in politics will not endure in my own community. 感謝 滋賀県立虎姫高等学校 : グエン ビー ロウニング 4 月 私 母 父 妹 日本 来 日本 私自身 築い 生活 理解し うこ し 私 家族 私 距離 正当化す 理由 い い 悩 い こ 旅行 特 私 大切 あ し 私 私 こ 遠く 住 い 日本文化 受け入 選択 続け 彼 知 う必要 あ し こ 私 日本 何 示す機会 し 私 家族 滋賀県 私 生活 見 け く ここ 私 支え く い 人々 会い し 私 メ カ 家族 日本 家族 い 集 わ し 楽し こ し 関係 作 私 家族 日本 日本 人々 す す好 し メ カ 帰 前 父 柚子 木 串カツ 作 ヤー 買い し し 母 日 両親 庭 石 灯籠 買い し 日本人 生 方 対す 彼 感謝 日本 生活様式や彼 自身 美学 受け入 努力 わ し 私 私 家族 後 国際的 考え方 紹介す こ や他 メ カ 人々 尊敬す こ 通し 日本 対す 好印象 広 こ 望 す こ 経験 私 メデ や政治 反映さ い 外国 人 恐 いう発想 私自身 い 地域 起こ い あ う いう安心 望 与え く し ( 訳 [ 滋賀県立虎姫高等学校 : 冨岡奈央 ]) 21

25 Japan From Many Perspectives Moriyama Prefectural Junior and Senior High School: Jonathan Longden Summarizing the most eventful year of my life in just half a page is quite a challenge, but I ll try Before I came to Japan, I was given one very good piece of advice- say yes more. Because of this advice, I ve done some amazing things, met wonderful people and seen some incredible parts of Japan. I ve seen Japan through the eyes of a teacher, in front of forty pairs of inquisitive ears, ready to absorb more English. I ve seen Japan while sat in the most atmospheric bars and restaurants, surrounded by the best food and even better new friends from all over the world. I ve seen Japan from my bike, touring around in amazing weather, and exploring the hidden gems of Kansai. I ve seen Japan from the top of mountains, from behind the wheel of a car and from the shores of the sea and lakes. And I ve even seen Japan while wearing a karate suit, sweating away in an incredibly hot dojo, and often fending off other Japanese karateka. And even when they re trying to attack me, Japanese people still seem to be some of the nicest people in the world! I ll be saying yes again for the next few years, and I m looking forward to seeing Japan from even more new points of view. ま まな角度から日本を眺めて県立守山中学校 高等学校 : ジョナサン ロングデン 人生 一番変化 多 年を 半ペー 極 難 い や う 思う 来日前 や 答え いう 最良 ア バイ を 驚異的 を成 遂 素晴 い人々 出会い 信 い う 日本 魅力 気 く 探求心旺盛 英語を貪欲 吸収 う い 40 組 耳 前 立 教師 目 見 日本 洒落 バーやレ ラン 素敵 食事 各国 集 友 囲 い 時 日本 最高 天気 日 関西 秘宝を見 探検を い 自転車 見 日本 山頂 運転 車 中 浜辺や湖岸 見 日本 空手着を着 信 いく い熱い道場 汗び 練習 日本 空手家 技を受 い 時 日本 彼 攻撃 く さえ 日本人 世界 最 品 あ う 思え や! 言い続 さ 新 い視点 日本を見 楽 22

26 Nothing personal, kid. 1 Minakuchi Higashi High School: Joshua Hodgson While for the last few years I have had positive experiences with both my co-workers and students there will be many times in life that this won t be the case. On JET we don t choose where we work, who we work with or even who we teach. It s inevitable that while interacting with hundreds of people you ll eventually have a student or coworker that won t cooperate or even worse try to disrupt your class. If you evaluate your actions and can t find a cause for this communication breakdown you may be left asking yourself What did I do wrong? the answer may be nothing; it s really not personal, well, at least not about you. It s very common for people to project their problems onto others. The best way to deal with it will be to be as understanding as you can. Students in particular have a lot going in their lives; it could be their family, exam stress, or simply adolescent hormones. So if you find yourself in a situation with someone snappy, my advice is to not think of it as a challenge to your authority or of them as an opponent to defeat, but as an opportunity to be positive and try to find out what is going on in their lives. You may be surprised and rewarded with a new positive energy in your classes and interactions. 楽観的に見よう! 水口東中学 高等学校 ョ ュア ホドソン 私 ここ何年 同僚や生徒 良い経験 持 まし 人生 中 何度もそう い あ ま JET 私 こ 働く 誰 一緒 働く 誰 教え 選べ い 何百人 いう人 接 授業 妨害 う 生徒 出会う 避け いこ 自分 行動 振 返 授業 妨害 原因 わ 何 間違 こ し う? 考え しまう もし い 答え 何も い そ 本当 個人的 こ い 少 く もあ 個人 い い 人 自分 問題 他人 い くあ こ 1 番良い対処法 け生徒 理解し う こ 生徒 い い あ 忙しい 家族 こ 試験 ス ス 思春期 ホ ン あ もし い う さい生徒 い 私 ア バイス こう そ 敵対 相手 対 反抗 思う く 良い方向 変え いくチ ンス え 生徒 生活 何 起 い 理解し う い そうし 理解 こ 授業 対し 新しい気持 前向 取 組 いけ 思う 翻訳滋賀県立水口東中学 高等学校臨時講師神屋千恵子 23

27 Japan s National Treasures Shiga Prefectural Board of Education: Marian Kandler 2 Where did you go for Spring Break? I went to Ishigaki! Where? In the middle of the cold Shiga winter when contemplating where to go for my next trip, of course I longed for someplace warm. My first thought was Okinawa. Many friends had gone and loved it; tried and true. Okinawa it is! I thought, but then I remembered my friend who is from Ishigaki. Ishigaki is an island off Okinawa, closer to Taiwan than Okinawa. You fly over open seas for over an hour and then you see it Ishigaki the whole island visible from the airplane window. Many probably wouldn t think to go there, but I think it s a hidden gem of the Okinawan islands. Driving out of the airport for the first time, I was surprised to see freely roaming cows and abundant nature. Being able to stand on the coast and see water as far as the eye can see. It was nothing like what I saw on mainland Japan. I also will never forget driving in the pitch black of night and being able to clearly see the stars and constellations in the sky. Of course, restaurants and entertainment on Ishigaki is far and few between, but what they do have is heart and nature that is unique to Ishigaki. What I brought back with me from Ishigaki is the desire to seek out the heart of Shiga. Going into my second year, I look forward to finding more hidden gems here in Shiga. 日本 秘宝 滋賀県教育委員会事務局幼小中教育課 : キャン マ アン 春休み 行? 石垣島!? 滋賀県 寒い真冬 次 旅行 行 や ぱ い場所 い 最初 思い い 沖縄 多 友達 そ 行 楽しい旅 過 せ み い 沖縄 し う! 思い切 す 石垣島出身 友達 思い浮 石垣島 沖縄離島 一 沖縄本島 台湾 近い 沖縄本島 1 時間以上太 洋 上 飛ぶ 飛行機 窓 石垣島 島全体 見え そ 多 人 石垣島 行 思わ い う 沖縄離島 秘宝 思う 初 空港 出 自由 生活し い 牛 豊 自然 見 驚い 海岸 立 見渡す限 海 見え 日本 本州 普通 見 い様子 い う 夜 真 闇 運転し 夜空 浮 ぶ星座 見え 一生忘 い思い出 確 石垣島 レス ンやエンタ テイメン 極 少 い 石垣島 特有 自然 し 心 触 石垣島 持 帰 滋賀県 心 追求し い いう望み うす 2 目 迎え 私 滋賀県 う 秘宝 出会う 楽しみ し い ( 訳本人 ) 24

28 Farewell to Zeze Zeze Senior High School: Mikayla Rogers As my time with the JET Program comes to an end, there is one thing I definitely want to share. My love of the place I ve lived for the past two years. It is something that I think and talk about a lot. In fact, I m sure that I ve done my fair share of annoying my ALT peers by singing the praises of Zeze. I know that I was quite fortunate in my placement. The people of the community welcomed and took care of me at every chance. From the enthusiastic greetings of my local conbini staff to the neighbors who would let me pet their dogs when I met them in the street, my interactions there made me feel at home. I was lucky to not only live in Zeze, but also work at Zeze high school. I learned that being a teacher there carries with it a kind of celebrity status. There is a certain awe with which people in Kansai regard it. I think that attitude is deserved. The atmosphere there is truly amazing. The teachers were always kind and helpful no matter what I needed, and the students inspired me every day by demonstrating a never ending supply of energy and determination to learn as much as possible. My interactions with them have taught me many valuable lessons. I m incredibly grateful for everything that they taught me and the wonderful experiences I had in Shiga. I could not have asked for a better home in Japan. I hope that I ll use everything I gained here wisely in the future. 膳所高校 : ミケイラロ ャ 膳所 別 別 挨拶 言い い 考え い ひ 繰 返し頭 中 浮 し 2 年間私 住 慣 大 場所 す い い 話し い す 実際 膳所 す しい 大声 し べ 仲間 ALT い せ 貢献し あ 確 す い 幸運 わ い す 地域 人 あ 歓待し く 気遣 く し 街 出会うコンビニ 店員 自 飼い犬 ペット う 扱わせ く 近所 人 気持 挨拶し く そうい 人々 交流 私 く い 気持 し 膳所 暮 し け く 膳所高校 働い ラッ ー し 学校 教師 あ 有名校 いう テータ い 背負う 知 し 関西圏 人 何 畏敬 念 う あ す そ 考え方 持 値す 思い す 校内 雰囲気 実 す しい す 先生方 い 親 私 必要 す 何 手 貸し く い し 生徒 毎日 可能 限 学習す エネル ー 気 目 見え う 注い い 私 刺激 い す 学校 皆 接す 多く 価値あ 教訓 教え い し 学校 教え 全 滋賀 得 す しい体験 上 く感謝し い す 私 滋賀 最高 住 家 す 得 全 先う く活 し い 思い す ( 訳 [ 膳所高校 福井浩 ]) 25

29 Nervous, Shaking and Smiling 1 Growing up I never imagined myself as a teacher. Teacher was never on my What I Want To Be When I Grow Up list. I always thought that I was too shy and quiet to get up and teach a classroom full of people. In university, my shyness would rear its head whenever a presentation would come up. I would try to delay them as long as I could. When I did have to get them over with, I ended up being a nervous, shaking, sweaty mess. There was no way I was going to do a job where I had to speak in front of a group of people. So, imagine my surprise when I found myself getting accepted into the JET program my senior year of college. Not only was I about to throw myself into one of my worst fears, I was going to be doing it in front of multiple students, multiple times a day, each week! During my first few classes, I found myself in a familiar state: a sweaty and shaking mess. I was worried that it was going to be like this every class. How was I about to survive a year of teaching? After those first few months of teaching, I began to realize that me being a nervous wreck in front of a class wasn t going to help the students at all. It wasn't like a university presentation where I had to do it once and then I was done. I was going to have to do this almost every day. Once I had realized this, I slowly started to get used to being in front of a class. I wasn t as nervous as I was during my very first classes. It was getting a little easier to talk in front of a large group of people. Soon, I found myself smiling and laughing more with the students. Many times I would forget that I was doing something that I had once feared. I was so focused on introducing different cultures to the students that I would forget about my fear of speaking in front of people. Not only did I survive that first year of being a teacher, but I also made it through a second year. These past two years have really helped me with my fear of speaking in front of people. Now don't get me wrong, I still get really nervous whenever I have to do it but I think that I ve learned how to just relax and channel my nerves into a smile, a laugh or just energy for the lesson. I m extremely grateful that I had the chance to come to Japan to teach because without this experience I d still be that girl who would avoid speaking in front of people at all costs. 緊張 動揺 そして 笑顔? 私 先生 今ま 考え こ あ ませ し 人前 話す 緊張し 動揺し 汗 まし そ う 私 人前 話さ け い仕事 す 考え ませ し そ JET プロ ム 受け入 知 時 驚 まし 最初 い ス 今ま し : 汗 動揺 し し 最初 数ヶ月 過 こ 私 授業 安 こ 生徒 い 気 付 まし そ 気 付 大勢 前 話すこ う 生徒 笑うこ う まし 生徒 違 文化 教え こ 集中す 人前 話す いう恐怖 忘 まし こ 2 年間 人前 話 す こ 少し慣 まし 緊張す ッ スし 笑顔 授業 集中します 私 日本 教え 機会 え い い こ 感謝し います しこ 機会 け 私 今 人前 話 す 避け い 女 子 思います 大津高等学校保正有芳 26

30 S y y to S S o My English class of second year high school students had to write about someone they admire. When class was over and I collected their papers I looked at one student s paper out of curiosity. On it she wrote: I admire Nicolle. Growing up, I had troubles in high school. I was often scolded and punished by my teachers. So, I didn t like my teachers at all. Even in college I was unable to respect my professors. For me, that student s paper was validation. I can be a teacher my past self wouldn t dislike. I can be an inspiration. It s a strange feeling, but I m slowly getting used to it. I think my country s disciplinary system was the cause of my problems. Many of my teachers used a lot of intimidation and punishment. Stepping into the Japanese classroom, I noticed that discipline, as I knew it, was virtually nonexistent. To this day, I struggle to come to terms with Japanese teachers of English allowing students to talk over them, create distractions, and sleep. I realize, however, that as a student, I would ve preferred that. If my teachers had taken a moment to talk to me, to understand me, I would ve probably been a much better student in and out of the classroom. I think it s quite wonderful to see myself grow just as much as my students are. It s good to know we are really all just human beings, learning and finding our way around life with time. I thank Shiga prefecture for its patience with me. I d also like to thank all of my fellow Shiga ALTs, for bringing me out of my shell when I thought I was too shy to make friends. I thank the English teachers I got to know and work with. They were my biggest mentors. Finally, thank you, JET Program, for giving me a chance to be someone my students can look up to. I will never forget them. 水口高校 別 際 ニコ シ 2 年生 授業 私 尊敬 人 いうテーマ 生徒 書 授業 終わ プ ント 集 あ 生徒 プ ント 私 ニコ 尊敬 い 書い あ 高校生 こ 私 学校 問題 起こ 先生 叱 罰 与え 私 先生 全く好 大学 進学 教授 尊敬 そ 生徒 作文 私 教師 承認 あ 過去 自分 嫌 い 先生 違う先生 い 生徒 役 立 い 妙 感覚 慣 学生時代 起こ 私 問題 多く 国 規 制度 関係 あ 先生 脅 や罰 使 日本 教室 入 聞い い 通 け 実質的 存在 授業中 私語 集中 い 眠 い 生徒 そ い 日本 英語教師 け入 う 私 努力 い こ 学生 私 や こ い 思うこ あ 私 先生 少 時間 私 話 け理解 く い 学校 中 外 私 良い生徒 あ 思う 生徒 成長 い 同 う 自分 成長 分 こ 素晴 い 私 実際 こ 同 人間 時間 流 中 学習 う生 考え い わ 聞い く 滋賀県 感謝 い 滋賀県 ALT 本当 世話 彼 内気 友 い 思 い 私 自分 殻 引 出 く 一緒 授業 英語 先生 感謝 い 彼 私 正 く導い く 最 こ JETプログ ム 感謝 い 生徒 尊敬 人物 機会 与え く 一生忘 こ い う 訳 : 水口高校乾英信 27

31 Turbulence and Triumph Shin Nagahama Kita High School: Preston Chandler Mitchum 3 America s 26 th President, Theodore Roosevelt, once said, Nothing in this world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, and difficulty. The first two months of living in Japan were, as expected, a true test of my flexibility as a person. Within my first two months, 3 of my friends passed away. The loss of my friends paired with the rigors of living in a country where I do not know the language and customs made my first two months turbulent. However, since hearing President Roosevelt s words as a young high school student, I have tried to live according the idea that through difficult situations, I can grow as a person and in turn make a difference in other people s lives. With the help of my supervisors, teachers, peers, community-at-large, (and a little bit of personal grit) I ve been able to grow as a person and as a teacher. Because of ESS club, American Football club, and the local Judo dojo, I truly feel like a part of my community. 騒乱と成功 新校 滋賀県立長浜北高等学校 プレス ン チャン ラ ッチャ メ 第 26 代大統領 ベ 言い 努力 痛 困難 く 実現 も 何も い 日本 過 最初 2 月間 予期 い 通 人 柔軟性 試 そ 2 月 間 3 人 友人 亡く 友 失 悲 言語も習慣も分 い国 暮 厳 重 非常 混乱 い ハ ク 通 い ベ 大統領 言葉 聞い 私 困難 状況 乗 越え そ人 成長 そ 結果他 人 人生 差 いう考え 生 う 上司 同僚やそ 他 広いコミュ二テ 支え も え ほ 少 自身 根性も手伝 人 教師 成長 ESS 部 メフ 部 地域 柔道場 も 世話 心 コミュニテ 一員 あ 感 い 翻訳 ( 新校 ) 滋賀県立長浜北高等学校教諭鎌谷美樹子 28

32 Measuring Growth. Charting Transformation. Shiga Prefectural Board of Education: Robert Pearsall Topic Number People imagine and people believe: and it is that belief, that rock solid belief, that makes things happen. Neil Gaiman, American Gods Fifteen years ago, British author Neil Gaiman imagined a world where people s beliefs in gods, folk heroes, monsters, technology, and themselves were living, breathing entities that Your Picture existed alongside humanity. They followed their believers wherever they went. They transformed to fit whichever landscape they inhabited. Over time they strengthened, weakened, and sometimes even died, and new ones took their place. Living abroad, like any good journey, changes you. As I prepare to return home after my own five-year journey, I ve been trying to come up with a formula: some way to measure growth or chart transformation in hopes to answer all the lingering questions pacing impatiently back and forth in my head. How have I changed? What difference did I make? What will I take home with me that I didn t have before? For the longest time, answers have eluded me. At best, they appeared ethereally, intangibly, wisps of smoke blown away by the slightest movement. Leave it to Neil to set me straight. I was asking what, but it s much easier to ask who. So, here it is, a way to measure growth, to chart transformation. Picture yourself before you left home. Picture that person s thoughts, hopes, and beliefs as living, breathing entities that followed you wherever you want; that transformed to fit the landscapes they inhabited; that strengthened, weakened, and sometimes even died so new ones could take their place. Then picture yourself now, and picture your thoughts, hopes, and beliefs in the same way. Now, this is the last and most important part. Ask yourself: What do they look like now? How have they changed? 成長の測定 変化の記録 滋賀県教育委員会事務局高校教育課ピ サル ロバ ト 人々 想像 信 出来事 起こ 信念 岩 う 硬い信念 あ 15 年前 イギ ス 作家ニ ゲイマン 人々 信念 人類 並 存在 生 い 世界 想像 信念 人 こへ も付い い 彼 住 い 場所 も合う う 変形 時 強く 弱く 時々 く 新 い物 代わ 海外 生活 旅 う 私 変え く 5 年間 旅 終え 帰国 準備 私 頭 中 行 来 消え い問い 答え く 自分 成長 測 変化 記録 何 方法 見 け う う 私 変わ う 違い 生 う 持 い 物 持 帰 う 長い間 答え 思い浮 い い 空気 う こ く わ 動 吹 飛 う微 煙 う 現 け ニ 私 誤 正 も う 私 自分 何 尋 い 人 尋 方 う こ 成長 測 変化 記録 方法 あ 出発 前 あ 自身 想像 う 以前 自分 思考や希望や信念 ニ う 生 い 存在 想像 う 今 自分 想像 同 方法 今 自分 思考や希望や信念 想像 う 最後 こ 最も重要 こ 自分自身 問い け う 以前 自分 今 う 見え う う 変わ う ( 訳高校教育課松岡祥子 ) 29

33 The Journey to Friendship Hikone Higashi High School: Samuel Ehrhardt 3 As my third and final year on the JET Program draws to a close, I am want to reflect on the experiences this country has offered me. In the beginning, it was rough. As a very social person, it was very difficult for me because I was far away from my friends. Even so, I knew that it was my responsibility to go out and forge those new relationships, and in time, I did! This Your Picture was in part due to the JET community, but also to the wonderful teachers I have at my main school. I was always surprised at how even non-english teachers made effort to talk and get to know me. Through these relationships I did things I never thought I would be able to do, such as explore the inside of a Buddhist temple and join a Japanese book club. I hope that all those interested in JET or visiting Shiga in the future will be treated with the same hospitality that I was. 友情へ 旅彦根東高校サ ュエル エアハ トい い JET プロ ラ 最後 年 終わ 近 国 く た経験 振 返 う ま た 最初 頃 友達 寂 た 新 い環境 溶 込む た 問題 解決 行動 い 僕 わ いた い 間 解決 ま た もち 周 JET 人 学校 他 先生 もあ ま た 英語科 い先生も仲良く う 僕 積極的 喋 く い もび く ま た そうい た先生 寺 普通 行 い 訪 た 読書サ ル 参加 た た 僕 も感謝 いま JET プロ ラ 参加 人も 滋賀 訪 人も 僕 同 う も 迎え も えた いい 思いま ( 訳 [ 須戸明美 ]) 30

34 Grasping Japanese Culture and Education Subane Abdi No. 2 It has been 10 months since I have moved to Japan and to Omihachiman in Shiga prefecture. Arriving here from the United Kingdom in the summer of 2016, I was filled with equal parts excitement and apprehension. Excitement arising from the prospect of seeing and experiencing a culture and environment for the very first time, and apprehension from the possible struggles to acclimatise to the new culture and the possible onset of the dreaded culture shock. However, my worries were for naught, as I quickly came to both enjoy Omihachiman and Japan in its entirety. Culture shock never once entered my frame of mind and I was able to integrate thus far as seamlessly as I have wanted. As my essay pertains to Japanese culture and education, I am privileged to have experienced many of Japan s fine cultural traditions, from taking part in many a festivals to tasting the many weird and wonderful cuisines of Shiga (funazushi and natto included!). I have also been able to promote, to the best of my abilities, the many wonders the United Kingdom has to offer, teaching its culture to both the students I teach, and the teachers I work with, as well as the many Japanese people I meet in my daily life. I hope to remain within Japan for many years to come, and to experience more of the bottomless culture of its people. To continue being the cross-cultural bridge that I aspired to be when I first joined JET and embarked on this exchange and teaching journey in Japan. 日本の文化と教育への理解滋賀県立八幡商業高等学校スベ ン ブデ ー来日 滋賀県 近江八幡市 移 カ月 経ちま た 6 年 夏 英国 近江八幡市 到着 た わ わ 気持ち 不安 気持ちを同 い持 いま た 初 文化や環境 出会い経験 こ そう 興奮 新 い文化 慣 う い 恐 べ カルチャーショックを受 知 い いう心配 あ ま た 日本や近江八幡 生活を楽 う た そ 心配 全 ゼロ た カルチャーショックを受 こ 思い描い いた通 溶 込 こ 出来ま た 日本 多 洗練さ た伝統文化を体験 こ 出来ま た 多 祭 参加 こ 不思議 素晴 い滋賀 料理 和食 鮒 納豆を含 を口 い たこ ま また 私 力 及ぶ限 英国 い 多 驚 べ 事柄 文化を生徒 同僚 日常生活 出会う 大勢 日本人 教え こ 出来 いま 非常 深い日本文化を 経験 た 日本 何年 留ま たい 思 いま 語学指導等を行う外国青年招 事業 参加 日本 交流 教職 旅を始 た 熱望 いた 異文化間 懸 橋 あ 続 た 翻訳滋賀県立八幡商業高等学校教諭督弥生 31

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36 The Fire of Culture Maibara Senior High School: Zackery Messenger They say time flies, especially if you`re having fun. Well, I can definitely say this past year has been the most fun in my life, and what`s more, it`s passed in the blink of an eye. There`s one experience that I know will stay with me for years to come - The Sagicho Festival in Omihachiman. A sagicho refers to a massive float made from highly flammable pine torches that is decorated with several thousand strips of red paper. Atop the float is the animal of the year according to lunar calendar. For two days, villagers volunteer to parade the floats and portable shrines throughout the town in the hot beating sun. Along the way, to ease their pain, it is common to drink profuse amounts of sake. On the final evening, when all has become dark, they put a flame to the sagicho. At that moment, the flames before the wide-eyed crowd seemed to light up the entire night. I remember joining them in their childlike (perhaps drunken) glee, skipping around the gigantic fire, singing tunes I could not comprehend. This is but one perk of living in the countryside of Japan-- you get to experience the odd yet rare remnants of traditional culture. 2 文化の炎 米原高等学校 : ザッカリ メッセンジャ 陰矢 如 言 も 楽 い時間 過 い 特 顕著 そ 感 私 年 自分 人生 番楽 い年 あ 瞬 過 い も私 中 残 あ う 思い出 近江八幡 左義長 い 話 左義長 数千本 赤い短冊 飾 可燃性 松 松明 作 山車 山車 あ 太陰暦 沿 そ 年 干支 造 物 い い 日間 有志 方々 夏 日差 照 付 神輿 山車 担い 町中 歩 時折 苦痛 和 意味 豊富 量 酒 飲 知 い 最終日 夜 辺 暗 左義長 火 点 そ 瞬間 群衆 目 前 炎 闇夜全体 照 う 私 子供 う あ い 酔 ぱ う 喜 彼 混 巨大 炎 周 跳 回 わ い い歌 も 口 う 風変わ そ あ 珍 い伝統文化 名残 体験 日本 田舎 住 特典 思い ( 訳米原高等学校教諭堀尾美央 ) 33

37 Beautiful Nagahama Kinomoto Junior High School: Alexandra Andrews 3 In my two years here in Nagahama, I have had so many wonderful experiences. I was lucky to be able to teach in some of the best, smallest schools in the city. Not only were my students great, but I could see the incredible nature of the area every day. On my commute to Sugino every week, I spent my entire half hour bus ride passing through beautiful scenery. I watched the seasons pass on the trees and temples all along the Takatoki River. The first time I ever saw a monkey outside a zoo, it was simply sitting in the snow at the bus stop watching me. These are the images of Japan that will stay with me long after I leave. I hope my students will hold onto the love they have for this area. It is not always easy to live here, but being able to look out my office window and see the mountains has a way of making stress disappear. 美 い長浜市 木之本中学校 : アンド ュ ア クサンド 二年間 長浜 住 い 間 素晴 い経験 ま 長浜 中 い あ 小 素晴 い学校 働 ま 生徒 良い け 地域 素敵 自然 い ま 毎週杉野ま 通う そ 1 時間 中 バ 車窓 通 過 い 美 い景色 見 過 ま 高時川 沿い あ 木々や 寺 風景 季節 移 変わ 眺 ま 生ま 動物園以外 場所 サ 見ま 雪 中 バ 停 座 方 見 いま 日本 いう国 イメ 私 国 離 後 私 記憶 中 ま 続け う 自分 故郷へ 郷土愛 持 続け 願 いま 彼 多 将来故郷 出 新天地へ 赴 うけ 私自身 そう あ う そ 土地 人々 彼 温 迎え入 願 いま 暮 楽 い いけ 職員室 窓 見え 山 景色 い 私 心 穏や い ( 訳 [ 水口信也木之本中学校 ]) 34

38 Memory Yogo Elementary school: Amelia Devine As my three years on the JET Programme come to a close, I have spent a lot of time wondering about how I will remember my time in Japan. When I was a new ALT, I spent a lot of time stressing about making big, spectacular memories. I traveled to many places and saw many amazing things, like the once-every-six-years Onbashira festival, monkeys bathing in a hot spring in a snowy forest in Nagano, cherry blossoms in Kyoto in spring, and the Snow Festival in Sapporo. Naturally, these memories are important to me, but they are also memories that any visitor to Japan can make. Lately, I feel that the memories I will treasure the most are smaller ones: the kindnesses of my coworkers, the smiles of my students, and the friendly people in the community who greet me when we meet on the street. These are memories I could only make by living in Nagahama, and I will certainly treasure them. 3 思い出長浜市立余呉小学校 : メリ デブ イン私 日 い 期間 ま く終わ ま 私 こ 三年間 う い 振 返 ま ALT 私 素晴 い思い出 作 一番大切 思いま そ い こ へ旅 珍 いこ 見 けま え 六年間 一度 御柱祭 長野県 地獄谷 有 日 猿 春 京都 桜や 幌 雪祭 そ 思い出 大事 日 来 誰 う 思い出 作 ませ 最近私 一番大事 思い出 何気 い日常生活 経験 思いま 僚 優 さ 子供 笑顔 心温 い町民 挨拶 長浜市 住 い い 作 い思い出 私 宝物 思いま 35

39 On Onsen and Japanese Culture Living and working abroad on the JET program allows for a unique opportunity to explore Japan and immerse oneself in Japanese daily life and culture to a depth that simple tourism could never allow for. In traveling Japan, I ve spent a great deal of time taking day trips to famous sights and I ve biked back and forth and all around my host prefecture, Shiga, more times than I can count. However, nothing has drawn me so strongly than the allure of the unique and quintessential Japanese onsen experience. As a westerner, enjoying onsen may come across as a bit odd. After all, attending an onsen, quite literally meaning hot springs, means you re sharing a bath with complete strangers. What else could there possibly be aside from uncomfortably averting your eyes while at the same time trying to protect your own dignity? This is where I argue that the onsen image is deceiving. In my mind, the baths are smallest part of the equation. Like most places in an ancient country like Japan, onsen resorts are bound to be full of local history and culture for the academically inclined individual to investigate. Japan s lush and beautiful scenery is nothing to scoff at either and, in traveling to an onsen, what a waste it would be to ignore the scenery along the way! Local history and scenery aside, the appeal of the local cuisine attracts the hungry traveler far and wide (myself included) and this, is where I can truly enjoy onsen resorts to their fullest extent. Imagine, if you will, the tantalizing image of a multiple course meal of traditional Japanese cuisine and local specialties. Not enough? Perhaps the buffet style will whet your appetite. Time it right, and you may even find yourself in for a treat with seasonal events like all you can eat steak, crab, or even unagi (never before have I found myself so close to paradise). 2 温泉 日本 文化 JET プログラム 日本 住むこ 一般 観光客 日本 文化や歴史 探 こ ま 私 日本 住 い 間 び び日帰 旅行 ま ま 所や史跡 見 行っ 滋賀県 一周 ま 個人的 観光旅行 温泉旅行 ほう 興味深い 欧米人 っ 知 い人 風呂 入 こ も い 思わ い う こ 考え方 間違っ い 思いま 確 温泉 風呂 温泉 必 も風呂 入 いうこ あ ま 日本 も古い国 こ 行っ も歴史的 場所 必 あ ま 温泉町 行っ 文化 歴史 ふ こ も ま 言うま も いこ 日本 景色 世界一 言え う 温泉 旅館やホテル 行 途中 そ 風景 無視 こ ももっ い い 思いま 景色や歴史 加え 地方 物料理 味わうこ も価値 あ ま 風呂 上 っ い いも 食 い 私 っ 温泉旅行 理想的 旅行 思いま 温泉町 物料理や 伝統的 フルコース 想像 腹 ま も フルコース 量 多 場合 食 放題も いい 最後 運 季節限定 食 放題ステーキや カニやう 食 機会もあ ま 36

40 The Taste of Home away from Home Nagahama Biwa Junior High School: Bryan Jay Barney Sensei, como se-letra essa palavra? A 9 th grader asked me the other day. Se-letra? O que significa essa palavra? I asked in return. After a little more back and forth, I unraveled the student s meaning and answered her question right away. It was an earth-shattering moment for me: there I was, in a Junior High School in Japan, yet I was learning a Portuguese word! It s been almost a decade since I first set foot in Brazil and I think maybe part of me had given up hope. In my home there s little call for Portuguese, and the university I attended didn t even offer courses in it. Speaking Portuguese is something I treasure, a connection to a precious, beloved time rich with fond memories and fierce friendships. Eight years on I was afraid I was beginning to lose that. Coming to Japan has been a decision fraught with considerable meaning, but never did I truly take into account that I would need those language skills here. Never did I expect to find things in Japan I had begun to fear I would never again know: Tastes, smells, sights, expressions and shared cultural touchstones for which people at home had no frame of reference. It had been eight years since I d eaten authentic Brazilian food. When I first set foot in Nagahama s Patria Minha supermarket, I thought I d cry. From guaraná to coxinha to the simple exchange of money in Portuguese was an overwhelming sense of homecoming. It was a tiny reclamation of something dear to me, and it tasted a bit like tropical fruit and deep fried chicken. 家 い 家 味 長浜市立びわ中学校 : セ セ コ - サ? 日 中学 3 年生 子 私 尋 し -? サ? 私 尋 返し し 前 私 そ 生徒 言 い 意味 理解し す 彼女 質問 答え し そ 私 衝撃的 瞬間 そこ 私 日本 中学校 私 語 単語 学 い! 私 足 踏 入 10 年近 経 し そ 私 一部 希望 失 し い 思い す 私 家 語 話 ほ 聞こえ せ し 私 出席し 大学 コ 提供し い せ し 語 話すこ 私 大切 す 何 す 好 思い出や 激しい友情 持 貴重 愛 しい時間 す 8 年間 私 そ 失い始 い い 心配し し 日本 来 意味 決意 あ す 私 そ 言語 必要 あ こ 本当 考慮し せ し 私 二度 体験 い あ い こ 日本 出会うこ 予期し い 味や香 景 表現 参照 枠 い家 人々 文化基準 料理 食べ 8 年経 し 私 最初 長浜 足 踏 入 私 泣 思 コ 簡単 金 交換 国意欲 圧倒的 し そ 私 何 愛す 小さ 埋 立 熱 や チ う 少し味わい し 3 ( 訳 [ 長浜市立びわ中学校 : 河村真也 ]) 37

41 Moving in Step Tane ES, Odani ES: Caitlin Wolf The first time I saw yosakoi was at Azai s Appare Matsuri, just a little over a month after arriving in Japan. Dancers in colorful costumes jumped across the stage with big movements to music that s a mix of modern and traditional. I was instantly hooked, and wished I could join in. But I had never danced before, and they looked so good that I was sure I would never make it onto any of the teams. A year later, I found myself sitting on the grass watching yosakoi at Appare Matsuri for the second time, and I thought it was just as amazing as it d been the year before. I decided that, even if it would be hard, I wanted to try yosakoi. I looked up groups and found that it wasn t really hard at all! All I had to do was go to a practice and tell the team I wanted to join. I was nervous the first time I went. How hard would it be to dance? Would I be able to communicate? Would the people be nice to me? I spent a lot of time worrying, but there was really no need. Practice was relaxed and friendly. I made lots of mistakes, but no one ever laughed. If I had questions, they patiently explained, over and over, the right way to do the dance moves. Every time I memorized a new move, I felt like I had really accomplished something. Eventually I started performing at the events and really felt like part of the team. Now, I go to practice twice a week and perform in events just like any other member. Sometimes being in Japan can feel very lonely, so it s great to feel like I m a part of something here. It s something I never would ve experienced if I hadn t taken a chance on getting involved. I m really glad I did. 歩 田根 小谷小学校 : ケイト ンウォ フ 私 初 い 見 浅井あ 祭 初 日本 来 ヶ月少 頃 色 衣装 身 踊 手 現代音楽 伝統音楽 混 合 曲 う 合わ テ 上 大 躍動 い 私 い 惹 緒 踊 い 感 ン 今 あ そ 踊 手 人々 素晴 見え 私 緒 や い 難 い う あ 思 い 年 過 私 目 あ 祭 芝生 い 見 い 自分 気 年前 同様 い 素晴 魅了 い そ えそ 大変 い 挑戦 い 心 決 い 探 私 気 入 見 そう難 い い あ 練習 行 参加 い いう思い 伝え 初 練習 行 時 緊張 い い難 い う コ ュニケ ョン う 人 私 う 長い時間心配 い そ 心配 全 必要 練習 和や 和気あいあい 行わ 失敗 誰 私 笑い 聞 い あ 何 何 根気 正 い動 寧 説明 私 毎回新 い動 覚え 大 達 感 得 イベント 踊 う 私 い 員 心 感 今 週 回練習 行 他 ンバ 同 う イベント 参加 い 時々 日本 過 孤独 感 時 あ 自分 誰 役 立 仲間 見 そ 員 い い ャン 逃 い 経験 う 日本 来 本当 良 思い 2 ( 訳 [ 田根小学校曽 朋子 ]) 38

42 3 Dear Stranger Nanasato Elementary School: Carolina Swift Dear Stranger, For the past three years I have passed your house on the way to school. Twice a week I come down the street and you give me a slight bow. I bow back. This has become a tradition between us. In any season, through rain, snow, and typhoon, you are standing outside your house to greet me without words. Sometimes I m a little late to school and you re not there. Sometimes, even when I show up on time, you are not there. It makes me wonder where you are. Are you ok? I hope that something bad hasn t happened to you. Fortunately, the next time I pass by, you are back at your post to greet me again. I don t know who you are. I don t know why you have always been outside waiting. All I know is that this small gesture from you when I m on my way to work makes my day just a little brighter. Thank you. Sincerely, Your ALT Friend 知 い い へ 長浜市立七郷小学校 : キャロリーナスイフト 知 い い へ 年間学校へ行く途中 あ 家 通 ま 週 二回 辞儀 く ま 私も 辞儀 ま 私 い も 挨拶 季節 も 雨や雪 降 も 台風 来 も あ 必 外へ立 言葉 挨拶 く ま 時々私 遅 あ いま 時々遅 く も あ い い あ ま 大 夫 何 あ ま 入院 いま も 何日 ま あ 立 挨拶 く ま あ 誰 知 ま い も外 待 い 知 ま も 小 挨拶 け 私 日々 明 く ま い もあ う いま ALT 友 翻訳長浜市立七郷小学校本人 39

43 No Barriers Nagahama Nishi J.H.S. : Caroline Reid I have lived in many countries. I have danced in many countries. I have performed in many countries. I have performed alone, and I have performed with others. Sometimes we speak the same language, and sometimes we don t. One might say there is a language barrier or a culture barrier. They might be right. However, backstage, when everyone is putting on their make-up and costumes, there are no barriers. We want to look our best. How are my eyelashes? Do my eyebrows match? What do you think, is it too dark or not dark enough? Could you zip my dress, please? Something s missing I wish I had a shawl or another flower. Here, use mine I won t wear it until the last act. Just before curtain call, we practice the routine until the last minute. Some of us make mistakes, and some of us can t remember which step comes when. Hang on, could you do that part again? Do we start with our hands down or on our hips? Do I hold my skirt with my left hand or my right hand? When do we let go? Is it ichi-ni-san-shi-go-roku, or it is ichi-ni-san-shi-go-roku? Again, there are no barriers. We want to do our best. Don t forget to turn! Remember, it s ichi-ni-san! We hold our skirt for the first one, but we let go on the second one. Everyone smile! Don t be nervous! Have fun! I ll try not to bump into you, but if I do, I m sorry! Don t forget to face the front in the beginning and at the end! Good luck, everyone! When the curtain goes down and we scramble off the stage, the smiles on everyone s faces say it all. We did it! Maybe we made a mistake, but we did it! Most of all, we did it together! 壁 い 長浜西中学校 : キャロ イン 私 多く 国 住 あ そ 多く 国 ン テ 立 一人 あ 複数 行 事 あ 同 言語 話 あ そう い あ 言葉 壁 文化 壁 あ いう人 い せ そ 正 い せ 舞台裏 メイ 衣装 着 時 壁 あ せ 一番 い 見せ い 思 い う? 眉毛 大丈夫? メイ? 変? ファ あ く? 足 い ョ 花 あ? 最後 時 使わ い 使 いい カ テンコ 直前 最後 時 動作 練習 間 え テップ 次 忘 う一回 そ 部分 く い? 手 下 く? 腰 置く? カ 右手 持 左手? カ 離 イミン? 強弱? そ? 繰 返 そ 壁 あ せ 最 届 回 忘 い 大事 覚え い! 回目 カ 持 回目 離 笑顔! 緊張 い! 楽 う! 当 い う あ 最初 最後 顔 前! ~! 幕 閉 テ 急い 笑顔 成感 あふ 見え わ! ミ い 遂 わ 一緒 遂! 訳長浜西中学校 山春子 40

44 3 Life in Shiga Shiga Prefecture has been my first and only home in Japan over the total of the two years that I have spent in Japan. Before coming here, during my earlier days of Japanese study, I knew only Tokyo. I did not know a lot about Japan, but I knew Tokyo was my calling. As the years passed, after countless failed attempts to come to Japan, I was finally granted an opportunity during my junior year of university in the form of a study abroad experience. Again, up until this point, Tokyo was the dream. However, my only option was a place so foreign, Shiga Prefecture. I could never have expected how much my view of Japan would have changed. My experiences in the prefecture have mainly been in the northeastern region known as Kohoku, in the small city of Nagahama. The city is one full of history and a surprisingly large multicultural population. While providing its residents with some of the leisure of the bigger cities, with just a short trip outside of the city you are instantly surrounded by the beauty of the mountains along with the famous Lake Biwa. The Kohoku region is one made mostly of farmland and small villages. Because of this, beautiful scenery, kind people, and delicious food are large in abundance. Residing in this environment gave me an entirely new appreciation for the country of Japan and all it has to offer. To all of those dreaming of the big city, do not shy away from the Japanese countryside. I am sure you will come to love it as much as I have. 滋賀 生活 い 私 二年間滋賀県 在住し いま 来日 前 日本語 勉強 始 頃 東京し 知 ま し 日本 こ 詳しく知 ま し 東京 呼 い う 思 いまし 時間 経 日本 来 前 無数 失敗 しまし し し 幸い こ 大学 年 時留学 いう形 や 機会 恵ま まし 当時 ま 東京 行 く 仕方 い 思 いまし し し 一 提供さ 留学先 無名 滋賀県 し こ 後 け日本へ 意見 変わ 私 予想し いま し 私 滋賀 経験 殆 湖 地方 あ 長浜市 長浜市 豊 歴史 多文 人々 多い小さい街 市民 大 い街 雰囲気 楽し 街中 少し離 美しい山々や有名 湖 囲ま ま 湖 地域 主 小さい村や農場 構成さ いま そ 陰 美しい景色 優しい人々 そし 美味しい料理 い ぱい 素敵 場所 ここ 住 改 日本 感謝 こ くさ まし 都会 方々 日本 田舎 恐 是非チャレンジし い い 思いま 充実し 生活 送 こ し う 41

45 Japan Through the Viewfinder Hayami Elementary School: Ella Baylis 3 Last summer I finally decided to upgrade my point-and-shoot camera to a real one. During my first year in Japan I had been captivated by Japan`s beauty, the Shrines, the rice paddies and, of course, Lake Biwa. However, after that first year life in Japan was becoming a little difficult. I felt as if I`d seen everything, motivating myself to leave my apartment was becoming harder, filling up my weekends when I live in such a remote area was becoming more and more difficult. But after buying that new camera my motivation returned. Suddenly I wanted to visit many different places just to take photos. I wanted to learn how to use my camera better, I wanted to plan lots of trips. I suddenly wanted to go on trips around Japan so I began to buy Japanese magazines to search for new spots in Kansai to visit and photograph. Every Saturday I would leave my apartment at 9am and not return until 11pm, just so that I could take photos. My trips lasted longer as I hung around to search for that perfect shot and my appreciation for Japan consequently grew. Through my camera s viewfinder the focus of my world changed; through the viewfinder I watched Japan`s seasons change; through the viewfinder I noticed new things: the mountain Sakura, the reflections of the sky in rice paddies and Japan`s exquisite everyday beauties. While I`m in Japan I want to take more photos and I want to make more memories before I finally return home. ファインダー越しの日本 水小学校 : エ ベイ ス 私 去年 夏 い 一眼レフ 買いまし 日 来 1 年目 年 神社 田 ぼ 湖 日 美しさ 目 奪わ まし し し 1 年後 日 生活 し まし 滋賀県 観光スポット 見 思い 毎週 週 うし う? 思い 予定 立 億劫 まし し し 新し 買 カメラ や 気 まし 急 写真 撮 い い 場所 行 まし カメラ い使い方 勉強し い い 旅行 行 計画 立 まし 日 中 旅行し 関西 あ 新しい観光スポット 見 写真撮影 日 雑誌 買い始 まし 毎週土曜日 9 時 い パート 出 11 時ま 写真 撮 まし パーフェクトショット 探し い 旅行 長 日 私 思い 高ま まし カメラフ インダー越し 世界 変わ まし フ インダー越し 日 季節 変化 見まし フ インダー越し 山桜や 田 ぼ 反射し 空等 日 見事 日常 美しさ 新しい 気 まし 私 日 い 間 写真 撮 いし 帰国 ま さ 思い出 作 い 思 いま ( 訳 [ 水小学校吉井寛晃 ]) 42

46 Boxes 3 Nagahara and Shiotsu Elementary: Genna-Marie Kilduff A year ago, I was sitting in front of my computer, walking the streets (or should I say, rice fields) of Kinomoto on Google Maps. I had begun selling and giving away my things, and packing the rest in boxes and piling them in my childhood closet. When I thought of home, I wanted to think of my room stripped bare and my memories taped shut in boxes of nostalgia. I wanted to think nothing but that as I stood in my empty apartment on the other side of world. I wanted to think of that when my apartment became a home. When I began my job surrounded by kindness and tried my hand at making friends, and I thought of good-byes and well-wishes. In cardboard ready to burst is my old life, taped shut with my own hands. I made room for a new life to begin, one full of the challenges of a new job, overcoming miscommunication, exploring the countryside, and trying to make the most of my time, which there is never enough in a place with so much history to learn, nature to see, and stories to hear. Here in the streets I walked through as a mouse, I have had more adventures than I thought would be possible a year ago, become a person stronger than I thought I could. This time, I don t think there are boxes big enough to hold all the things I ve built, and all the things I ve been given. 永原小学校 塩津小学校 : キ ェ 箱 43

47 箱 一年前 私 コン ュ 前 座 ップ 木之本 町 田 言うべ し う 歩い い し 部屋 あ 物 売 捨 し し 残 物 箱 子 頃 ロ ゼット 片付け し 思い出す 何 く 自分 部屋や 懐 し 箱 思い出 考え く し 私 世界 反対側 あ 空 アパ ト 立 そ 以上考え く す アパ ト 家 そう考え す 優し 包 仕事 始 友 く 頑張 う し し 昔 思い出し し 破裂しそう 自分 過去 人生 私 両手 し 押 え い し 私 新生活 新しい仕事 挑戦 誤 コ ュ ョン 克服 田舎 探索 いう新しい部屋 作 す そし 歴史 学 自然 見 聞く 最大限 時間 く う 努 し 私 1 年前 ップ上 歩い い 日本 す 実際 思い描い い 以上 冒険 あ 私 強い人間 し 1 年間過 し 私 成し得 や学 すべ 納 け 大 箱 あ 思え せ 訳長藁藍 44

48 Wake up, Get Up, Get Out There! Nagahama Kita Junior High School: Graham Keith Boden 3 GOOOOOOO!!! Come on, get up! Every day, every time I m about to go out, I tell myself these words. Those who know me among the JET community know that I tend to go out quite a bit. However, I would describe my natural state of being as sedentary. If I don t have any reason or business, then rarely did I leave the comfort of my apartment. For an embarrassingly long time, drudging up the energy to go out and do something new or interact with others was just impossible. I can talk later, I want to relax now. Going out is a pain, and I just got off of work. Better to relax and be rested for tomorrow. This is what went through my mind. Until I came to Nagahama. It has been thanks to the JET community and their mild persistence in getting me to come out of my shell that I ve changed my behavior. Why stay home? I can play games anytime. I can space out at YouTube anytime. JET is only 5 years. And most people leave before then. You only have a few years to hang out. Do it now. Otherwise, you ll miss your chance. 起! 起 上! 外 出! 長浜北中学校 : ボ ン ム ス Your Picture 行け! さあ 起! 毎日 い 私 外 出 う 時 私自身 こう言う JET 仲間 今 私 外出 傾向 あ こ 知 い 座 い 自分 自然 自分 過去 自分 特 事 用事 け 居心地 いアパ 外出 こ 自分 人生 長い間恥 いこ 何 新 いこ 人 出会 外出 エネ 自分 掘 出 こ ま 後 話 今 ッ ス い 外 出 こ い 事 離 い い 明日 休 ッ ス い 長浜 来 ま こ 言葉 い 私 頭 中 い JET 仲間 彼 私 殻 中 出 い う 精神 私 ふ まい 変え こ 家 い? い ゲ ム い い YouTube 見 時間 作 JET 5 年間 ほ 人 早 帰 い あ 少 い 今 う う け チャンス 逃 ( 訳長浜北中学校兵頭由里子 ) 45

49 1 Nagahama East Junior High School: Isaac Morgan This is my fourth time around to write the Jet Essay. If I am completely honest I m having a hard time coming up with a topic. Every year when June rolls around I always panic Oh no! I have to start writing! I stare at my computer screen and the peculiarities of life come to view. This last year my workplace changed from elementary school to junior high school. I often think of my own junior high school years whenever I see my students. I was a rather rotund, asthmatic, game loving kid that didn t enjoy school. My parents were often angry with me for skipping homework or getting a bad test grade, especially in math. But if I think back, I had teachers that I really liked. Even if I wasn t interested in the subject I wanted to try hard because of those teachers. There would be nothing better than if I could be the same kind of influence for my students learning English. I only have a little over a year left on JET but I will work hard on becoming the best teacher that I can be. Life is a strange thing. 長浜市立東中学校 : アイ ック モ ガン JET エッセ もう4 回目 ま 正直何 い 書 う く困 いま 毎年 6 月 入 い! 書 い! 焦 パソ ン 向 人生 思議 気 ま 去年 8 月 小学校 中学校 転勤 ま 生徒 顔を見 い 私 中学校 頃 頭 浮 びま 体 丸く 喘息 ム好 自分 学校 嫌 宿題を ボ テスト 悪い点数を取 う親 怒 ま も く考え そ 頃 も好 先生 い 別 教科 興味 く もそ 先生 好 頑張 う! いう気持 沸い ま 英語 興味 い生徒 も同 影響を え 最高 思 いま 後一年わ 残 い い そういい先生 う 頑張 い ま! 人生 思議 本人 46

50 Ain tcha cold Ikagu Elementary School: Jessica Lacourse 3 As I get on the bus I sit towards the front and greet the bus driver before starting a conversation with him. We talk about what s the current state of America, Japan, the weather, and anything else we think of at the time. Being able to have this kind of interaction with people is one of the reasons I m glad I live in Shiga. The last time I was in Japan I was living in a large city. While there were countless people living there I felt that I didn t actually make too many connections with the greater community. I had a few Japanese people who I was close with but it definitely wasn t very many. In comparison, the people of Shiga have been nothing but friendly. For example, while living in the city it was a common occurrence that people would ignore me and only talk to any Japanese person I would happen to be with. Or they would insist on only speaking English with me. But in Shiga many neighbors will not only speak out to me first, but they do so in Japanese. I am always thankful that these people will go out of their way try to communicate with me. The bus driver I mentioned earlier was one of those people and now we will have conversations whenever I end up riding the bus they happen to be driving that day. Another example was back in winter. I had missed my bus because of a train delay due to snow. As I was waiting outside for someone from my school to pick me up, an older station worker yelled out to me Ain t cha cold? Go wait inside! She didn t even leave me alone until I was waiting where I would be warm. I was very grateful for her small act of kindness. It s thanks to people like her and the bus driver that I can feel like a part of the community. 伊香具小学校 : ェ カ コ 寒い う? バ 乗 前 方 座 運転手 挨拶 会話 会話 テ マ アメ カ 日本 現状 天気 そ 誰 そ 日 考え あ 人々 対応 本当 滋賀県 来 思う理由 一 あ 前回来日 都会 方 住 い 人数 何億 い 地域社会 繋 気 親 い日本人 い そ 人 人数 確 多く 一方 滋賀 人 友好的 あ 例え 都会 住 い 誰 私 無視 私 一緒 い 日本人 話 珍 く そ 話 日本語 く 英語 話 突 張 多 滋賀 多く 人 私 声 く く 日本語 話 く わ わ 私 話そう 人 い 誠 感謝 い 前 書い バ 運転手 そ 人 1 人 現在 偶然 そ 運転手 そ 日 運転 い バ 乗 必 会話 う一 例 冬 あ 日 電車 雪 遅 バ 間 合わ 学校 人 迎え 来 外 待 い 間 年寄 店員 寒い う? 中 待! 言わ 中 行 そ 小 優 く感謝 私 暖 い 入 前 そ 店員 私 離 そ 店員 バ 運転手 う 人々 滋賀 地域社会 繋 思う ( 訳 [ 伊香具小学校 ェ カ コ ]) 47

51 Acquiring the Japanese Taste Kamiteru Elementary School: Katelynn Wilson 2 Up until last August, I would have considered myself to be a very picky eater. If I didn t have my food prepared a certain way, I would refuse to eat it. For example, let s say I was given a pizza with toppings. My response would have been Ew, no thank you, I prefer my pizza plain. Or maybe it was a hamburger made with lettuce and tomatoes. I d say to that, Oh my gosh, no, what even are vegetables? The point is, I wasn t very willing to try new things, food-wise, and the lunch system implemented at the schools I attended didn t help much to deter my picky eating habits. The lunch menu more times than not, was pretty much the same every week. On Monday, we d have chicken sandwiches, on Tuesday, it would be pizza, on Wednesday, hamburgers, Thursday, pizza again, and on Friday, hotdogs. Wash, rinse and repeat. My meals outside of school were also quite repetitive. Based on this, is it really so surprising I became so picky? Before arriving in Japan, I was really worried about what my meals would be like once I got here. I feared every meal would be made with fish, which I hated. However, from the moment I arrived, my outlook on Japanese cuisine began to change. With every Japanese dish I ate I slowly came to realize that Japanese food is actually, you know, good? Who knew? Spurred on by this new revelation, I did something that before I would have thought was crazy; I signed up for the school lunch. At first, it took some getting used to. The abhorred fish was served at most meals. Holding back my pickiness, I ate everything that was served to me and now, many months later, I find myself looking forward to every school lunch, fish or not. The variety of Japanese school lunch is also something I ve come to appreciate. Somewhere along the road to acquiring a taste for Japanese food, I seem to have lost my picky eating habits. I highly doubt this would have happened if I hadn t signed up for the school lunch. I am very glad I did. 神照小学校 : ン ウ ソン Your Picture 和食 好 道 去年 8 月 私 食べ物 好 嫌い くさ あ 私 食べ 物 少 例え ピ 上 ッピン あ 私 いいえ 結構 プ ン 方 いいわ 言 食べ タス マ 作 ン あ 私 い 顔 野菜 入! 言 い 要 私 新 い食べ物 あ 食べ そ 私 通 い 学校 い 私 学校 給食 毎週ほ 同 月曜 チ ン ン 火曜 ピ 水曜 ン 木曜 ピ そ 金曜 ホッ ッ 出 次 週 そ 次 週 そ 繰 返 学校給食以外 食事 ほ 同 そう考え 私 好 嫌い 多く い い う 思い 日本 来 前 私 日本 食べ物 食べ 心配 全 食事 私 嫌い 魚料理 い 怖 日本 着い 直後 和食 い 考え 変わ 毎食食べ う 和食 好 そ いぶ 迷い 神照小学校 給食 頼 決 最初 大変 嫌い 魚 く出 毎日 全部食べ そ 数 月後 魚 あ 毎日 給食 楽 う い 私 好 嫌い 無く 学校給食 思い 私 学校給食 食べ 決 ( 訳 [ 神照小学校 ン ウ ソン ]) 48

52 The Shakuhachi & Me: The Bridge to Japanese Culture Takatsuki Elementary School: Kenzel Jones During my time on the JET program one thing that I realized was that I really enjoy music as a hobby. From listening to music across all cultures including Japanese to taking the challenge of learning a Japanese instrument itself. With music I find it easier to find my inner peace and thanks to learning how to play one I can now also express myself through music as well as words. Growing up as a teenager and within my college years I slowly developed a strong appreciation for music and instruments. During my down time, I would often listen to music from Japanese media such as TV shows and video games. During my year studying abroad, I joined the Jazz Club on Campus and learned about the Bass Guitar. While I didn`t master the instrument I still learned I bit more about it and the relations between Jazz music and Japan. Starting within my first year on the JET program, I have taken part in learning the Japanese instrument called the shakuhachi. At first, the instrument proved to be a challenging task but thanking to time and perseverance I was able to get a hang of be able to play the instrument and hit the notes. Thanks to the shakuhachi, I m able to feel a stronger connection as well as a better understanding of Japanese music and culture. In short, thanks to my love and interest in music I was able to find a new interest in Japan and even learn an instrument., both of which proved to be valuable to my stay within Japan and JET. 尺八 私 : 日本文化 橋 高月小学校 : ケンゼル ョ ン JET ラ 私 気 いた 趣味 音楽を本当 楽 た 日本 楽器を勉強 挑戦 た 日本を含 ま ま 音楽を聞く 始 ま た 音楽 私 気持ちを安心 そ 演奏 仕方を学ぶ 言葉 同様 音楽を通 自 自身を表現 いう を学びま た ンエ ャ 成長 私 大学時代 私 音楽 楽器 少 興味 関心を深 ま た 休憩 時 私 ビ番組やビ オゲ 日本 音楽を聴い いま た 日本 留学中 私 ャンパ ャ ラ 入会 ベ タ い 学びま た 楽器を習得 いくうち ャ 音楽 日本 関係 い う少 詳 く学びま た JET ラ 初年度を皮 私 尺八 いう日本 楽器を学びま た 最初 楽器 挑戦的 仕事 あ わ ま た 時間を 練習 尺八を吹く 音符を打 ま た 尺八 私 日本 強い を感 日本 音楽 文化を く理解 ま た 要 音楽 私 日本 新た 関心を持ち 楽器を学ぶ え ま た ち 日本 JET 滞在 貴重 あ 証明 ま た ( 訳 [ 高月小学校山田宏 ]) 49

53 Topic 3- Life through hobbies Torahime Elementary School: Kaycee-Ann Grant Getting to Japan, I thought, What are all the interesting things that I could do outside of work? Before I knew it, I had made a list of places to visit, festivals to go to, and foods to eat. At first, it was just, go go go, and as I became accustomed to life in Japan, the seasons began to change, and so did my mood. When winter rolled around, I could find nowhere else I would rather be other than my bed. I constantly felt exhausted, and though I still wanted to go out, I knew that sleep was equally, if not more important to function day to day. With that sleep took precedence, and outside of work leaving my apartment felt like a chore. And though sleep was good, or simply resting was relaxing, I felt that I was missing out. I was in Japan but it felt like I could just as easily be anywhere else in the world since I was no longer making an effort to explore. Rather, I d grown too accustomed to the comfort of home. I thought about all my hobbies and how I so much wanted to start them. That was until I thought what the heck, and just went for it. I had done piano as a high school student, and music has always had a special place in my heart. With that I began my biweekly lessons. At first I was a bit nervous because I would have to take these classes in Japanese. I began to worry about language barriers and everything else that was basically an excuse to just stay home and sleep. However, my trial lesson quickly put my mind at ease. My instructor was friendly, and I realized that communication was not an issue. Music was definitely the easiest form of communication. But, more than that, doing these lessons not only gave me the chance to take up one of my passions again, it also continues to give me the chance to interact with Japanese people in my community and learn the language that I wish to be proficient in. At first I was worried about putting myself out there, but restarting my hobbies was the push I needed. They are things that I love, and in turn I get to meet and interact with people who hold the same interests. I m already looking forward to start up my other hobbies, and interested in the people that I will meet in doing so. 趣味 あ 生活 虎姫小学校 : ント シ ン 日本 行け 事 何 面白いこ? 思っ いました い 間 行 い場所 祭 食べ い物 スト 増え い 最初 行け行け行け! 気持 け 生活 慣 来 そ 季節 変わ 共 自分 気分 変わ 冬 っ たら私 自分 ベッ 寝 こ し 考えません した 毎日 も疲 いました 出 けたい 思っ も 仕事以外 自分 アパー ら こ 50

54 行く 嫌 っ いました 寝 良 思うけ 何 足 気 私 日本 い " 家 " 慣 い 観 う いう努力 い 世界 こ い 同 う 感 自分 趣味 い 考え始 再び趣味 始 い 思い そ 時 う 思 試 高校生 時 ピ ノ 弾い い 音楽 い 私 心 中 特別 そ 一ヶ月 2 日 スン 始 う また日本語 スン 受け け い 私 言葉 壁 心配 始 日本語 分 家 い 寝 生活 い 思い 初 スン 安心 私 生 友好的 人 コミュニ ション 問題 いこ 気付 音楽 私 コミュニ ション ピ ノ スン 私 再び音楽 勉強 私 コミュニテ 日本人 交流 機会 え 日本語 練習 チャンス 得 こ 最初 勇気 出 何 安 け 自分 趣味 う一度 こ 勇気 出せ 愛 私 趣味 そ 同 こ 好 人 会 交流 今 趣味 始 こ 色 人 会うこ 楽 い ( 訳 [ 虎姫小学校 : ント シ ン ]) 51

55 Why I Prefer Nagahama Nagahama Elementary School: Matthew Alberts Topic I feel like many people who come to live in Japan or apply to the JET program want to live in bigger cities like Tokyo, Osaka, or Nagoya. But I'm not one of those people. I actually prefer life in the countryside away from giant skyscrapers and the noise of city life. Why? Well, there are several reasons, but they are summed up in two main themes. One being related to Japanese study and the other being related to my fondness for nature and smaller cities. Back in college, I studied at a school called the Japan Center for Michigan Universities in Hikone. My time there made me come to love Lake Biwa and Shiga in general, so when it came time for me to request a placement for the JET Program, I chose Shiga. When I got my placement and found out it was Nagahama, I was incredibly excited as I had visited Nagahama and Kurokabe Square several times as a student. In terms of Japanese study, I believe living here benefits me a bit more as most people living here have little experience with English so I have to do my best to speak Japanese. Plus I'm fond of Kansai dialect so I get to practice that both with my colleagues and people I meet in my daily life. Having lived in Shiga before, I was exposed to the beautiful nature it has to offer. Back in Southeast Michigan where I'm from, we don't have mountains or many large forests or nature trails nearby. So the access to that makes me very happy. And particularly in Nagahama, I get to see Mt. Ibuki every day. Somewhat related is the fact that there are less people in Nagahama than there would be in bigger cities. It is also less crowded as a result. And while it might be convenient to have a car, I can also get by with a bicycle, which makes me happy. Not only do I dislike driving, but through biking around I've been able to get healthier than I was before. Plus, if I want to go anywhere really far away, it is only a 20 minute bike ride to the train station. 僕 長浜 いい長浜市立長浜小学校 : シュ ア バ ツ日本 引 越すほ 外国人 東京や大阪や名古屋 う 大 都会 暮 し い 思 い 気 します し し 僕 う あ ま 僕 都会生活 い摩天楼 騒音 離 生活 し い 思います いう いく 理由 あ ます 二 メイン イント 伝え い 思います 一 目 日本語 勉強 役 立 いう し 二 目 自然 小 街 好 いう す 大学時代 彦根市 あ シガン州立大学連合日本センタ いう学校 留学しまし 過 し 時間 湖や滋賀県 好 まし 僕 出身 シガン州 山や大 森やネイチャ ト イ 少 い す 長浜 ういう自然 場所 行 いう や 伊吹山 景色 毎日見え す く嬉しい す ま 長浜市 都会 人 少 く 街 返し い いう す し 自動車 あ 便利 す 無く も自転車 行 僕 幸 す 自動車 運転す 嫌い 毎日自転車 乗 前 健康 まし し 遠い 行 0 分以内 駅ま い 長浜生活 最高 す ( 和訳 : マシュ アルバ ツ ) 52

56 Bridging Gaps and Finding Home 3 Nagahama Elementary School: May Zhang You know when people talk about feeling alone in a crowd? I always thought it was nothing more than a trope found in most teen coming-of-age novels. Then one autumn day, as I was strolling through the busy streets of Kurokabe Square browsing local art exhibits, I was hit by an unfamiliar sensation I could only describe as being very alone in a very crowded place. As I continued through the streets, surrounded by faces that looked like mine, I became increasingly aware of the contrast between how I saw them and how they must ve seen me. Prior to arrival, I had searched for stories by Asian-looking foreigners documenting their experiences in Japan and decided then that the pros outweighed the cons; however, at that moment I felt as though our ostensible likeness only served to highlight the distance I sensed. A few months later, I was scavenging for baking soda at Heiwado when it hit me that I was no longer living in Japan. Nagahama s strangely close-knit community and peaceful cicadaladen evenings, things I once thought unique to the worlds of Ghibli and Animal Crossing, I now accepted as a normal part of life. The prospect of phone calls or deciphering train schedules used to strike terror into my heart, but no more. At some point, my coworkers and I had learned how to overcome our language barriers and began focusing instead on our classroom goals, all through sheer force of will and mutual understanding. Since August I have discovered that it is not necessarily language nor culture, but rather shared values and effort, that bridge the distances between us. And as we become closer with those around us, we realize that life is not defined by our differences, but by our similarities. 溝埋め 家作り長浜市立長浜小学校 : メイ ザン 大勢 中 一人ぼ いう気持 分 ま? 今ま 10 代 成人向け小 くあ 思 いま あ 秋 日 黒壁 賑や 街 う う 地元 美術品展示 見 い 不意 人 混 い 場所 逆 孤独 感 ま 自分 同 う 顔 人々 囲ま 道 歩 自分 彼 ういう目線 見 い 彼 私 ういう目線 見 い そ 見方 対比 違い 強く感 う ま 来日 前 人 日本 経験 い 記事 探 メリッ メリッ 比べま 結局 メリッ 方 多い いう考え 理解 ま そ 瞬間 私 外見 類似点 私 感 距離 強調 まいま 数ヶ 後 平和堂 ベ キングソ 探 い 頃 今日本 住 い いうこ 忘 ま い こ 気 ま 長浜 職場や近所 密接 コ ュニ 平和 蝉 い 夜 元々 オ ブリ 映画 動物 森 世界特 も 思 い け 今や日常生活 一部 受け入 いま 電話 け 時や電車 時刻表 む時 恐怖 知 い間 消えま 同僚 自分 間 あ 言語障壁 乗 越え 授業 目標 集中 う ま 8 以来 人間 繋 こ 必 も言語や文化 く む 共同 価値観 努力 分 ま 周 人 関係 深く こ 人生 人 類似点 定義さ いこ ( 訳長浜市立長浜小学校メ ザン ) 53

57 Reflecting on Japan 2 Tominaga Elementary School: Megan St. Andrew It s been nearly two years since I first arrived in Japan. My third time as a visitor but my first as a resident (though the perpetual feeling of being a guest would never escape me). In the past two years, there have been many changes. Not only for me, but also my family, my friends, my homeland, and even Japan. I have slowly become an adult." Even though my stay has been relatively brief and I am yet still in the country, already I feel myself falling into rose-tinted melancholy and nostalgia for a country which has truly helped raise me into the person I am becoming. I think about the simple things: late night karaoke with friends, impromptu encounters on train rides, savory hiroshimayaki from the small bar down the road, even the concentrated effort of my entire school to find one measly lost notebook. And then the more complex things that I can t quite describe: the smell of sun dried laundry in late spring, the feeling that swells in my chest when I look out over my Japanese town from atop Odani Mountain, the way I can t help but smile when a first grader compliments the seemingly natural way in which I speak English despite being told repeatedly that I am, in fact, a foreigner. To me, Japan isn t so much a set of events or a place I have lived. It is an emotion that I will cherish forever in my heart when I think of the way I have strived and struggled, grown and evolved; a piece of my life that will forever be remembered as the feeling of leaving youth behind in order to become a more confident, complete version of the person I am meant to be. Thank you so much. 富永小学校 : メ ン セン アン ュ 日本 振 返 私 日本 来 年 経 ま 訪問 度目 住 初 そ 客 いう気持 抜 ま 年間 あい 変わ 多 私 く 家族 友達 アメ 日本 え変わ ま べ 通 私 大人 ま 私 滞在期間 比較的短く ま 帰国 い い う 私 い自分 近 く う押 上 く 国 バ 色 憂鬱 郷愁 感 いま 単純 日常 思い返 ま 例え 友 夜遅く行 ケや 電車 乗 い 思い い出会いや 近所 小 いバ い い広島焼 く 冊 小 ノ 学校中 一生懸命探 件 え そ 表現 い う 複雑 遅い春 日様 乾い 洗濯物 いや 小谷山 頂上 自分 住 い 街 見渡 時 胸一杯 広 感情 私 外国 人 言わ 続 い わ 年生 子 私 自然 英語 話 様 く い い笑顔 まう 次々浮 ま 私 日本 いう国 言葉 表 大 出来 あ 住 場所 く 私 心 中 大 いく う感動 努力 奮闘 成長 進化 国 私 人 自信 完全 バ ョン 青春期 過 思い出 場所 永遠 記憶 残 人生 ピ 本当 あ う いま 54

58 Trials Upon the Trail: Kumano Kodo Takatsuki Junior High School: Nicholas Colaccino 2 This year I decided to walk the Kumano Kodo (old road) from Ise Jingu to Hayatama taisha in Wakayama Prefecture. I knew the journey would be long and difficult, but I was totally unprepared for reality. I set out with a friend from Ise Jingu in the morning, and we walked for 14 hours. It was rainy and cold all day, and by nightfall we were totally defeated. We camped in freezing temperatures and woke up with bodies as stiff as boards. And that was only the first day of a 7 day hike! With every step, I thought about quitting. But little surprises kept us going. We found beautiful scenery and mysterious buildings hidden in the forest. We met many people who were always eager to help; a Vietnamese tea farmer gave us coffee and talked about his time living in Colorado; an extremely talkative grandmother gave us tea and a place to sit (possibly the greatest gift I ve ever received). One night, while we soaked our tired bodies in an onsen (hot spring), the owner realized that our camp ground was closed. Without a moment s hesitation, he let us stay at his house! Our journey was fraught with mishaps, underestimation, and difficulties, but it was also full of beauty, friendship, and kindness. By the time we arrived at the final temple, our bodies were completely exhausted, but our spirits could not have been stronger. I learned that the beauty in our world shines brightest through the mist of hardship. 苦しい熊野古道 優しい人々 高月中学校 : ニコラス コラシノ 今年 機会 熊 古 へ行 う 思っ 熊 古 いう 県 伊勢神宮 和歌山県 玉大社 路 熊 古 長 厳 い っ い け 実際 思っ い 苦 っ 友 午前 11 時 伊勢神宮 出発 14 時間歩 っぱ っ 一日中寒 雨 降っ い 夕方 う諦 う 思い始 っ 気温 0 度以 キャンプ 起 体 板 い っ そ 最初 一日 六日間歩 いけ っ! 一歩一歩 諦 い気持 強 っ い 景色 不思議 遺跡 気 い 時 我慢 っ 思っ 出会っ 人 手伝っ ベ ム人 茶農家 コーヒー っ 彼 コロラ 州 住 経験 土産話 聞い っ 元気 祖母 っ 私 茶 休憩 場所 提供 恐 今 っ 一番 贈物 っ あ 夜 温 風呂 入っ い 間 温 人 私 キャンプ場 閉 っ っ う 家! 熊 古 旅 災難 不用意 苦 い 満 っ け 美 い自然 触 色 人 親 い 友人 いっぱい 最後 神社 着い 体 信 いほ 疲 っ い け 以 い い元気 っ っ 人生 苦 い時 そ私 世界 本当 美 見え いう 高月中学校 55

59 Getting Lost Again Yuta Elementary School: Patrick Farrell 3 Stepping into a foreign country, I soon realized just how lost I was and how difficult it would be just to find my way to the nearest train station! I often found myself wondering is this a sidewalk or a street? and am I still in Nagahama? It was an all-new world to me and living far out in the mountains created quiet the challenge. This shock became a way to learn about my new home. Getting lost forced me to track down anyone I could find and use my less than average Japanese to ask for directions. This lead to friendly conversations with an old woman as she guided me to the train station, or a jogger who was eager to practice his English. People I would never have met if I had not found myself completely lost! The people of Shiga were always happy to help, even when faced with some strange foreigner who could not remember which train station he was looking for. In America, a car is needed to get around as places can be incredibly far away. However, in Japan with just my bike and my Icoca card I can get lost in a new place every day just to experience the thrill of finding my way back. While perhaps strange, getting lost has been a great part of my life in Shiga. 迷! 湯田小学校 : パ ッ フ 外国 一歩足 踏 入 私 す 自分 迷子 最寄 駅 着 す ほ しい いう 気付 歩道 す? 道 す? 長浜 す? 自問し い 自分 気付 あ 私 全 新世界 山 中 住 い 非常 苦労し ョッ 私 新 故郷 い 知 方法 道 迷う 私 誰 見 出し 自分 平均点以下 日本語 使 方角 尋 駅 道案内し あさ や英語 学び い 思 い ョ ン し 人 フ ン 会話 迷子 い 決し 出会う あ う人々! 自分 探し い 駅 覚え い う 見知 外国人 出会 滋賀 人 い 喜 手助 し メ カ 一 一 場所 遠 い 車 必要 す し し日本 自転車 ICOCA カ さえあ 毎日新しい場所 迷う 帰 道 さ す 味わえ す 変 し い 迷子 私 滋賀 生活 い 重要 す ( 訳湯田小学校 : パ ッ フ ) 56

60 Just One Yea Torahime Junior High School: Phillip Park 3 It s almost been one year since coming to Japan. How time flies! It feels like just moments ago when I landed in Tokyo with all the hopefuls. Originally, I had planned on staying in Japan for just one year. I lived every day to experience the culture as much as I can with the thought, just one year. It has been a fruitful year, with a healthy dose of bitter sweetness marked by challenges and tough decisions. Rising above it, however, it s easy for me to see the progress I have made down below. My goal before setting my foot here has been to experience what the culture has to offer. This was one part of our pledge as JET, a practical endeavor. The second goal of JET was more abstract. What does it mean to give back to Japan? I did the most adult thing and put it on the back burner. It ll figure itself out, as my life motto goes. This brilliant plan didn t pan out, it never does. After all, without the desire to put in the effort from both parties there can be no exchange of any kind. Just one year! I reminded myself. Without wasting any more time, I changed my strategy and began learning about Japan, the language, the people, and soaking in the culture with the reminder, just one year. I visited local bars, participated in sporting events, and got to know the ever friendly locals around Shiga. With every new word learned came the ability to speak and with every new person met came a new story. With every small step came a little more understanding leading to a deeper appreciation. After 8 months, a real cultural exchange had started to take place. I was finally able to connect with my students in a meaningful through a means of communication I had learned through the previous months. Indeed, it has been a productive year but the work has only just begun. Maybe I ll stay just one more year. う一年 虎姫中学校 : パークフィリップ 日本 来 うす 一年 経 う し い 時 経 早い す い最近 来 う 気 します 日本 一年間 い 予定 し 一年 いう思い 日本文化 体験し う 思 日々 過 し まし 一年 い し 経験 学びまし 日本 来 前 日本文化 学ぶ 一番 目標 し いまし わ し自身 文化 い 生徒 学ぶ 助 二 目 目標 し 生徒 持 難しい し 時 あ あ まし 日本 一年し い い いう 思い出しまし そ 積極的 日本語 学 う し 日本文化 学ぶ 日本 人々 し ろう しまし 8 ヶ月間一生懸命 結果 生徒 普通 話せ う まし 互い 話し合い 文化 交流し合う 気持 い し 生徒 話し続 い 思います 理由 う一年日本 い 決 まし ( 訳虎姫中学校岩佐弘明 ) 57

61 1 Corinthians 16:14 Nangori and Kitagori Elementary Schools: Priscilla Olivia Wolfe In the book of Leviticus, chapter 19, verses say, When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself. Although I ve lived in many different countries, it was only at Nagahama Christ Church in Japan where I truly experienced the sentiment in this passage. When I sprained my ankle, they helped me get around on my crutches, helped carry my bags for me, and prayed for my recovery. My first birthday in Japan, even though I was still a stranger, they still celebrated with me as though we had been friends for years. When I could barely read any kanji, they came with me to the supermarket and very patiently explained how to use and cook ingredients I had never seen before. When I was struggling with utilities, they helped me communicate with company representatives who used complicated honorific language, translating their more difficult questions and helping me set up dates for inspections and construction work. Even now, whenever I feel lonely or sad, they always encourage and help me shake off homesickness. Romans 12:10 says, Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. The Nagahama Christ Church community practices this love every single day. Whatever difficulties I may face, whatever insecurities I am confronted with, I know I can depend on my faith and my family within Nagahama Christ Church. I find it impossible to put the depth of my affection and gratefulness into words, but I am thankful from the very bottom of my heart that my God has blessed me with such a wonderful Christian family during my time here in Nagahama. コ ント人 手紙 Ⅰ 16:14 長浜市立南郷里小学校 シ ア ウ ク スチャン聖書 記 19:33-34 あ 間 住 在留外国人 弱 け込 虐待 い 国民 同様 扱い 自分 愛 う 愛 さい くさ 国 住 い け 日本 長浜キ スト教会 こ 一節 気持 大事 い 私 足 捻挫 時 歩く 手伝 く 私 鞄 持 く 足 早く治 う 祈 く 日本 最初 誕生日 慣 い い私 祝 く あ 日本語 い私 い 店 行 料理 方 辛抱強く 明 く 設備 調 い 私 ペ タ 人 電話 く 難 質問 訳 工事 検査 計画 手伝 く 寂 く 悲 く い時 い 励 く マ人 手紙記 12:10 兄弟 う 愛情 互い 愛 合い 心 尊敬 合い さい 長浜キ スト教会 毎日こ 愛 実践 何 問題 あ 安 気持 あ 私 信仰 長浜キ スト教会 家族 頼 日本語 上手 いけ 長浜 住 い 時 イ ス様 素晴 いク スチャン家族 友達 え く こ 心 感謝 い 3 Your Picture ( 訳長浜市立南郷里小学校教頭藤田浩行 ) 58

62 Peace in Routines Nagahama South Junior High School: Rebecca L. White Japan when I first arrived one year before starting the JET program was a wonderland of opportunity. Every day was exciting and new. Unfortunately, this period of excitement did not last forever. By December, I was completely homesick. Nothing was new anymore and nothing felt fun. My lack of a job became a curse rather than a blessing. I couldn't speak Japanese well, leading to a fear of strangers and a lack of friends. My life was a routine that was boring, lonely, and unproductive. The day I learned I was accepted to the JET program was one of the best days of my life in Japan. Finally, I would once again become a productive member of society. I was so happy when I met my kind teachers and settled into my new life. Except... My life wasn't really new. It was in the same place as before. I am working at a job that I enjoy, but it has become routine too. Despite this, my feelings are different now. I am no longer afraid of routines. I am not sad that Japan is no longer an exciting place. In fact, I welcome it. I am proud of myself, that I have been able to move into a culture with which I was completely unfamiliar and then become settled. After all, there is comfort in the occasional routines of everyday life, even if it s things like going to the grocery store, cleaning the bathroom, and meeting my friends for board games. Routines mean peace. They mean all is well. And for that I feel as though I have truly found happiness here. 日常生活 和長浜市立南中学校 ベッカ L ワイ 私 JET プ ラム 始 前 到着 時 日本 国 い う 毎日 わ わ あ 斬新 不幸 こ 興奮 期間 永遠 続 月 私 ムシッ い う何 斬新 何 楽 感 仕事 就い い いこ あ いこ いう 悩 私 上手 日本語 話 こ 見知 人 恐 友 私 生活 退屈 寂 そ 実 い日常 JET プ ラム 応募 こ 知 日 日本 私 生活 最 良い日々 一 い 私 う一度社会 実 あ 一員 こ 親切 先生方 出会い 新 い生活 落 着 幸 私 生活 本当 新 い いこ 除い 私 生活 以前 同 状況 私 楽 仕事 進 い そ 日常 あ こ わ 私 気持 今 違 い う日常生活 恐 や日本 わ わ 場所 い 悲 実際 日本 好 知 長 住 文化 中 暮 こ 私自身 誇 思い い 食料品店 行 バス ム 掃除 ゲ ム 友 会う 毎日 生活 ささい ひ 快適 日常生活 和 意味 いうこ そ 本当 幸 ここ あ う 感 い 翻訳長浜市立南中学校教諭藤居義隆 59

63 Curiosity Has its Limits. Nanao Elementary, Kitagori Elementary: Robert Ward 2 I think about Miyamoto Tsuneichi a lot. The famous anthropologist from Yamaguchi started one of his journeys across Japan on the border between Gifu and Shiga. After walking 15 kilometers, he arrived in Kinomoto yes, our Kinomoto and was told by a local that he should not continue until the rain subsided. An elderly woman from the village let him stay at her home. Miyamoto asked her whether she d traveled around much, she answered that once, when she was young, she went as far as Ogaki in Gifu. The woman, 70 years old, spent the rest of her life tending to fields in Kinomoto. Miyamoto explained that he had come to see the abandoned village of Hasso, she looked at him and said, Curiosity has its limits, you know. Miyamoto laughed. Curiosity has its limits, I love that quote as much as I love Miyamoto s reaction. I have followed my curiosity to distant places I ve visited abandoned villages in Taga and Yogo, I ve walked abandoned logging roads, and I have always stopped to talk to the people there. Many ask me the same thing why do you like looking in to these things? to which I respond simply, because I like it. At a party this winter, I spoke with a friend who visited the Izumo Taisha in Shimane. She said she wanted to visit a power spot and feel rejuvenated. However, when she got there, she closed her eyes, prayed, and waited: nothing. She felt nothing. I asked her if she knew much about the Izumo Taisha or its history, and she said I m not really interested in any of that. I think that mysterious feeling at power spots is in fact curiosity. I ve felt it when visiting the abandoned village of Okukonami, which is so deep in the mountains if it weren t for garbage floating downstream you d never thought it existed. It originates from a desire to understand how these places changed over time, how people lived their lives. Miyamoto says in his book, Furusato no Seikatsu ( 生活 ) that people have forgotten where they come from. After 2 years I would give the same advice Miyamoto does: If you have time, walk as much as you can. You will learn many things. Another author, Kyuya Fukada, wrote a book called 100 Famous Japanese Mountains ( 日本 山 ). This book doesn t give you advice. This book tells you were to go. It tells you why and how to appreciate his recommendations, not how to appreciate things. Tani Buncho, in the Edo Period, also made a list of 90 mountains, many of which were small and near his home in Mie. Most of Fukada s mountains neighbor his home prefecture of Ishikawa. There are only 13 in all of Western Japan; there are 47 in the Chubu region. When you go walking, follow your curiosity. Research where you go deeply and fully. Teach others -Teaching not just English teachers, but coworkers, family, friends what you learn. Shiga is filled with history and you can find it wherever you go. Teaching English is our job inside school walls but outside, I think, it is the help people discover their own sense of curiosity. Your experience here will become more meaningful, more fulfilling, and just as exciting as the first few steps off the plane when you started this job. These experiences, alone and with others, will give meaning to your everyday but you have to wan to follow your curiosity. You have to want to try your best. 60

64 2 物 ほ あ 七尾小学校 北郷里小学校 : ロ ワ 僕 宮本常一 い く考え 宮本氏 人類学者 山口県 生 育 日本全国 歩 いう 山奥 暮 い 村人 生活 調 見 記録 旅 一 岐阜 滋賀 境 あ 八草 峠 歩 15キロ 歩い 木之本 う 今 木之本 言う 到着 時空 く曇 い 雨 う今日 い あ 家 く 宮本 旅行 あ? 聞く あ 若い 大垣 出 あ 七十年 あい 出 く 夏 焼 く 冬 雪 い 言い 宮本 八草 いう今 ほ 村 見 く 言 あ 物 ほ あ 言わ 宮本 笑い 物 ほ あ 言葉 宮本 笑い返事 う 面 い 思い 去年 7 頃 色々 行 え 彦根 南 あ 多賀町 あ 霊山集落 いう廃村 歩い 伐 作業 行わ 山 歩い 時近い村 農家 人 い 人 興味 持? 聞 好 い 返事 冬 忘年会 多賀町 生 育 友 時 若い 島根県 出雲大社 行 聞 う 行 聞い ワ 見 言わ 結局 ワ 目 閉 神様 祈 何 感 う 出雲大社 歴史 神 興味 あ 聞く 興味 あ 言わ う ワ 不思議 感 場所 力 く 人 好奇心 う 僕 奥川並 いう廃村 行 時 感 あ 好奇心 元 今 村 う 出来 知 い 昔 人 う 生活 い 知 い いう気持 生 思い 宮本氏 生活 いう本 う書 い : 皆 自分 歴史 忘 い 私 宮本氏 メ セ 伝え い : く歩く 歩 歩くほ 物事 分 う う う一人 深田久弥 いう作家 い 人 日本 山 いう本 書 読 ア イ いう あ 行 い 行 い 言 う 令 書 い 本 行く 場所 書 い 深田氏 意見 あ 筆者 好奇心 追う く 冒険 う 思え 大変 ラ イ本 感 い 自分 山 行く い 歩 出 時 好奇心 追 く い 満足いく 調 下 い 習 皆 英語 先生 く 僚 友 子供 家族 教え く い 滋賀県 行 歴史 発見 好奇心 持 行動 思い 学校 い 間 英語 教え 我々 事 社会 自分 興味 持 い 人 伝え 好奇心 持 欲 い 61

65 2 ( 訳 七尾小学校 ) 62

66 One Job Ends, Another Begins Biwa Minami Elementary School: Russell Roberts Year five has passed and it s been very difficult to say goodbye to the life I ve made as an ALT at Biwa Minami Elementary. I ve said in my previous essay that I could see myself teaching at that school for many more years and that still holds true today. However, sadly my time with the JET program has come to an end and I must part ways with the life I ve made for myself these past 5 years. Fortunately, my immediate path doesn t lead me back to the United States just yet, but rather a different path in the city of Nagahama. I am fortunate and blessed to be able to continue helping Nagahama students and teachers improve their English in a different way with a different job. It s a new challenge and a very different type of work for me, but I m going to try my best and help the English education in Nagahama city to the best of my ability. 一 ジョ 終了し 別 ジョ 開始さ すびわ南 学校 : ラ セルロバー 5 年目 過 私 びわ南 学校 ALT し 生活 別 告 せ 私 エ セー びわ南 学校 教えたい 言 い した 今 そう思 い す し し 悲しい JET ログラム 時間 終わ した 私 過去 5 年間 私 自 自身 作 た人生 道 開い い せ す 米国 戻 長浜市 別 道 進 す 幸運 今私 長浜 児童や教師 英語力向上 た 新しい仕事 し い す そ 新しい挑戦 あ 私 た 異 タイ 仕事 す 最善 尽 し 長浜市 英語教育 た 自 能力 最大限 活用す す ( 訳 : 長浜教育指 課 : ラ セルロバー 河瀬洋子 ) 63

67 A.R.E.A. You are Never Too Old to Learn. Shin Nagahama Kita High School: Sharon Goetz 3 Assertion: It s too hard to sum up a yearlong learning adventure into one tidy little essay. Reason: There s just too much to say and too little space, so I ll do this list style. Evidence: I miss my cat. Seriously. She would run to the door when I came home from work. She s not there, and I broke my promise to always be there for her. I love my church. I go to a tiny store-front church a few blocks from my apartment. Everyone there is so friendly, even though they know NO English. I don t know enough Japanese to understand the message, but the love is there. That s enough. I have re-discovered that I am bad at Gundam models, or any type of crafting. But I still have a drive to do something with my hands. I like doing these things too. Owning a smart phone is really annoying. If I knew Japanese better, I d probably go back to owning a dumb phone. Not making friends never works. Everywhere I go, I try to not make friends. This is because it allows me to be free to come and go places and jobs as I please. Yeah, I failed at that, multiple times, so I m going to just drop that idea. Assertion: So in conclusion, I had a lot of learning in one year. Thank you for noticing the formula of AREA in my essay. This is what my High School kids and I learned this year! Now we can have fabulous essays. You re never too old to stop learning. A.R.E.A. 学ぶ 遅すぎること い 新校 長浜北高等学校 : シ ロン ゲ 主張 :1 年間 学び いう冒険 い う セイ い 理由 : いう 言い い 多 あ スペ ス 少 す あ う ス 作 証拠 : ア 残 飼い猫 い 思 い 本当 ア い 私 仕事 家 ア 向 走 今 い い い 一緒 い いう約束 破 私 通 い 教会 本当 気 入 い アパ 数 ロ ク 沿い 小 教会 通 い 教会 通 い 人 英語 全 わ い 皆親 私 人 話 い 理解 ほ 日本語 わ わけ い 愛 あ 十 ンダ 作 手 使 何 作 苦手 あ わ 何 作 う いう気持 い う す 好 スマ ン 所有す 本当 悩 い あ 自 日本語 上手 あ 古い機種 携 電話 持 う 友 作 い いう う い 外出す 友 作 い う 努 いう 友 い け 自 行 い 行 い す 自 自身 決 い 何回 関 失敗 う 考え や 主張 : 結論 1 年間 学 64

68 セイ AREA マ 気 い 頂い あ う い す 本校 生徒 私 1 年 学 あ 今 生徒 素晴 い セイ 書け う 年齢 あ 学び続け 翻訳 新校 滋賀県立長浜北高等学校教諭坂本美佳 65

69 My Lovely, Wandering Bike Commutes Nagahama South Elementary School: Stephanie Smith 3 The school I work at is about 5km from my house. No matter the season, every morning I go to school by bike. My coworkers and friends often say things like That s so tough! Yet for me it's a lovely part of my day. While heading to work I bask in the sights of the season, watch people around the neighbourhood, or think about life. This summer I'm returning to Canada, and I'm going to really miss my morning wanderings. Each morning's ride is a fresh experience, because I'm always heading to work on different routes. Left then right then left again. On days I sleep in I choose the quickest route, and other times I'll go right through neighbourhoods. My ride home is similar, yet at those times I often stop at the shops. I happily buy fresh veggies from the local veg stand, or eat at the curry cafe where I've become a regular visitor. However the thing I'm getting down about, is that even though I often see the staff at these stores, I don't have many conversations. That's probably because I'm a little introverted. Recently I ve wondered, when I return to Canada, will those staff feel the sadness I'm going to feel? How long will it take for those acquaintances to realize, "Ah, that foreign girl with the fluffy hair stopped coming..." It makes me kind of sad but, that's life right. While riding my bike, I often savor the feeling that "I really am a part of Nagahama City a citizen here." My lovely commute has truly become something I really enjoy. 近所 通 幸 通勤 長浜南小学校 : スミスステフ 私 勤 い 学校 家 5km 程 こ あ 季節 わ 自転車 通勤 い 自転車通勤 大変 い? 同僚 友 聞い こ 楽 1 い 季節感 味わ 近所 人々 様子 見 自分 人生 い 考え 自転車 乗 い 今年 8 月 私 カ ダへ帰 こ 朝 本当 恋 通勤 毎日 新鮮 左 右 左 ト 変え 行 い ト 日 気 変え い 寝坊 日 早い ト 頑張 他 時 町 中 い 店 近 通 行 帰 同 う 気 い 店 訪 八百屋さ い い野菜 買 カ 屋さ 出入 う こ 風 通勤 楽 い こ 残念 感 い こ あ 私 内向的 性格 店員さ 会う あ 喋 い いこ カ ダへ 帰国 前 私 時 私 帰国 後 近所 人 私 同 う 寂 さ 感 う あ わ わヘ 外国人 女 子 来 町 人 気 う 思い さ い 人生 私 自転車 乗 私 長浜市 地域社会 一員 思い 毎朝 自転車通勤 本当 楽 いこ い ( 訳石江奈月 ) 66

70 Countryish Living: Where are all the young people? Topic Hachiman East Junior High School: Bryan Jesus Villa I think I ve been here long enough that the rosy glow this city once had to me as a new resident has started to fade. No longer do I think every new place I find is amazing. It s a good thing; I get to look at my surroundings a lot more critically. As I have slowed down and gotten to take a good look around, there s one thing that I keep wondering. Where are all the young people? There are 200 students that graduate from my middle school every year. There are four middle schools in my city. So I would guess there would be about people born into this town every year, although I m sure that number is dropping. Regardless, at one point there was probably 5,000 or more people that lived in this town that were within 3 years of my age. Where did they go? Four years in this town and I have probably seen about 200 people that are in their twenties. I ve only befriended a handful. I used to love going to old smoky bars and befriending old businessmen, but that s grown old on me. I had gotten used to being around so many older people that I was actually really surprised by the amount of young people I saw at USJ like I wouldn t stop talking about it for an hour. I don t know where everyone went, but I know most people leave for college and don t come back. I don t know why. I love this place. I just wish it was more lively. 若者? 近江八幡市立八幡東中学校 : ブ イアン ビ 初 町 来 時 感 バ 色 輝 長年住 い 次第 薄 い 新 い場所 行 い や い う毎回言わ い 全部普通 良い 思う 自分 周 批判的 見 う 周 ゆ 見 う 1 疑問 頭 中 浮 : い い 若者 い? 毎年 00 人 い 生徒 中学校 卒業 い 近江八幡市 中学校 校あ いう 毎年 00 人 00 人 い 人 生 い い 思う いう 私 歳 い い 年齢 近い人 000 人 い い いうわ 行? 年 住 い 0 代 若者 00 人 い 見 い い い 出会 友 ほ 一握 い い 地域 居酒屋 行 マン 仲良 前 楽 い 思 い や 自分 年齢 近い人 いい 思 わ 年上 人 多い 慣 普通 USJ 行 若者 多過! う!? 1 時間 考え い 若者 行 わ い ほ 大学 行 戻 い 思う 戻 い わ い 私 場所 大好 賑や いい 訳近江八幡市立八幡東中学校吉居香苗 67

71 What Kendo has taught me Omihchiman West Junior High School: Logan Matthew Scott Have you ever been beat up by a kid in Elementary school? I have. Like all new ALT`s new to the world of JET, I kept wondering what my new life in Shiga would be like. Would it be reminiscent of my abroad time, or would it be something completely new. What could I do to add spice to my JET story? When I go home (not anytime soon) I want to say more than I taught English in Japan. For me that thing is Kendo. While getting torn apart by kids that only come up to my waist wasn t in the original plan, it has added that spice in my life. While I am not the only JET to practice Kendo or other martial arts, for me it has had unforeseen consequences to my JET story. First and foremost, it has changed my sedentary lifestyle, I m sure summer will be tough, but hey, exercise is healthy! The most important lessons, however, are that of presence, patience, connection and communication. I learned how to be loud, to let my opponent know, I m here, and you`ll know it. I transferred this energy to the classroom, and I have seen positive results. I learned patience through long practices and moments when no one makes a move. I came to realize that as an ALT, we shouldn t wait for our students to make the first move; we should be the ones to offer support first. The last lesson, and most important, is connections and communication. Since I practice at my school, it has offered me a chance to connect with my students and local community. Through the common bond of kendo I have had made priceless connections with my students in and out of the Dojo. All of my students are fascinated and ask questions when they see me carrying my kendo equipment to school. I will also help the PE teachers when it s time for the Kendo unit this winter! Kendo has given me and the students a different way to interact and connect. I find that this level of connection is what JET is about. We are learning about each other and making connections. I hope my remaining time on JET will be filled with many memories. 剣道に教えられたことは? 近江八幡市立八幡西中学校 : ロ ガン マシュ スコット新 い ALT 同 う 私 生活 う 考え 留学時代 同 物 別 う 帰国 時 今 年後 単純 日本 英語 教え 言い い いう思い 私 中 あ う 自 JET STORY 他 ALT JET STORY ニー 考え 私 JET STORY ニー させ 剣道 あ 日本 武道 や い ALT 私 け い 剣道 学 事 英語 授業 生徒 伝え い あ 目 声 私 静 性格 あ 剣道 時 大 声 出 剣道 大 声 出 こ 大 あ 点目 辛抱 あ 剣道 試合 辛抱 大 あ 初 動 打 い 良い い 意識 そ タ ミン 待 あ 教室 生徒 新 い学び 得 う 生徒 様子 観察 良いタ ミン 生徒 理解 深 う 手助け タ ミン 探 生徒 外国語 学ぶこ 難 い そ 難 さ 耐え 学 こ 使 自 思いや考え 英語 話 こ う 学習 楽 目 コミ ニ ーシ ン あ 私 学校 剣道 や い 現地 コミ ニテ 活用 生徒 良い 私 生徒 剣道具 担 自転車 通勤 私 見 声 け 今年 冬 体育科 教員 授業 剣道 指導 際 私 そ 授業 参加 予定 あ こ 機会 生徒 良い関係 築け う 尽力 い 剣道 私 JET STORY ニー させ あ ( 訳近江八幡市立八幡西中学校中島幸子 ) 68

72 Just One Year Hachiman JHS: Selena Elizabeth Miranda It is hard to believe that my year in Shiga is almost over. As a first year JET who decided to not recontract, my time has been spent planning meetups with friends, cleaning up my apartment and enjoying every class I have. This was my first time coming to Japan,. At the beginning, I felt lonely. But living in an apartment complex with 3 other first year JETs and befriending them really helped me feel welcomed. I could not have asked for better neighbors. I think I ask them for help too often so I am thankful that they are always willing to lend me a hand. Living in Omihachiman would not have been as fun without them. I know I am going to miss the friends I made in Japan but I am also going to miss waking up and riding my bike to Hachiman JHS. At first, the students would just look at me as I rode my bike to and from school. But as they got more used to me, they would say good morning or see you! depending on the time of day. It makes me so happy when they greet me. However, I am happier when they stop and chat with me. Once, I was walking to the grocery store. Two students were walking towards me and they waved hi. Then, they started telling me that they were going home after their club activity. They were also curious about what music I was listening to. I still remember how excited they were when they saw that I was listening to k-pop! After that brief chat, we went our separate ways. I`m also going to miss working with my wonderful JTE`s. They are really good teachers who work really hard and do their best for the students. I hope I can be just as dedicated and amazing as them in my chosen profession! ほ 一年間 八幡中学校 : セレナ エ ザベス ミ ンダ う滋賀県 JET 日々 終わ 思う 信 い気持 再契約 い 決 私 友達 会う計画 立 ア ト 整理 日々 授業 楽 時間 費や 今回 私 初 日本 来 最初 寂 く感 人 ア ト 住 年目 JET メン 仲良く 本当 自分 助 く う い気持 私 以上 い良い隣人 恵 私 彼 助 求 い 気持 く助 い 感謝 い 彼 い 近江八幡市 生活 楽 い う 私 日本 友達や八幡中学校 通 日々 名残惜 く感 思い 私 自転車 学校 行 帰 際 生徒 出会う 時 私 親 く う や 声 く 私 う い気持 彼 足 止 自分 話 く 時 嬉 く感 以前 私 食料品店 歩い い 人 生徒 私 方 来 手 振 挨拶 く そ 彼 部活 終わ 帰宅中 私 告 彼 私 音楽 聴い い い 興味 い 彼 私 K-POP 聴い い 知 興奮 い 事 今 覚え い 簡単 会話 後 私 別 私 素晴 い日本人 英語教員 仕事 名残惜 く感 思い 彼 一生懸命 働 生徒 全力 尽く 本当 良い先生 思い 私 彼 う 自分 選 職業 献身的 一生懸命 取 組 い 思い ( 訳八幡中学校山本直哉 ) 3 69

73 Topic 2 Bridging the Gap with Shodo Koka Junior High School: Joshua Clay McMillen In the past year, I have taken up a new hobby, which feeds directly into my study of the Japanese language, Shodo (Japanese Caligraphy). My growing interest in Shodo has also sparked the interest of both teachers and students. When I have free time in the teacher s room, I take out my brush pen and start to practice writing characters. Teachers that pass by my desk take an interest in what I am doing and stop to compliment my work. I also share some of the characters that I have practiced with students before class starts. They are amazed at what I have done. They are able to see that I am learning just like them. Many times, I write what I am learning on the black board and ask them to critique my work. They can really see my level (which is very low) by my stroke order and because of the small mistakes that I make. Honestly, it s good that I make mistakes in front of them when I write new kanji on the board. This helps me to show them that they should not fear making mistakes. 書道 異文化 架け橋 甲賀中学校 : ョ ュ ミッ ミ ン 今年度 始まっ 新しい趣味 始 まし そ 書道 日本 カ フ 私 日本語 勉強 直接役立っ います 私 書道 興味 持 始 先生や生徒 興味 持っ く う まし 空 時間 職員室 筆 ン 漢字 書く練習 始 ます 私 机 そ 通 先生方 私 姿 見 興味 持 褒 く ます 授業 前 生徒 一緒 練習し 漢字 黒板 書くこ し います 生徒 私 し い こ 見 びっく します 私 彼 う 学 い いうこ 見せ ます 何度 練習し い 字 黒板 書い います そし そ ほ 出来 評価し っ います 彼 筆順や っ し 間違い 私 = 低い 判断 ます 正直 言っ 黒板 新しい漢字 書い 彼 前 間違うこ 良いこ 思います 間違い 恐 い いうこ 示せ す 70

74 Speaking English as a Teacher Shigaraki Junior High School: Rachel Boyle Topic 1 One day at my desk this year, I stumbled upon an article from the BBC titled Native English Speakers are the World s Worst Communicators. As a native English speaker working to teach my mother tongue, it seemed worthwhile to read it. To very briefly summarize the article: monolingual English speakers don t realize that their speech is difficult to understand, so they don t make adjustments; non-native speakers understand each other better than they do Brits or Americans. After two years of teaching English here, I think I can say I ve changed the way I speak English for the better. When I first arrived, I wasn t totally unaware of my speech. I did my best to speak slowly and clearly, carefully pronouncing each word and avoiding contractions. As time went on, though, I realized that my idea of easily understandable speech was more tuned to America than to Japan. I started learning the way my students learned English, subconsciously building up a list of things they d learned versus things they hadn t. I learned how to phrase things more simply, and how to fragment my sentences when speaking slowly to keep important phrases together. (For example, Do you like. Apples? is better than Do. You. Like. Apples?, because the familiar do you like stays together.) All of this speaking style change happened in the background as I slowly grew used to teaching English. But truly, I didn t realize how much I d learned until I took a trip to Morocco. I had a chance to speak with a friend of a friend, who had barely spoken any English the last time I d seen him four years ago. He d learned a lot, and we spoke for a while one evening. My friend approached me later, saying she was surprised at how well we d communicated in English, since she usually struggled to keep her speech simple. Teaching English has taught me a lot, I laughed in response. And it s true I think anyone who s taught English as a foreign language can testify to that. 教師 し 話す いう 信楽中学校 チェ ボ 今年 あ 日 英語 ネ テ ブスピーカー 世界 最 コミュニケーション 下手 あ いう 記事 出くわし 母国語 あ 英語 ネ テ ブスピーカー し 読 い 思い 目 通し 記事 簡単 う あ 英語し 話さ い人 自 言語 理解し い 気付 い 言葉 相手 合わ 調節し う し い 英語 母国語 し い人 ギ ス人や カ人同士 場合 比 互い く理解し合え 私 日本 2 年間英語 教え 以前 相手 伝わ う 英語 話し方 変え う 初 日本 来 私 自 話し方 気 い わ い 限 語 語 ゆ く 寧 発音し 短縮形 使わ い う し い し し時 経 私 考え い 理解しやすい 話し方 日本人 く カ人 いう 気付い 私 生徒 英語 う し 学ぶ 考え始 彼 習 習 い スト 無意識 作 う う 物事 簡潔 言う 大事 言い回し ゆ く 話す う 文 区 考え 例え Do you like. Apples? Do. You. Like. Apples? やすい do you like 形 頻繁 使う 私 英語 教え ゆ く 慣 いく中 変わ 思う し し実 ッコ 旅行す 自 ほ 学 いう 気付い い 私 友人 友人 話す機会 あ 彼 4 年前 会 時 ほ 英語 話 彼 71

75 英語 勉強し あ 私 あ 夜 し く会話 続 友人 私 英語 コミュニケーション い 驚い い 彼女 簡単 英語 彼 話 う 頑張 い う くい 私 英語 教え いう 私 多く 教え く 笑 返事 し 真実 外国語 し 英語 教え あ 人 誰 通 証言す 思う ( 訳信楽中学校藤田小夜美 ) 72

76 Coincidences: A Journey to Obama Shin-Asahi Kita Elementary School: Brittany Ekejiuba 2 January 19th, 2017 was the end of an era: it was the last day of Barack Obama s presidency. For 8 years, President Obama had represented the USA with a poise and dignity that I could not be more thankful for. Before his 2nd term was up, I wanted to celebrate America s first black president. As luck would have it, 1 hour away from me in Fukui Prefecture is Obama City (the shared name is a mere coincidence). Two other JETs and I decided we NEEDED to go, and soon. The three of us wanted to take pictures with the city signs, go to the local attractions, and maybe buy a few Obama manju (a Japanese style dessert with Obama s face and I Obama stamped on). So on January 14th, we drove through the snow to Obama City. Totally by chance, there was an event in town that very day thanking President Obama and honoring his achievements over the past 8 years. Not only were there Obama manju, there were I Obama T-shirts, stickers, vending machines, and even haori (a traditional Japanese jacket). On stage was a huge banner that read, Thanks, Obama and cardboard cutouts of Mr. and Mrs. Obama. It s amazing how small coincidences can make such big changes in the lives of so many. A shared name with a president an ocean away brought this city international fame, and changed the scope of its tourism for almost a decade now. Obama s Hawaiian birthplace provided inspiration for the Obama Girls, an all-ages hula dancing group that has performed from Okinawa to Hawaii. These people knew more about Obama than I did as a US citizen. And on that day, this coincidence brought us all together. 小浜へ 旅 新旭 小学校 : ニ ウ 年 日 一 時代 終わ 日 マ大統領 最後 日 年間 マ大統領 落 着 威厳 持 アメ 象徴 アメ 初 黒人 大統領 期目 終え 時 祝い う 思い 巡 合わせ う ここ 時間ほ こ 福井 小浜市 あ 前 いう せ 他 人 JET 私 小浜市へ行こう 決 私 人 市 板 写真 撮 地元 所 行 マ う 少 買 い 思 い マ大統領 顔 I love Obama いう焼 印 あ 日本流 日 私 雪 中 車 小浜市 向 い 幸運 こ 市内 マ大統領 年間 業績 え 感謝 イベン 行わ い マ う I love Obama T ャ 自動販売機 羽織 伝統的 日本 ャ さえ あ 会場 あ う マ大統領 書 旗 マ夫妻 段ボ 切 抜 あ こ 驚 う 小さ 一致 暮 中 こ 大 変 海 隔 大統領 前 繋 こ こ 市 世界的 ここ 年間 観光旅行 所 変え こ マ大統領 ワイ産 あ 年齢 女性 ン 誕生 沖縄 ワイ マン あ そ 人 アメ 国民 あ 私 マ大統領 こ 知 い そ こ 一致 私 一 ( 翻訳高島市立新旭 小学校青谷夏奈 ) 73

77 The Significance of Japanese Self Study,1 Takashima Junior High School: Brixton Sandhals While preparing for life as an ALT, I came across many an anecdote stressing the importance of an exclusive use of English in the Japanese classroom. In order to ensure my students had ample opportunity to be fully immersed in English, I would need to use English with them and English alone. Of course, while I would like to stress the significance of having exposure to one s target language via native speakers, I believe the value of communication with Japanese students in Japanese has been grossly underestimated. An honest effort to learn Japanese on the ALT s part provides students a means of empathy with you regarding the struggles of language acquisition. It also shows your coworkers that you are interested in and respect their culture, and it assists in creating English sentences more easily understood by your Japanese-speaking students. Above all though, and perhaps most simply, the use of Japanese where applicable dissolves a thick wall of apprehension between you and your students. Although I will use English exclusively when in front of my class as a whole, when students are working individually I am more than happy to assist them in Japanese. Since implementing this, students have felt more comfortable requesting my help both in and out of the classroom, and the one-on-one work with students shared by me and my JTE has become more evenly distributed. Moreover, a student s ability to converse with their ALT in Japanese does not necessitate an invariable pursuit of Japanese conversation alone. Conversely, students will often, if able, ask their questions to me in English, but do so with the comfort and knowledge that they will not be backed into a corner wherein they do not have the linguistic fortitude to articulate their point or question. It is the cushioning of the option of Japanese which enables them to ask in English in the first place. 日本語自学自習の重要性について高島中学校ブ クス ン サン ハ ス ALT し 仕事 準備中 日本 教室 中 英語 け 話さ け いけ い く聞い そう 教師 し 生徒達 英語漬け し い 私 必 英語し 使わ け いけ い いうこ あ 勿論 ネ テ ブ 通し 目標言語 触 こ 重要性 強調し い 日本語 日本人 生徒 話 こ 価値 極 過小評価さ い 思う 自 一生懸命 日本語 勉強し こ 伝え 語学学習 い 生徒 ALT 共感 日本 文化 興味 あ こ え 私 日本語 文法 理解 日本 人 し 英語学習 手助け 簡単 中 簡単 こ 日本語 使うべ 理由 適 日本語 使うこ 教師 生徒 間 厚い不安 壁 崩 概し 教室 前 い 時 私 英語 使う 生徒個人 英文 書い い 時 日本語 手伝 良い 思う そうし い 生徒 教室 内外 私 安心し 頼 く し 私 JTE 生徒 一対一 教え 時間 均等 ALT 生徒 日本語 会話 い 生徒 日本語 け 会話 こ 限 い そ こ 生徒 聞 いこ 英語 話 英語 話 状況 作 日本語 手助け 簡単 英語 話そう 思い 生徒 く相手 英語 聞くこ 最初 段階 日本語 使うこ 英語 質問 う 思う 翻訳高島市立高島中学校 ALT ブ クス ン サン ハ ス 74

78 Reflection of Reality 2 Imazu Junior High School: Caroline Wright [ 出典 T.V. between America and Japan is surprisingly different. Our dramas are more intense and our comedies can be darker and our variety shows are almost non-existent. Our cartoons and anime are easily the most comparable. Even our dramas are often easier to compare in content to anime than Japanese dramas. But nowhere is the contrast more evident than in what these two countries consider reality T.V. I think this is because Japanese reality T.V. is actually reality, while ours is more about watching people getting ready to have a fight, fighting, or reflecting/recovering from the fight. Which, while in small doses can be entertaining that is why people like dramas after all becomes so tiresome when that s all that is happening. It s also very unrealistic. When I first came here, one of the most popular shows was about a guy in his sixties who was biking through all of Japan. The show pretty much had four parts: 1) fan letter, 2) bike around, 3) meal and smoke 4) fans/random people chatting. The end. All done in neat little 15 minute segments. Another that is still popular is Cats Around the World. It s literally just a small crew traveling around the world filming cats in beautiful locations with pleasant music in the background. There is another about different trains and, of course, the many, many shows about food. While we have an entire network devoted to food, I wish this could be an area where we would take the hint from the Japanese and learn to just relax. 現実の反映 高島市立今津中学校 : キャロライン ライト カ 日本 ビ番組 驚 ほ 違います カ ド マ 日本 比べ 強烈 内容 コ 番組 い内容 す そし 日本 う バ エ 番組 ほ あ ませ カ 漫画 日本 ニ 一番比較し易い す し し 国 現実 近い番組 作 う 努力し い 確 す 日本 番組 実生活 即し 現実的 内容 あ カ 実生活 大袈裟 見せ あ ます 結果 す わ う 短編 綴 い 面白い す 結局 そういう理由 人々 ド マ 好 思います 過剰 事件 起 続 飽 ます そし や そ 非現実的 す 私 初 日本 来 一番人気 ビ番組 日本中 自転車 旅す 60 代男性 ドキュ ンタ 番組 し そ 番組 フ ン タ 読 自転車 旅 食事や 彼 フ タ 滞在先 地元 人々 語 い 4 部門 構成さ いまし 他 人気番組 あ 世界猫歩 文字通 少人数 撮影ク 世界中 旅し 心地良い音楽 BGM 美しい景色 中 猫 撮影し 周 ます 他 様々 電車 紹 し 食べ物 料理 取 扱 す 番組 さ あ ます 放送局 食事や料理 取 上 います 日本 番組 ックス 多い カ 番組 そう ほしい す ( 翻訳高島市立 津中学校海東美幸 ) I wish to have my name and photo removed when this essay is uploaded to the Internet. 75

79 A True Culture Exchange 3 We get to work with many different types of teachers through our JET career and there seems to be very little knowledge on what exposure foreigners already have with Japanese culture. I would often wish if teachers could experience a taste of what life is like in an English speaking country that they wouldn t be viewed as foreigners or even travelers until they said so. My wishes were heard, as last year I was lucky enough to have four of my good friends and coworkers ask if they could visit me in my home city of Toronto, Canada over the summer vacation. After they enjoyed a few days in Disneyland, I met my four friends at the Toronto airport. Although I spoke to them in English as I always do, they gave their immediate appreciation and relief that they were not only happy to see me, but also relief that they could understand my English. We only had a couple of days together in Toronto before heading back to Japan, so I took them to Niagara Falls on one day and shopping around Toronto on the next. I cooked them meals, took them to restaurants, and showed them all the different food available in Toronto. We did some people-watching and some board games, and on the last day, one of my Japanese friends, my dad and I together did some jamming on the piano, guitar, and bass. I hope they were able to experience a little of what it is like for JETs to live in Japan through this trip to North America. Sometimes we will have a friend help out, translate or guide us. Sometimes we have to rely on our own abilities to get around. It s not only important for Japanese teachers to continue to offer guidance when JETs are lost, but it should be acknowledged that JETs live and survive in Japan on our own, by picking up the language and culture over our time here. Those teachers and I have a special bond now and I value their friendship immensely. Wishing that more teachers would be able to experience a similar trip, I was recently asked by another two teachers if they could visit me next summer in Toronto. I am so ready! 本物 交流 JET ALT し くさ 先生 事 し 日本文 も親し し そし 日本 先生 も外国人 立場 英語圏 国 経験し ほしい 思い し 幸運 こ 同僚 四人 夏休 利用し 私 故郷 あ ロン 来 く し 彼 ー ン 楽し 後 ロン 空港 私 待 合わせ し し 私 い も通 英語 彼 話 し し 彼 私 会え け く 私 英語 理解 もう しそう し ロン ほ 数日 在 し 見物し 買い物 し し 彼 食事 作 ロン い い 食材 紹介し し 最終日 友人 ひ 私 私 父 一緒 ピ ノ ギ ー ベー 即興 ッション 楽し し こ メ へ 旅行 日本 生活す JET こ 少しわ く い 思 い す 手伝 通訳や案内 し く 人 い す 自 自身 や い く いこ くさ あ す JET 授業 す け 大 く 時間 も 言葉や文 身 け い い 私 JET 生活もも 理解し も い い す こ 先生 私 非常 強い し 私 も こ 経験 し も い く こ 夏 ロン 来 い 先生 誘 も す 76

80 News in the Classroom 1-1 Adogawa Junior High School: Florian Perret Did you hear what happened on the news? This question has come to define my entire second year spent in Japan. Being an American citizen, U.S. politics have naturally dominated most of my recent conversations with both other ALTs, as well as Japanese friends. More than that, however, it has strongly influenced how I view my role as an international educator in Japan. At first, the conversation started with 3 rd year students asking if I liked the new president. I felt the strong need to make sure students understood m y stance on the situation. It then moved to a stunning number of students asking You re Canadian, right? Almost all of them were shocked to be reminded that I was, in fact, American. Although most interactions were of a comical nature, it opened my eyes to the effect global politics has on intercultural communication at all levels even between a 13-year-old student and their English teacher. My students were expecting all Americans to be the same as what they see or hear on the news, and were surprised to find (or be reminded) that most Americans are not. The role as an international representative has been part of the JET Programme for a long time. However, in the current political atmosphere, this role has never been more important. Perhaps one of my most significant roles as an English teacher is not ensuring proper pronunciation or verb tenses, but rather encouraging and practicing international communication and understanding; reminding my students that the opinions they hear on the TV are not necessarily representative of the global population and that all over the world people are different. 昨日 ュース 聞い? ニュ スが教室に 安曇川中学校フ リアン ペ ット こ 問い 僕 日本滞在 年目 特徴 け っ ア カ人 ALT や日本人 友人 最近 会話 内容 ほ 当然 ア カ政治 占 い け く 日本 国際的教育者 自 役割 僕 う考え いうこ 強く影響 最初 年生 生徒 僕 新 い大統領 好 う 尋 こ 始 っ 僕 自 立場 生徒達 理解 う必要 あ 思っ 多く 生徒 フ 先生 カ ダ人 う? 聞い 僕 実際 ア カ人 あ わ 生徒 ほ びっく い 僕 生徒 ア カ人 ュース 見 聞い 人 同 う 思っ い 実際 ほ ア カ人 う い いうこ 気付い 気付 さ 驚い 国際的代表者 役割 長年 JET プ 事内容 一部 あ 最近 政治的 ー 中 役割 こ 以上 大 っ い 英語教師 僕 最 重要 役割 正 い発音や動詞 時制 確 こ 生徒 国際的 コ ュ ーション 理解 促 練習 さ こ 思う テ ビ 耳 意見 必 世界 全人口 代表 く 世界中 人々 異 人間 いうこ 気付 い 翻訳高島市立安曇川中学校教諭森友美 77

81 The Strange Things We Miss; Life in Japan 3 Makino Junior High School: Jessica Anne Hammond As I come to the end of my second, and final, year on the JET Program I can t help but think of the things I ll miss, like the people and students I ve met in my hometown, and the friends I ve made. I will miss the mountains I see every day riding to school, I will miss Lake Biwa, the tree-lined streets of my town, and the rice fields. I ll even miss the scarily realistic scarecrows forever frozen in the attitude of hoeing vegetable fields. But a surprising thing I ve found myself getting nostalgic over is the school lunch. In Australia, for the most part, students bring their own lunch to school. If you forget to pack one (and you don t have cash on you) then you re out of luck. As someone who constantly forgets to prepare their food ahead of time, and finds it difficult to decide what they want to eat beforehand anyway, I appreciate that I don t have to stress over that decision every day. But, more importantly, the lunch program ensures every student has at least one good meal when they attend school. The bonding aspect of school lunch is also something I ve enjoyed in Japan. Every day, the students and teachers serve lunch for everyone before sitting down together to eat. Preparing, serving, and consuming food, no matter which culture you come from, is used to bring people together. I think this aspect of school lunch helps create the community atmosphere that Japan is so famous for. And that is definitely something I ll miss. マキ での思い出マキ 中学校 : ェ カ モンド今年 年目 JET プログ 最後 時 マキノ 人々 友達や生徒達 い い 思い出 寂しく ま 毎日 学校 来 時 見え 山 湖 マキノ タセコイア並木や田 ぼ しく思いま 怖しいく い本物そ く し 耕作し い そ 寂しく ま 意外 給食 懐 しく思いま オースト ア 生徒達 学校 弁当 持 ま 忘 そし 金 た 昼 飯 食べ ま 私 何 食べ う 決 た 弁当 持 く 忘 た しま 給食 あ た た 生徒達 毎日学校 来 一食 ち した食 食べ 重要 し う 学校 全員 給食 準備しま 様 文化圏 来た人 食 共 互い 結び けま 集団 育 良い日本文化 し う そういう訳 本当 寂しく ま 翻訳高島市立マキノ中学校本人保木京子 78

82 First Year Teaching in a Small Town 1 Kutsuki Junior High School: Nicole Elizabeth Brennan Kutsuki Junior High School is a small school. There is one class per grade. The good side is that I get to know my students very well and can make activities using things I know they like. I am still learning to guess the level of my students. Sometimes the activities I make are too hard for them and sometimes they seem too easy. My main job is to read out loud from the textbook. It is useful because I can change my speed or repeat words which students are finding difficult. For one class, I have to speak slowly. For another class, I can speak almost at my normal speed and the students can still repeat after me, occasionally even with funny voices. I have my own projects with the students. English practice activities which will hopefully help them when they do their high school exams by applying their knowledge in a different way to the textbook. There are also activities which aim to encourage them to be more creative with their English and games which try to help develop a use of the language which will allow them to speak more confidently. I don t know how much the activities will help, but the students do appear to be answering questions faster. Language is like a muscle, and the activites let them practice and gain strength. I enjoy working in Kutsuki. I like talking to the students. The primary school students enjoy my bad Japanese and the junior high students have fun trying to speak to me in English. Occasionally, the parents try to talk to me too when they see me. I hope I ve made some of the students curious about life outside of Japan. 小さな町 の初め の教育 朽木中学校 コ ブ ン 朽木中学校 1 学年 1 小さ 学校 す 良い面 子 知 子 好 授業 取 入 す 未 子 英語 ベ い 日々探 い す 私 作 活動 時々難しす 反対 優しす し す 私 授業 教科書 読 上 す ピ 変え 難しい単語 う一度繰 返し し 工夫し い す あ ゆ 話す う 心 い す あ ほ 普通 ピ 話す 時々 し い声 発音す 喜 い す 私 子 ン ッ ュ プ テ いうプ ェ 考え し 活動 高校入試 対応 英語 力 目指し い す 創造的 英語 使え う し 自信 持 英語 話せ う ゲ ム し し い す 活動 す い 成果 分 せ 子 活動 慣 問題 解 い す 言語 筋肉 う す 活動 す 子 自分 力 練習 し 力 い ほしい す 私 朽木 働 楽しい す 子 話す 好 す 小学生 私 話す い日本語 楽し 中学生 私 英語 話す 楽しい う す 時々 子 両親 私 話し す 将来 日本以外 生活 送 興味 持 子 増え いい 思 い す 翻訳高島市立朽木中学校本人 河村友紀子 79

83 Kaze to Tsuchi no Kougei: Invisible Barriers, Hidden Treasures Makino Higashi Elementary School : Paku Daoust-Cloutier 3 It's possible to go through the whole JET experience and miss out on a hidden gem. I think most JETs start their stay with a genuine desire to learn about their local communities and participate in its local culture. Some people are going to seek out new fringy experiences even if they are faced with barriers like language. Kaze to Tsuchi no Kougei is an art event where some local artists open their workshops for the day to the public. Kaze to Tsuchi no Kougei is 6 days on two weekends. In addition to open houses, there are also a lot of small workshops spread throughout those 6 days. The range of art forms is impressive. Just to name a few, there were photographers, potters, sustainable farmers, woodworkers and even a specialized coffee maker. The thing I enjoyed the most from this event was talking to the local artists. You don t need to be a professional artist to recognise a person driven by passion. Opening their workshops to the public allowed us to peer into their world. Meeting the artists allowed us to learn about the art, the process and the person. Often, as consumers, we only get to see the final product of the artist, but learning about the process and the person behind the artwork increases our understanding and appreciation of it. Events like these are important. They show us the hidden sides of our local communities, create a better sense of belonging and greater appreciation for the community. Given the chance, I think many JETs would enjoy personal interactions with local passionate people, but most of the time, invisible barriers stand in our way. This event, and the guided tour, seeks to eliminate those barriers; it helps us learn about the treasures hidden between the lake and the mountains of Takashima. I am looking forward to next year s event. 風と土の交藝 ~ 暮らしをめぐる ~ マキノ東小学校 : パクダウクルティエ JET 経験 中 気 くい美 い 見逃 い い ほ JET 参加者 地域 住 そ 文化 触 楽 い 思う え言葉 壁 あ 新 い経験 求 続 風 土 交藝 週末 地元 ーテ スト 行う ベント 6 日間開 写真家 陶芸家 農家 木材職人 コーヒー 専門職人 私 一番楽 地元 芸術家 交流 情熱 突 動 さ い 芸術家 必 プロ あ 必要 い 一般 開放さ 工房 彼 世界 私 入 く いう 芸術家 交流 彼 芸術や人柄や そ プロセス 知 客 普通 芸術家 仕上 目 い 創作中 様子 わ そ 人物や作品へ 理解 感謝 深 う ベント 大事 あ 地域 い 気 くい部分 見 く 帰属意識 高 感 そ 感謝 多く JET 地域 人 や い 思う ベント 見え い壁 払い 高島 湖 山 隠 い 宝物 教え く 来年 ベント 待 い 訳高島市教育委員会谷口あ 80

84 The Regular 3 Kosei Junior High School: Robin McLeod There s a café near my apartment, where I go pretty often. Maybe they don t know my name, but I get a little smile of recognition when I walk in. Sometimes the manager comes out to say hi and ask me how taiko is going, since she knows my group. There are a few places around town like this places where I m a regular. The staff might stop to chat when they see me. Maybe I teach their kids, or their grandson or their niece. Other times we just give each other a nod in passing, a way of saying nice to see you. Being one of the local foreigners is a kind of celebrity, with the good and bad that comes with it. But this is the reason I chose JET, when I wanted to come to Japan. With JET, you re not just teaching English. You re embedded in a community. You re visible. You re present. I m going back to Canada this fall. I ll be handing over my placement to someone new, and they ll start discovering their own local spots. I don t know how much my favorite cafés and shops will notice my absence. But I ll miss being the regular. 常連 高島市立湖西中学校 ビン マク オド 私 アパート 近く く行くカフェ あ そ く彼 私 名前 知 い う 私 店 入 行く 私 気 い ほほ笑 く 経営者 出 あいさ し 私 所属す 太鼓グループ 知 い 太鼓 う 聞い く こ う 場所 こ 町 いく あ - 私 常連 い 場所 ス ッフ 私 見 立 止 し べ す こ あ そ く 彼 子 孫 姪 私 教え い あ う 別 会え う しい 言う う 通 す 互い会釈す 地元 外国人 ひ あ こ いこ 悪いこ 伴う 一種 有名人 う あ し し こ こそ 私 日本 来 い 思 JET プログラム 選 理由 JET プログラム 単 英語 教え け い 地域 し 取 込 注目さ 存在す 私 今秋カナ 帰 新しい誰 私 置 い 位置 渡すこ そし 彼 自分自身 地元 場所 見 け始 う 私 好 カフェ 店 私 い く こ け気 く わ い 常連 い く こ さ しい 翻訳高島市立湖西中学校教諭澤村 ゆ 81

85 My Life in Shiga Takashima Board of Education: Tyler Allen Bass 3 As my time as an English Teacher on the Jet Programme comes to a close, I am reminded of all of the wonderful experiences that I have had these past 2 years. It has been both challenging and extremely rewarding to live in Shiga and it will be one of my most cherished memories. Of course, one of the reasons for how special my time in Shiga has been is the children and teachers that I ve worked with for 2 years. Over my time here, I ve been lucky to work with incredibly kind and generous teachers. Even when I couldn t understand something, my co-workers always took time to help me understand, and they often tried to include me in as many school events as possible. I was greeted every day with a smile and that is something I have treasured greatly. My students as well were always excited to greet me in English and while I enjoyed teaching them in the classroom, some of the best interactions I had with them were during lunch or cleaning time. I will miss them very much, but I know they will have great success and I hope to see them again someday. Another reason I have enjoyed my time in Shiga so much is the Japanese culture and people. It was very difficult for me to adjust to my new life when I first arrived in Shiga, but I quickly adapted to the food and lifestyle thanks to the welcoming environment. I now consider Japan and specifically Shiga to be a second home of sorts. I hope to be back soon for the 2020 Olympics to cheer on America and Japan together. 私の滋賀の生活高島市教育委員会 : タイラーバス英語教師 JET プロク 参加 二年 う 終わ ま 特別 経験 振 返 ま 私 滋賀 住む 大変 あ ま 何 いい思い出 い あ ま 私 滋賀 素敵 二年間 過 せ 理由 二 あ ま 一 目 学校 出会 優 い先生 子 学校 先生達 教育委員会 方 皆 親 私 何 い時 問題 あ 時 誰 説明 下 私 日本 生活 支え ま 子 毎日笑顔 元気い い 挨拶 嬉 授業 給食 掃除 い 楽 私 子 別 大変寂 い ア 帰国 子 応援 いま 理由 二 目 高島 人々 文化 日本 着い 時 い あ ま 滋賀 明 い人々 受 入 早 生活 慣 ま 私 日本 第二 故郷 思いま チャンス あ 2020 ンピック 日本 ア 応援 ま 来 う 思 いま 翻訳高島市教育委員会本人 82

86 Bridging the Gap Gokasho Junior High School: David Turner 1 After nearly 4 years teaching at one junior high school in Higashiomi city, this year I had my first experience at an elementary school, and what a splendid experience it was. Your Picture Teaching at the same school every day for years has had many perks. I love having the opportunity to see each of the students at least once a week and often times more. This unique situation allows me to bond with them, learn their interests and adapt my lessons to their skill levels accordingly. However each year as new students enter into their first year in junior high school, I have always felt overwhelmingly unready for the task of helping start their post elementary English education. This year, the only local elementary school and my school decided to bridge the gap between 6 th grade and junior high school 1 st grade. Multiple classroom observations and months of preparation eventually lead to an extremely informative day of guest teaching. Finally after all these years, I have seen the teaching methods used by elementary ALTs and I could adapt my early lessons to make them more familiar to the incoming learners. The local elementary ALT was also given insight into the way lessons are taught at my school and so knew what her students should be prepared for. Having one day to meet and teach all the incoming students helped them understand the learning style they would have to adapt to the next year. It also allowed us to establish a basic rapport for the next time we would be in class together. All in all, it was a terrific experience, and I sincerely hope this interaction between the schools continues in the years to come. ギャップを埋 東近江市立 個荘中学校 : イビッ タ 東近江市 同 中学校 働い 約 4 年間たち 今年初 学校を訪 経験を ま た そ 本当 素敵 経験 た 何年 毎日同 学校 教え こ 多く メリッ あ ま 最低 週一回 また そ 以 生徒 皆 会え 大変嬉 い こ い状況 生徒達 絆 深ま 興味 分 生徒 能力 応 た英語活動を考え ま 毎年新一年生 入学 く い 私 中学校 英語を指 凄く不安 た 今年 校区 唯一 学校 6 中 1 ギャップを埋 う ま た 多く 授業見学 何ヶ 間 準備を た 非常 益 連携授業 た 数年を経 い 学校 英語指 法 わ 新入生へ 自分 教え方 変わ ま た 学校 ALT 中学校 教え方を理解 く 中学校 向け 子 達 何 必要 わ く ま た 6 子 達 会 教え 一日 彼 中学校 行う勉強方法を伝え こ ま た また 私たち 次 授業 会う た 基本的 関係を作 ま た 全体的 いい経験 た そ 心 こ 学校間 交流 続くこ を願 いま 翻訳東近江市立 個荘中学校 : 松 大輔 83

87 1600 and 0800 Funaoka Junior High School: Ian Mackenzie Prager my view from a bicycle: (homeward-bound) telephone poles: stitches on a never-ending road. a human stands on rice paddy mirror, clouds and mountain below tractors churn water, rice-to-be. human leans on a shovel and watches or counts the seconds behind or the moments ahead or something else i do not know afternoon stretches long, longer than days before, but morning comes anyway. new day: bicycle rolls on i eat the street under my wheel hurtling through life one-way through grout roads between rice tiles pulled along a track i fear to feel the mountain is broccoli trees and exposed stone, the living green shadow of God(s). it carries tangled stone stairs and ropes, heavy on my back, and i wonder would the weight of infinity fall away if i made every day last forever? Your Picture 3 16 時 8 時 東近江市立船岡中学校 : イアンマッケン ー イガー 自転車 景色 : ( 帰路 ) 電柱 : 無限 編 物 う 続い い 人間 け 立 水田 反射 人間 下 雲 山 見え ト クター 米 水を 混ぜ 人間 ョベ も 見 ここ 人生 時間を数え 私 知 い何 他 こ を考え 午後 長 以前 長 無限 朝 いず 新 い日 : 自転車 わ 時間 過 い も狭い道を通 一度 人生自分 命 終わ を考え こわい 山 ッコ ー 木 覆わ 石をさ け, 神 や っ い. 階段 ー あ, も重 無限 重さを感 毎日 時間を無限 心配 う 翻訳東近江市立船岡中学校鋒山未帆 84

88 Once in a Lifetime Chance 3 Tamazono JHS: Kate Featherstone Eight years ago I graduated from high school and visited Japan for the first time. Four years ago I graduated from university with a degree in English and Education. Three years ago I began my journey to becoming a JET. In just a few more weeks my appointment with the JET Program will come to an end. As my time as an English teacher in Shiga comes to a close I can t help but think back on all the wonderful memories of great successes and hilarious failures that shaped me. From the first confusing weeks in a Japanese school staff office to teaching my first class, every day was a new and exciting challenge. When my mother came to visit in May for the first time I took her on a whirlwind vacation around the country. She told me how impressed and proud she was that I was able to be so independent and actually live in a foreign country with a completely different language. It isn t really until someone points it out to you that you realize just how much you ve really accomplished. In three years I ve enhanced my Japanese language abilities and dealt with numerous new challenges through work and my personal life. During most of those challenges I would actually call her to tell her what I had gone through and even then she was surprised. I was able to show her this time and it was something really special. I hope to continue my adventures in Japan and with the Japanese language even if I leave the country. I also hope to continue being a teacher in whatever shape it may take in a future career. 人生 一度 東近江立玉園中学校 : ト フ スト ン 8 年前 高校 卒業 初 日本 訪 年前 英語教育 学位 取得 大学 卒業 年前 私 JET 歩 始 そ あ 数週間 JET プロ ラム 任用 終わ う い 英語教師 滋賀県 働い 日々 振 返 い成功や笑え 失敗 い え い思い出 そ 経験 今 自分 作 く 感 い 日本 学校 職員室 戸惑 初授業 最初 1 週間 困惑 あ 日 新鮮 キ テ ン や い あ 月 私 初 日本 訪 日本 あ 案内 慌 い休暇 私 自立 や 英語 全く使わ い い異国 地 実際 生活 い 驚く そ 私 誇 思う 言 く 指摘さ 自分 実際 成 遂 気 い あ 年間 日本語力 さ 磨 あ 仕事や私生活 中 新 い くさ 挑戦 今 取 組 い く 電話 話 そ び 驚い 今回 来日 い 実際 見せ あ 本当 特別 機会 今後 私 日本 冒険 続く 日本 離 日本語 学び続 い 思 い そ 先 形 あ 教育分野 携わ 仕事 い い 考え い 翻訳東近江市立玉園中学校村山杏奈 85

89 Topic 3 Life in Shiga Choo Junior High School : Kevin Lavigne I m a Canadian from a city in Northern Ontario. I ve studied almost every language that was available to me in high school, college and university. Japanese, however, was one language I never had the opportunity to study. That being the case, when I moved to Japan I was immersed in a world where I couldn t communicate with most of the people around me. Simple tasks such as buying groceries or going to a restaurant became much more difficult but they became much more gratifying as well. Some tasks I faced, such as going to the hospital numerous times, were trying experiences but have ultimately motivated me to work hard to improve my Japanese abilities. I ve grown very fond of Shiga and of Japan. Being in a small town, people smile and say hello on the street. I ve managed to struggle my way through numerous conversations with kind strangers. school life is very pleasant, I like my students and coworkers. I enjoy being able to provide an opportunity for cultural exchange and I find helping the students develop their English abilities to be rewarding. I love that I m constantly learning new things about Japan, its culture and its traditions. I still encounter some difficulties from time to time but as I overcome them I find myself growing as a person. I m grateful to be living in Shiga and I think I m becoming a better person because of it. 滋賀 生活 い 東近江市立朝桜中学校 ケビ ィ 私 州 部 町出身 人 高校 大学 可能 言語 べ 学習 日本語 勉強 機会 言語 1 日本 来 人 コミュ ケーショ い状態 日用品 買う やレスト 行く い 簡単 さえ 難 同時 いく 喜び 感 何回 病院 行く いう 直面 日本語 能力 あ う いう気持 強く 私 日本や滋賀 好 い 小さ 町 い 出会 え あいさ 交わ く 親 人 くさ 会話 自 方法 模索 学校生活 楽 く 生徒や先生 好 私 文 交流 機会や生徒 英語力向上 手助 楽 い 私 い 日本 文 や伝統 い 新 い 学ぶ 大好 時々 大変 あ そ 乗 越え 自 自身 成長 感 私 滋賀 い 感謝 人 成長 い 思い 翻訳東近江市立朝桜中学校教諭岡野昌代 86

90 Teaching Power Level Up! Eigenji Junior High School: Kyle Jones 1 Over the past two and a half years of teaching, I have slowly settled into a comfortable teaching style. Now that I am more comfortable with what is expected of me in the classroom and better understand what the students respond well to, I have been able to effectively adapt and incorporate new activities into my teaching style. This was not the case in the past. In the past, using lessons or activities from other ALTs always felt awkward to me. For example, a common speaking activity uses the rules for Battleship to combine phrases and practice vocabulary. I have never found success with that particular activity. It always ended up being awkward for both myself and the JTE. The students never particularly enjoyed the activity either. However, now that I am more comfortable in my role, it has become much easier for me to adapt activities to my own style. A good example of this is the game Yoko, Tate, Only me! The original version of the game works well enough, but I have been able to add and change things to keep it interesting for the students. Adding gestures, changing the name to Yaki, Tate, Oishii Pan, and other changes have kept the game fresh while keeping both my interest and the students interest high. In conclusion, the experience I have gained over the past two and a half years has allowed me to take a number of activities from other ALTs and adapt them to my own classes with great success. This is a product of both experience as a teacher and the helpful ALT network that exists in both my town and Shiga Prefecture. 指導力 ベ アップ! 東近江市立永源寺中学校 : イ ョ ン 2 年 半年間 英語 教え 私 心地 い指導方法 く 慣 た 今 授業 私 求 い こ わ 生徒 上手 こたえ こ 理解 上手 合わせた 新 い活動 自分 指導 タイ 取 入 た こ う た こ う こ 今 あ せ た こ 他 ALT 作 た授業案や活動 こ 私 や くいこ た 例え くあ 話 活動 英語 表現 組 込 語彙 使う練習 た ト ップ 使い 特 こ 活動 成 た例 見たこ あ せ い 私 英語 先生 不安 思 終わ 生徒たち わけこ 活動 楽 こ あ せ 今 私 前 自分 役割 満足 活動 自分 指導 タイ 取 入 こ 簡単 う た 良い例 こ た ン ゲ 元 十分う くいく 生徒たち 興味 保 た ち 何 えた 変えた こ う た 身振 手振 え 名前 焼 た い い ン 変え 他 変化 え こ 活動 新 く感 私 興味関心 生徒 興味関心 高く保 こ 結果 こ 2 年 半年 間 得た経験 他 ALT たくさ 活動例 い 自分 授業 実践 成 こ た こ 教師 経験 私 働く市 滋賀県 あ 役立 ALT ネットワ ク 両方 成果 翻訳東近江市立永源寺中学校川西未華 87

91 The Café That s hard to Enter Seitoku JHS: Lynsey Piernick 2 Last month a new community run cafe opened right by my apartment. I passed the rustic, beautiful cafe on my bike day, after day, after day. I would try to peek inside as I rode by, try to read the menu, and I even tried to remember the days and times it would open and close. Everything looked so wonderful! But for a whole month I didn t go inside. Somehow, I couldn t go inside. My friends would describe me in many words, but shy wouldn t be one of them. Still, when it comes to quaint places like this, I have a hard time going in. What if my foreignness makes people uncomfortable? Or what if I don't understand the rules? There are many reasons why, but I m not alone with this fear as many other ALTs also say the same thing. Yesterday, I gathered my courage and finally went into the cafe. I was met with smiling faces, delicious food, and interesting conversation. I even made a few friends and was invited to cook with them sometime. I m glad I went inside. I only wish I had gone in sooner! 入 い ェ 東近江市立聖徳中学校 ンジ ア ック 先月 自治会 人 っ い ェ 私 アパ ト 近 プン 毎日毎日 素朴 魅力あ ェ 前 通っ い あ 時 自転車 乗 ェ 中 黒板 書い あ メ ュ 読 営業時間 覚え う 全 素晴 感 一ヶ月 中 入 入 こ っ 私 親 い友 私 こ い い 言葉 表 恥 屋 言わ う 言っ 家族経営等 小さい店 入 い 例え 外国人 あ こ 迷惑 っ う う? ェ マ 分 っ? 不安 点 色々あ 私 他 ALT 同 悩 持っ い 思い 昨日 勇気 振 絞っ っ ェ 入 こ 笑顔 出迎え 店員さ い い食事 あ い話 盛 上 う 何人 友達 っ 今度一緒 ェ 料理 う 誘わ っ 早 行 良 っ 思っ 勇気 出 行 こ 良 っ 来! 翻訳東近江市立聖徳中学校教諭西澤亜佑子 88

92 Tying it Together Koto Junior High School: Musashi Michael Schroeder Before I started teaching math in the U.S., I substitute taught. Every day I would go to a different school and teach a different subject to a different grade level. I used to think about how great it would be if the local elementary schools and middle schools and high schools could connect their curriculums in a way that progressed throughout the students school career. A few years later, I moved to a small town in Japan called Koto. The population of the middle school is about 300; vastly different from the 900 plus students from back home. There are three elementary schools and most of the students go to the single middle school located in the middle. My appointment had me teaching at the elementary school and middle school, and over the past year and a half I ve taught at two of the elementary schools. My goal was to prepare the incoming elementary students as best I could for the difficult middle school English curriculum. I utilized the same classroom English I would use at the middle school, and focused on implementing writing the alphabet for the 5 th and 6 th graders. At the beginning of every middle school lesson, we say the day, date, weather and time. So my 5 th and 6 th graders learned it, too. This year I don t teach at any of the elementary schools, but I do get to see some of the results of the effort I put in. Almost all of my 1 st year students passed their alphabet tests on their first try. When I ask them the day, date, weather and time, most can answer those questions comfortably. While I wish I could still go down to the elementary schools, I at least know I helped tie some of the English curriculum together. 結び け 東近江市立湖東中学校 : シュロ ダ サシ マイ カ 数学 教え 前 講師 いま 日色 学校 行 様々 教科 う学年 教え いま そう 中 市内 小学校 中学校 高校 カ キュ うまく繋い 進 素晴 い う い 考え いま 数年後 湖東 言う小さ 町 引 越 ま 中学校 生徒数 3 人 国 中学校 9 人 大 い 湖東 三 小学校 あ そ ほ 中心 あ 唯一 中学校 通 いま 僕 仕 小学校 中学校両方 教え こ こ 一年半 そ 中 小学校 行 いま 目標 中学校 入学 く 小学校 生徒 中学校 難 い英語カ キュ け 準備 こ 同 ス イン ッシュ 使い 年生 フ ベット 書く作業 行いま 中学校 授業 始 曜日 日付 天気 時間 言わせ いま 年 生徒 教えま 今年 小学校 行 いこ ま そこ 工夫 結果 少 け見 こ ま 今年 新入生 多く フ ベット テスト 一回 合格 曜日 日付 天気 時間 訊く時 ほ 生徒 答え ま 小学校 ま 行 い気持 あ ま け 少 く あ 程度 英語 カ キュ 結び け 手助け 確信 いま 89

93 Hiking in Shiga 3 Aito Junior High School: Robyn Pearce One of my favourite things about living in Shiga, and in Japan in general, is the impressive number and easy accessibility of great places for hiking. Mt Ibuki, the highest mountain in Shiga, is an hour or so north on the local train line. The Suzuka Mountains run along the eastern border of my city, close enough for an easy day trip. But more so than the well-known peaks, what I ve really come to appreciate are the smaller, more local trails. A mere five-minute walk from my apartment and I m at the mouth of a narrow road which winds its way up to a shrine complex perched on the side of the mountain. For those who prefer a faster route to the shrine, or a workout for leg day, there is a flight of stone stairs from the base of the mountain to the shrine, more than five hundred steps in total. The complex itself is great to explore, a collection of alters, lanterns, arching shrine gates and paths curling around the mountain. Above the shrine complex, a short hiking course leads up to the peak of the mountain. This peak is a pile of rocks jutting out beyond the trees, and offers fantastic one eighty degree views across Higashiomi. It s a great place to sit and read a book, and a great place to watch the changing of the seasons from the endless white blanket of snow, to bare dark soil, to flooded fields reflecting the sky, to a patchwork of greens as the rice plants grow. It takes around an hour and a half to hike to the peak and back, perfect for a Sunday morning or for an afternoon walk. So far I have barely scratched the surface of what this prefecture has to offer, and I look forward to exploring more mountains during my time in Shiga. 滋賀県 のハイキング 東近江市立愛東中学校 : ロ ン アス 滋賀県 生活 楽し ひ ハイキング 楽し 所 多 便利 いう あ 滋賀県 最 高い山 伊吹山 方 あ そ 列車 時間 い そし 今住 い 都 東 鈴鹿山脈 あ 日帰 旅行 ほ 近い 有名 山 感謝す う 地元 ハイキングコース あ アパート 5 分間歩 山腹 あ 神社 道 入口 着 神社へ 行 い人や 足 運動 し い人 山麓 5 段以上 石段 あ 神社 摂社 灯籠 鳥居 山腹 道 あ 探検す 楽しい 神社 上 山頂へ 短いハイキングコース あ 山頂 山 木々 外 突 出 岩 あ 東近江 素晴 しい景色 8 見え 本 読 所 し 季節 変 見 所 し す 良い所 思う 終わ い雪 白い毛 暗い土壌 空 色 映す水田 稲 育 緑色 田 各季節 特徴 山頂 見え アパート 山頂 行 帰 時間半 い 日曜日 朝 午後 ハイキング 完璧 思う 今 滋賀県 山々 一部 行 あ 滋賀県 住 い 間 多 山々 探検す 楽し し い 翻訳本人 東近江市立愛東中学校教諭中川優理 90

94 Feeling Like Home 2 Notogawa Junior High School: Zach Lee Since I was sixteen years old, I have been moving quite frequently. In fact, from the time I was a high school student until coming to Japan for this job, I hadn t lived in the same home for longer than one year. While preparing for this job, I had planned to stay in Japan for just a year or two before starting a new adventure. I m the type of person who easily gets restless, and I love exploring new places. Of course, acclimating to a home in a new country and new culture took time. There were plenty of occasions where I momentarily felt overwhelmed or isolated in rural Shiga. However, something unexpected happened over the course of the first two years. The people in my community were incredibly welcoming and, even though we couldn t communicate perfectly, I made many friends in my new home. Over time, I feel as though I ve become an important part of the community here as well. When I walk around town, I see so many friendly and familiar faces. It reminds me of the feeling I had as a young child in my small, rural American hometown. Now, Notogawa feels more like home to me than anywhere else in the world. As I approach my fifth and final year on the JET Program and as the ALT at Notogawa Junior High School, everyone is eager to know where and what I ll be doing next. I haven t made any final decisions yet, but as I search for a new place to live, I can only hope that I will find a community like the one I ve been fortunate to find here in Notogawa. 東近江市立能登川中学校ザックリー私 16 歳 時 私 頻繁 引 越 い 実際 私 高校生 こ 事 来日 私 1 年以上長く同 家 住 こ あ せ こ 事 準備 い 時 新 い冒険 始 前 ~ 年 日本 滞 う 思い 私 落 着 いタ プ 人間 そ 私 新 い場所 探検 こ 大好 新 い国や新 い文化 慣 時間 滋賀 地域 私 瞬間的 倒さ 取 残さ 出来事 くさ あ 予期 い こ 最初 2 年間 起 私 コ ュニテ ー け 人々 え十 会話 出来 く 非常 好意的 方々 いうこ 私 新 い土地 くさ 友達 出来 日 私 こ コ ュニテ ー 大 一員 感 町 わ 歩く い くさ 親 く仲 い顔 出会い 私 カ 小さ 田舎 故郷 幼い私 抱い 感情 思い出 今や 能登川 世界 場所 私 故郷 う 感 私 5 年目 JET プログ 最後 年 近 く 能登川中学校 ALT 私 次 何 知 い 私 何 う 決 い せ 新 い場所 探 時 私 運良くここ能登川 見 け う コ ュニテ ー 見 け い 願 い 翻訳東近江市立能登川中学校教諭田辺百合香 91

95 Simply, Thank you Kashiwabara Junior High School: Kathryn Nemeth Five years in a foreign country, away from my family and life at home, sounds like a really long time. I honestly didn t intend to stay for this long. But, I found living and working in Shiga to be a challenging but fulfilling experience. One year became two, and before I knew it, two somehow became five. Five years, which at first sounded so long and daunting, passed by far too quickly. Now it is time for me to say my goodbyes and leave the place that has become my second home. Over the years, I have changed schools several times and have had the opportunity to work at both junior high and elementary schools. At first, it was difficult to get used to different workplaces and think of effective, fun ways to teach students of different ages. However, I now think that being able to teach at both school levels was really lucky. Seeing students that I had in elementary school as junior high school third graders is really moving, and I wish I could be there to see them graduate for the second time. They have grown more confident in English and speaking to them is more fun every time. Even though it took time for me feel confident to work in Japanese, all of the teachers were incredibly kind and patient with me. Overcoming challenges at work and adapting to new situations has allowed me to grow. These five years have been one of the greatest treasures of my life. I am so happy that I could meet so many wonderful people. I wish I had something more profound to say, or words of wisdom to leave behind. But simply, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much. あ う 米原市立柏原中学校キャサリン ネメス 家族 外国 5 年間暮 想像 長 感 実 いう 長い間日本 滞在 ま い あ け 滋賀県 暮 働 や い 感 年 年 ふ 気 付 5 年 過 い い 間 第 故郷 滋賀県 別 時間 来 ま 5 年 う 何度 新 い学校 異動 小学校 中学校 働 機会 恵ま 職場 慣 小学生 中学生ま 子 効果的 楽 い授業 考え 悩 多 今考え 幸運 小学校 出会 子 中学 年生 そ 成長 見 子 達 英語 話 び 自信 け 楽 回目 卒業式 見 い 残念 私 日本語や仕事 自信 ま 時間 日本人 先生 優 支え 新 い環境 適応 色々 挑戦 私 少 成長 思う 5 年間 私 け え い宝物 優 い人 出会え 本当 幸せ 意味深い 書 結局 心 底 あ う 伝え い 滋賀県 皆 あ う いま ( 訳本人 ) 92

96 Topic 2 Spicy Food Kanan Junior High School: Kathryn Soltis I like Japanese food, and I love food from all over the world. My favorite food, however, is spicy food. Spicy food isn t easy to find in Japan. It s not very prevalent in Japanese cuisine. Even places that serve foreign food tend to lower the spice level to fit the Japanese palate. Americans and Europeans seem to have a reputation for not being able to handle spicy food, so even given the chance I have a hard time convincing Indian, Korean, and Turkish resturants to make the food spicy enough. Every once in a while though, the staff will laugh when they hand me my order. I know the kitchen staff heard me arguing about the spice level, so they make my food extra spicy, thinking I won t be able to eat it. That s the only time the food is spicy enough for me. 辛い食べ物 米原市立河南中学校 : ソ テ ス キャサ ン 私 和食 好 す し し 和食以外 もい い 国 料理 好 す 一番好 実 辛く スパ ス 効い 料理 す そ 料理 日本 見 け 難しく 和食 辛い物 あ あ せ 外国 料理 出す ス ン も 日本人 好 合う う 辛味 ほ く抑え す メ カ ッパ 人 辛い料理 食べ い 思わ い 注文す ン や韓国や コ ス ン 店員さ 辛い物 食べ 伝え 苦労し す 店員さ 注文し 料理 渡し 笑 い す キッチンスタッフ 私 辛さ ベ い 議論し い 聞い こ さす 食べ い う 一番辛い ベ 料理 作 す そ 時 唯一 私 満足 辛さ す ( 翻訳本人 ) 93

97 1 Every Class is a Team Soyo Middle School: Michelle Wong From the time I received my JET acceptance to the time I entered my school for the first time, many preconceptions sprung to mind. Having studied abroad twice, once being in Japan, I can say with confidence, studying and working abroad are two entirely different beasts. Everywhere I looked, it seemed like something new would pop up, like the daily cleaning and its accompanying Disney-esque song. Once I began letting go of my ideas of what should be, I began to see my school for what it really is. It s a place where students regularly smile and ask about my day, where teachers truly care for their students education and futures, and where the concept of team is the backbone of everything. It s the extent of this last point that continues to amaze me. Grown from daily interactions, I find the bonds between students within a class are much stronger than the ones I m accustomed to back home. From these bonds, slowly over time I ve found that each class develops its own unique identity; loud, quiet, rambunctious, serious, the list goes on and on. As the year comes to an end, and I enter the new 1 st year classrooms, the students seem as lost as I did 10 months ago. They are still learning the rules of the school and the personalities of their fellow classmates. But, by the time they graduate, I know that their bonds will be just as strong as their predecessors. They, like me, will leave with many fond memories of their time at Soyo Middle School. JET 受け入 手 初 勤務 学校 足 踏 入 私 さ 先入観 生 い 二度 留学経験 自信 言え こ 外国 学 こ 働 こ 全 う いうこ 何 新 いこ こ あ 私 驚 あ 毎日 掃除 掃除時間 流 ニー風 曲 流 こ 朝 あいさ 丁寧 こ 自分 正 い 思う考え 変わ 始 私 学校 本当 あ べ 姿 見 う 双葉中学校 生徒 笑い私 毎日 い 質問 先生 生徒 教育 未来 力 注 チーム いう発想 全 バック ーン あ こ 最後 ン チーム いう発想 広 私 驚 せ続け い 毎日 あい い 授業 こ 成長 授業 中 生徒間 結び 私 故郷 学 い 比べ 強いこ 実感 こうい クラ 独特 個性 例え 元気さ 穏 さ 真面目 あ 伸 い こ 気 い 終わ 近 い 私 1 年生 教室 入 生徒 今 私 10 ヶ月前 う う 不安 満 い う 見え 1 年生 学校 規則 同 生 性格 学 い こ 彼 卒業 頃 先輩 う 彼 強固 私 同 う 双葉中学校 さ 素敵 思い出 去 い う ( 訳双葉中学校 : 田中都 ) 94

98 Country Scenery Maibara Elementary School: Sarah Henry 3 In some ways, Shiga is very different from my home. In Kansas, there are few cities, and fields of wheat stretch to the horizon. Here in Shiga, I have cities north and south of me, mountains to the east, and Lake Biwa to my west. Even in Maibara literally the kanji characters meaning rice and field it doesn t feel like a rural place. Yet even though my home has changed from waves of wheat to the waves of Mother Lake, much remains the same. The welcoming people of Maibara remind me of the people I left behind. The students are no different than the children I taught back in America. And though the rice paddies are different from the wheat fields I knew, I often go out and walk among them while I think about how I have found a new home, even in a place that looks so different on the surface. 田舎の景色 米原小学校 : ヘン サ いく 点 滋賀 アメリカ あ カンザス州 私 故郷 も違 い カンザス 街 少 あ け 地平線 小麦 広 い ここ滋賀 北 も南 も街 あ 東 山々 広 西 湖 あ 漢字 文字 米 原 表さ 米原 も 私 出身 田舎 う 感 せ 私 家 あ 波打 小麦 マザーレイク あ 湖 環境 変わ 多く 点 似 い 米原 居心地 い人々 私 離 暮 人々 思い起こさせ く 生徒 私 アメリカ 教え 子 も 違い あ せ そ 水田 私 知 い 小麦 違い 風景 も違う場所 さえい 米原 新 い故郷 考え く外出 散歩 い ( 訳米原中学校 : 力石浩朝 ) 95

99 Expanding my Horizons Ohara Elementary School: Scott Young-Chan Paik 1 My second year on JET was going fine. Working at two elementary schools was fun, a bit tiring, but the kids liked me. The end of the school year came and my lessons were all organized and ready for another year. However, come April, everything was set to change. Elementary schools received new curriculums to try out and I was moved from one of my elementary schools to a middle school. It was devastating knowing that I d have to suddenly say goodbye to the kids and teachers I had bonded with, not to mention the anxiety that comes with working someplace new. Walking into my first class was a fresh experience for me. I was used to leading all my classes, but supporting someone else made it much easier to notice some quieter students and try to help. Not to mention the variations on activities I learned and different styles of teaching. Just by trying something new, I was able to become a more observant teacher, have a larger teaching toolbox and expand my horizons. 視野を広げ大原小学校 : ペ ク スコット ヨンチャン JET 勤 年目 う くい い 小学校 勤 楽 疲 時 あ 子供 仲良く 学年 終わ 来 来年 準備 いい感 進 微妙 知 せ い 四月 一 小学校 辞 中学校 働く う い 皆 さ う 衝撃的 初 中学校 レッスン さわや 経験 授業 メイン 慣 英語専門 先生 や 方 観 違う活動 や 方 知 新 い経験 観察力 上 先生 成長 視野 広 翻訳本人 96

100 Looking Towards the Future Maibara City Daito Junior High School: Stuart Gene Wong 1 Over a year still remains before I exit JET for good, yet quite recently I ve been reflecting on the previous 3½ years and what JET has meant to me in the larger picture of my life s story. And of course, inevitably my mind turns toward the future and how my experience on JET has shaped who I am and what I have to offer as a professional. Though education has been something I ve always wanted to be a part of since I was a child, I personally envision myself entering the corporate world after JET. At first glance, the teacher and the company man may have little in common, yet I feel the skills I ve honed on JET will serve me well. Immersion into the work culture of another country speaks volumes of one s flexibility. Being able to work with and adapting to the various needs and expectations of multiple JTEs proves that I possess the attractive easy to work with quality that every employer looks for. Planning lessons and executing them parallels working on projects and presenting them to a potentially critical audience. Those soft skills that can make or break one s career are developed and honed within the successful JET ALT. 5 years is a long time, and some employers may question the decision to stay for such an extended period. No matter if it is held against me in my future endeavors, I truly value the experience I ve had and treasure the skills I ve developed throughout the years. I regret nothing. 未来 向け 米原市立大東中学校 : ウォン チュアート ーン JET を去 ま 約一年 いう時間 残さ い こ ま 三年半 私 人生 う 影響を与え を考え い 当然 こ 考え 未来 向け JET を通 経験 今 私自身を う 形成 こ 先 未来 う 活 こ 幼い頃 教育 興味 あ JET 終了後 企業 勤 い 思 い 一見 教員 一般企業 勤 人々 共通点 い う 思わ 私 JET 経験を通 培 キル こ 先様々 環境 有効 活 こ 思う ま 異 文化を持 国や環境 中 働くこ 自分自身 柔軟性を伸 こ あ ゆ 雇用主 求 う 共 働 や い 人材 う 色々 JTE 期待や要望 応え う 工夫 あ 授業を計画 実施 こ 批判的 聴衆 向け 発表 こ 類似 い 優 JET ALT こ 測定 難 い キルを持 い 五年 長い間 JET あ 聞 う 事 い 聞 私 JET あ 五年間 ま 後悔 く JET を通 培 経験や技術 対 自信を持 い 訳本人 97

101 Gacha Gacha Goes the Omi Tetsudo Japan is a land crossed by train lines. From street cars to the Shinkansen, trains take people from southern Kyushu to the most northern points of Hokkaido. In Shiga, the two lines that most people use are the Biwako Line and the Kosei Line. However, there is one other; the Omi Tetsudo. The Omi Tetsudo is known as loud, slow, and expensive. Nevertheless, it provides a lifeline to the area of eastern Shiga. During my time living in Shiga, I have grown to love the Omi Tetsudo. The Omi Tetsudo goes past green fields and picturesque mountains, showing a side of Shiga that most people don't see. Groups of students, business people, and families mix to create a local and lively way to reach your destination. There are other times where one is alone on the train looking over the almost endless darkness that surrounds the tracks. During my time in Shiga, I have learned to rely on the Omi Tetsudo and while there are times I feel annoyed riding it, I now enjoy taking it whenever I can. Whenever I ride the Omi Tetsudo, I feel two different feelings; one that I am returning home and one that I am beginning a new adventure. ガチャガチャ近江鉄道 日本 線路 い 国 あ 線面電車 新幹線 電車 九州 南 北 北海道 最北端 人々 運ぶ あ 滋賀県 い い 人 使う電車 びわ 線 湖西線 二 あ 実 う一 近江鉄道 あ う 遅 そ 高い 知 い 近江鉄道 あ そ 滋賀 湖東 住 者 大切 ライフライン あ 私 滋賀 住 う 近江鉄道 へ 愛着 増 い 近江鉄道 一面 広 田 ぼや絵 描い う 山 い い 人 段見 い う 滋賀 一面 中 走 い 学生 グループやビ ネ マン 家族車両 あわせ目的地 ゆ 色 見 時 過 見渡 暗 静 え 中電車 一人 時 あ 滋賀 来 私 近江鉄道 何度 時 そ 近江鉄道 旅 楽 イライラ 家 帰 う 気持 時 新 い冒険 う 気持 全 別 気持 持 あわせ 近江鉄道 乗 あ 98

102 The goodness of Shiga Not the same as Americans imagine Japan Kohra Junior High School: Joseph Riggio Topic3 Japan is a very famous country around the world. Japanese culture is popular in many places outside of Japan. Samurai, temples, mountains, business, anime, sushi, and big busy cities are what the average American thinks of when you say Japan. The Shiga prefecture is a beautiful countryside. Green mountains covered in forest, a huge fresh water lake, and farms can be seen all around Shiga. Shiga is very different than the stereotypes most Americans think of, but it s still very Japanese. Living in Shiga has taught me that even though Japan is famous around the world, Japan also has great variety. Shiga is a truly beautiful place in the world. It s also one of Japan s treasures that the world outside Japan rarely hears about. If you come to Shiga, you can learn about the parts of Japan you never see in movies. 滋賀 良さ - アメリ 人々 想像す 日本 相違甲良中学校 : ョセフ リ 日本 世界中 も有名 国 す 日本 文化 日本国外 くさ 場所 人気 す 日本 言え アメリ 人々 多く 侍 寺 山 ビ ネ アニメ 寿司 そし 多忙 大都市 考え し う 滋賀県 美しい田舎 風景漂う場所 す 滋賀県 森 い 緑 山々 広大 淡水 湖 ま くさ 農園 あ こ 見 ます アメリ 人々 考え テレ タイプ 大 く異 ます そ も日本 しさ 一部 す 滋賀県 住むこ 有名 部分 け く 日本 様々 良さ あ こ 気 せ く まし 世界的 見 も 滋賀県 本当 美しい場所 あ 日本国外 あま 聞 いけ 日本 宝 一 思います もし 滋賀県 来 映 見 い日本 他 良さ い 学べ し う 翻訳甲良 立甲良中学校西澤彰人 99