Early in January, a group of 11 students travelled to Japan for the first exchange with Meriden’s sister school, Kwansei Gakuin High School.
The trip represented an opportunity for Meriden to strengthen its new partnership with Kwansei Gakuin, located in the city of Nishinomiya, near Osaka and Kobe. Having welcomed and hosted a contingent from Japan in July and August last year, it was time for Meriden to reciprocate the visit and for a number of our students to engage in school life in Japan.
This experience was an educational opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the rich culture of Japan. By engaging directly with host families, attending school, and participating in traditional activities, students gained invaluable insight beyond textbook learning.
“Our trip was truly life changing,” reflected Christa Leung of Year 11.
“We not only improved our Japanese language skills, but we also made lifelong friendships and unforgettable memories,” she said.
Accompanied by their Japanese teachers and Year 11 Coordinator Miss Ji Mee Lee, the girls attended school with their exchange buddies, immersing themselves in everyday Japanese school life.
“When we arrived, we experienced Japanese school life through activities like tea ceremonies, cooking and eating in the school cafeteria. We even faced the challenge of attending chemistry lessons taught entirely in Japanese,” Christa shared.
“We also got to try judo, where some of us had the thrilling experience of being thrown by our fellow students.”
Meriden girls and their host families forged strong connections, which was evident during their emotional and tearful farewells on the final day of the girls’ visit to the school.
Mahika Rathi (Year 11) said, “Our host families were incredibly kind, making it extremely hard to say goodbye. But our excitement quickly returned as we began our culture tour through other parts of the country.”
The girls had the opportunity to tour the country to see some of the highlights of Japan visiting Uji, a little town known for matcha, and dressing up in kimonos for the day. In Osaka, they visited the Aquarium, having a picture taken with the famous and gentle whale shark. Other highlights were excursions to Hiroshima and Miyajima.
