Second exchange with Senboku Jindai Junior High School, Japan

Having fun with talent exchange and sharing the beauty of Taichung 

The Japanese students shared their dancing and singing for the school's anniversary celebration. Their dancing was coordinated, lively, and energetic. Without a doubt, lots of hard work went into it. Also, I was impressed by a Japanese student's introduction in Mandarin. She spoke clearly and nicely. 

 

Thanks to the Traditional Chinese Music Club students, we returned the favor with an acoustic gig, Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky. Director Hong helped put together the team. They rehearsed for the exchange with great teamwork and put on a show on such short notice. Pity we ran short on time for them to briefly introduce their musical instruments. 

 

By answering some guided questions, my students can pick up a famous spot in Taichung and write a script for their presentations, including the history, location, activities, feelings, and why they'd like to recommend this place to their Japanese counterparts. 

 

Last but not least, three of the ICE students prepared some questions regarding fun facts about Taiwan, such as the capital city and the highest mountain in the country. 

 

The following is some of the ICE students' feedback:

"English was not our first language, and I was too shy to say anything. I want to be brave next time. Also, smiling or a thumbs-up would definitely help."

"I was especially impressed by their dancing. Turned out K-POP was popular among Japanese students, too."

"We can get better at our presentations by practicing more. I should speak up for the Japanese students to hear me more clearly." 

"I'm proud of our talent show. Those students did a very good job performing that anime theme song. The Japanese students must've been impressed, too." 

 

My ICE students admired how the Japanese students put lots of effort into the exchange. They hope there will be another opportunity to have a session like this. Though they were shy and felt insecure about speaking English in front of many people, it was a wonderful learning experience. I hope the Japanese students and their teachers would also feel the same. 

 

I couldn't make this happen without Haung Min, a liaison between KMJH and JJHS.