China & Japan Study Tour 2015
In December 2015, teachers Reiko Kawai and Marnie Foster travelled with 14 students to Japan and China for the school study tour. A highlight for many in Japan was interacting with students at a local high school and participating in a range of subjects and extra-curricular activities. Students developed a good understanding of student life in Japan and made many new friends. Shopping in the famous 100 yen shops was also a lot of fun.
The visit to China started in Shanghai and included visits to the old Yuyuan gardens and bazaar, TV tower and the Bund. From Shanghai, the group headed to Beijing to visit the Great Wall, Forbidden City, take a ride through the old streets on rickshaws and enjoy a kungfu performance and tea tasting.
In both cities, students tried their hands at haggling in markets and developed some great skills by the end of the trip. Students studying Chinese also put their Chinese into practice, taking turns to be the ‘tour leaders’ of the group for a day, this required them to buy tickets for the group, ask for directions and work out which subway train to catch. It was a great trip with students learning a lot about the cultures and languages of both countries and developing valuable travel skills. Everyone is looking forward to the next trip in 2017.
