Our Youth Exchange Student Emails from Japan

The Rotary Club of Koshigaya-South is Corey Yeung’s host club.  He recently sent the following  report on his experience in Japan:

私はとてもつかれたですだよ！学校は忙しいです、でも楽しいです！

Hey everyone, it has now
been almost a month in this amazing country and it has passed so quickly. I’ve started school and even though it has been tiring and busy, it’s great to finally get to hang out with friends. The people in Japan are so kind and they are always willing to help me.So since my first blog, so much has happened; I met the other exchange students in my district and also started school. Meeting the other exchange students was definitely exciting as I was given the chance to start making friends and get to know how their experience
in Japan is going too. The orientation was for two days and we all got to stay overnight at a traditional Japanese hotel which was a great experience to further step into the Japanese culture. We also got to go to the Hikawa Jinja (Japanese Shrine) and learned how to properly give our respects. We then proceeded to learn about the tea ceremony and its specific technicalities. This day was full of the rich tradition of Japanese culture and I was able to spend it with my fellow exchange students.Aside from meeting the other
exchange students, starting school was something I was really looking forward to. It is definitely mentally (and physically) tiring but all of this is part of the experience. However, the first week and a half wasn’t the normal school schedule. The school was preparing for the school festival and so much preparation was made. It was surprising how all the students prepared for the
festival. They went to the supermarket nearby and got a bunch of recyclable boxes, flattened it out, brought it back to school, and made art out of it. And when people looked at the final result, they could see the amount of effort the students did to make this festival possible. Most rooms were different from each other and there were plenty of activities to do. My classroom was a
relaxing area where you could sit and talk with friends. The other classrooms ranged from scary houses and snack shops, to quiz games and art galleries. And it wasn’t just the students or teachers who enjoyed the festival, many people from outside the school came too.The starting day of the festival, all the students and teachers went to a theater room nearby the school called
Sun City. That is where performances were done to represent the start of the festival. It was colorful, comedic, and entertaining. There were several dance performances by the students, and music played by the school band. There were also awards given out at the beginning of the ceremony as well as short introductory speeches. Including myself, there are three exchange students, the other two are from France and Germany. We were told to give a short speech
about ourselves in front of all the students and teachers that day (about 1,000 people) and surprisingly it wasn’t extremely nerve-racking. I was a little nervous but I was also excited to introduce myself to everyone. I do have to admit that the words almost escaped me during my speech but I was able to say everything that I wanted to.After the festival was when I began the
normal school schedule. So this is a general schedule of a standard school day for me:7:00- I wake up and wash up.7:30-8:00- I eat breakfast.8:00-8:15- I ride my bike to school and remember to park my bike on the upper (second) level (third year students park their bike on the first level).8:15-8:35- Study and talk in my classroom until “Short Homeroom” starts.8:35-3:15- Classes; though on Monday, the classes are until 4:15. Lunch is at 12:40.3:15-6:00 (end time varies) – My club activity: Track and Field. On Friday’s I go to the Interact Club.Around 6:30- Get settled in at home.Around 8:00- I eat dinner and we talk/watch television.10:30- I go upstairs and go to bed.So
this is the general schedule of my school day at Koshigaya-Minami High School.  The club I wanted to join was soccer, but I was unable to. However I was able to join Track and Field which I am just as satisfied with. And anyways, I get to play soccer after club activities on Friday’s with the guys in the Interact Club and so I still get to play soccer for fun. What is really different for me is how much exercising there is. Aside from Track and Field practice, I have PE three days of the week where all the students basically run long distance.  Though for some reason, I don’t feel as tired all the time (probably due to the fact that I exercise a lot now) and so when I get home, I can still study. And the idea that Japanese people eat small portions is not how it is in my case.
Each meal is very filling and sometimes I can’t even finish it all because there is so much food! Still, the meals are delicious! Right now, a pretty noticeable problem for me is remembering all these new names. I’m already not that good at remembering names, but when I have to know over 50 names (my class/teachers, and club members) in Japanese, that task becomes difficult.
Nevertheless, the school is an exciting place to be and is something I enjoy.
So until next time, でわまた！

Corey may be reached at corey.yeungsoccer28@gmail.com