last post

It has been long time since the last post.  So I want to highlight what I have done for last few months.  After I enrolled UQ, I became so busy, for UQ gave me so many things to do: assignments, presentations and exams.  However, I have got countless friends at there fortunately.  Although the study at uni was absolutely tough and challenging, the experience improved not only my language proficiency but myself.  Now I can say that having chosen Australia to study was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  What makes me think so is the fact that I have met so many friends at the uni, who have good motivation and attitude.  I have been inspired by them all the time at UQ.  Successfully, I passed all the courses I took and I fished studying at UQ.  And now I am interning at a hotel as a receptionist and I will be back to Japan in a week.  To be honest, I don't think that I will be back to Australia in the future because of several reasons, but I have been so happy to be here. During this study abroad, I have improved my English and intercultural communication skill, so this study abroad has enabled me to go to literally everywhere in the world.  I want to go to as many countries as possible with my English and I will continue to make friends having different cultures.   Next year, hopefully I will be in Malaysia to study.  What I have experienced and learnt here in Australia will help me out.  I can't tell how grateful I am for everyone I have met here.

IELTS

When I think back to the life at ICTE, it would be inevitable to recall about IELTS.  Because it was so stressful.  I really needed to get 6.5 to study at UQ.  I was always worrying about IELTS and I was not confident.  Because I just got 5.5 before I came to Australia.  Therefore I needed to study hard and actually I did it.  Before  class starts, I have studied at the library and I practised speaking after the class then I studied again at home.  I spent much time on IELTS.  I could do it because it was not only me.  My friends also really studied hard.   As a result I could get my aim.  When I saw my result, I was so excited.  The moment is one of my best memories.  Every friend couldn't pass, but I'm proud of friends.  During studying for IELTS, I couldn't go out with friends but the study improved my English skill.   We got a lot of stress due to IELTS.  However we healed it after IELTS test.  We had a party and went to Japanese Izakaya, which was awesome. From next session, we are divided to two groups, but we have to do well.

Speaking practice (week 6- week 15)

After we started to study at EAP, I also started another attempt, which is speaking practise.  The reason why I started it is that we didn't have much time to practise speaking in the class and also my speaking was poor.  At first, I started it with Yasu and Takuya.  This practise is really memorable.  We practised every weekday after the class and we practised it with assuming real IELTS.  Actually we were so serious because we really wanted to get a good sore in IELTS.   The practise usually lasted 1and half hour.  Therefore, when we finished the practise, we were so exhausted.  We usually had used a classroom for the practise before we were kicked out by the cleaner. Actually we didn't have permission to use a classroom, but other cleaners allowed us to use it because it was for study. I really appreciated that.  But one guy didn't allow us. Maybe our practise was seen as just fun thing for him, which was sad.  We moved  the place to the floor.  I started it with two friends by the way.  But eventually 10 students joined the practise.  Most of them were from Japan, yet some international joined it sometimes.  Thanks to the practise, we could improve speaking.  I really thank my friends.

EAP 1 (week 6 - week 15)

I finished General 5 and I started to study  at EAP 1 from May 5th.  EAP1 is the class for ielts.  This class is UQ life.  Before the first class started, I was worrying about my teacher.  But I was very lucky because my teacher was Tim who is one of the best teachers at ICTE.  And also I had heard that Tim is a good teacher from my friend. As I heard, he was awesome.














EAP was not so fun unlike General,but it was interesting and beneficial.  Thanks to EAP, I know I could improve my writing.  We wrote a lot of essays and read a lot of materials in the class.  We didn't have time to practise speaking as much as General class, but I'm satisfied with the class.
EAP is the course for 10 weeks, I could make bonds with class mates.  However, the sad thing was that a number of classmates left during the course.  Most of them dropped out to go back to their country. At first there were 18 students in my classroom, yet there were only 13 students in the end.
Now I'm a not ICTE student but the knowledge which I got at ICTE is helping me now.

appologize

i appologize that I haven't uproaled for long time.

the 6th week

This week was a session break, so I don't have any class.  That's why I decided to travel by myself as a backpacker.  At first, I intended to go to Adelaide and Kangaroo island to see beautiful nature.  Nevertheless, I changed the destination because my host father told me that Adelaide is not so interesting and the  flight time didn't suit my plan.  Then, I made a decision to go to Melbourne for 5 days. 

In the first day, I visited the building of "The Block".  I don't know if you know but "The Block" is a very popular Australian TV programme.  If you don't know, please go to Wikipedia.  When I found the building, I was nervous because I've seen it on TV almost everyday.  And fortunately, I could see the casts, for it was a photographing date.

I went to Great Ocean Road the second day.  It is a 250km road along the coast.   I visited Port Campbell which is a small town in Great Ocean Road by train and bus.  It took about 7 hours.  After I arrived at there, I went to Two Mile Bay and Shelly beach on foot.  It was beautiful and I decided to go to Twelve Apostles and Loch  Ard Gorge which are famous spots of Great Ocean Road the next day.

 

The third day, I had a problem.  That is there is no public transportation to go to Twelve Apostles and something like spots.   Actually, I have known the fact because my travel book says you must join a tour or rent a car to go there.  However, I couldn't give up it, so I determined to hitchhike.  I could catch a car luckily soon on the way to the destination.  Two kind men who are from Germany and Canada picked me up and took me to the places I wanted to go to.  We went around together.  The view of Rock Ard Gorge and Twelve Apostles was beyond description.  I've been seeing them with forgetting the time.
     


  


When I went back to the hostel,  I couldn't hitchhike readily.  When I did it, I had walked about 10km.  But I could find beautiful places which aren't on guide books thanks to the walking.  The sunset I saw in one of the places was the most beautiful view whole my life. 

The forth day, I came back to Melbourne city.  On the way to there, I had to stay for 2 hours in
Apollo Bay to change the bus.  The bay was very clean and quiet.  Then I tried to find a wild Koala because there are a lot of wild Koalas in the forest between Apollo Bay and Lorne according to my travel book.  As a result, I couldn't do it sadly but I'll try it again someday.   After I arrived at Melbourne city, I went to a bar.  An Aussie woman, Daniela, who picked me up and took me to my hostel the previous day when I came back, invited me to the bar she is working at.  It was Friday night, so the bar was very busy.  Regardless of it, she served me a glass of cocktail and a delicious snack.  I wanted to give her something to express my felling of appreciation.  But I didn't have such things at that time.  Therefore, I promised her that I would do something in return when she came to Brisbane or Japan. 



The fifth day, I had a cup of coffee.  Melbourne is famous for coffee.  It was so delicious and the atmosphere was fabulous.  Then I left for Brisbane by plane.







To sum up, this travel was great.  I was helped by a lot of people and I felt I have to help a lot of people when I see people who get trouble.  I think I could develop because of this.   In fact, travelling alone is not so fun during  the travel because I can't share my feeling and I feel trouble every time, yet I can get a sense of accomplishment after it and I can experience more things than travelling with friends.  To make new friends is one of them and also to deal with problems by myself.  That's why I continue to travel by myself.

the 5th week

 

The first session was finished.  This session was very fun!!  My class mates were so funny and kind, so I would miss them and it is sad to change the class.  Cathy who was my homeroom teacher also very good cuz her lecture was easy to understand.  I don't know whether my English skill improved or not in this session, yet I did my best.   The next session is EAP which is a class more focusing on IELTS test.  Therefore, I'll learn about more academic English.  It may be not so fun compared with general English but I do my best to go to UQ absolutely.  I hope that my teacher will be Cathy again.

On this Sunday, I joined 8 cup which is a soccer competition with my friends.  The participants were next to Japanese and we enjoyed eating Japanese food which was the best meal ever since I came to AUS after the competition.  That's why I felt like I was in Japan.  I think I remined Japan after a long time.  We played 5 games.  It was so tough as you can estimate.  However we won the first place and got 200 dollars!!  This day which is the first day of holiday was fantastic!!  I'm going to Melbourne next week.  I really hope the holiday becomes what I can't forget.  Melbourne!!!

the 4th week

April 13 was my birthday.  I became 20 years old.

I was celebrated by my host family.  My host mother served me a delicious steak, a cake and Australian beer.
I enjoyed and felt happy.

To be 20 years old is a big event in Japan, for we are allowed to drink alchol and smoke, get the right to vote and are recognized as an adult.

I think I have to act with having responsibilities to society.

On Friday, the number of my family increased.

Two kitties came to my home. They are vigorous and cute little boys.
I cannot help smiling when I see them because they are so cute.

I have a dog in Japan, yet I haven't had any cat.  Therefore, this is the first time for me to live with cats.

I'll take care of them well and I hope them to grow up with energy but to be honest, I don't want them to become big and want them to stay little cats.

 





the 3rd week

In this week, I played with my friends some times.

On Tuesday, I went to South Bank to watch fasten & furious 7 with my class mates.
I couldn't understand the story well because there was no subtitle and this was fast time for me to watch fasten & furious series, yet I enjoyed the car action and the atmosphere of the theatre.



                           
 On Friday, I went to city with James and Tommy after the class.

The purpose was to go to casino.  I didn't go there to earn money but to experience a new thing.  In Japan, there is no casino, so I was interested in it.
Eventually, the atmosphere was fantastic, yet the game was boring because I didn't know the role.

Someday I'd like to try it again!



On Sunday, I went to dreamworld for the first time with my friends.

As I had watched the amusement park some times on TV when I was in Japan and I'm crazy to about roller coasters, I was looking forward it.

Most of the roller coasters were easy for me, but I enjoyed.

I'll challenge sky diving another time.

the 2nd week

 I am used to living in AUS little by little.

I enjoy AUS  but I have a big problem.  It is money.
The prices of AUS are quite high...too high.
It is about three times as high as that of Japan.
Therefore, I make sandwiches for lunch every morning.

The transportation expense is also high.  It costs 8 dollars a day.  To save money, I made a decision that I go to uni by bicycle.

Going to uni is not easy because it takes 40 minutes and there are a lot of steep slopes and Aussie drivers are dangerous.   But I can work out because of it.
I continue to go to uni by my Bicycle!

From April 3 to 6, it was Easter holiday.

During this holiday, I joined a camp to learn about Bible for 3 days in Lenox Head NSW.

This camp was so interesting and fun.  We enjoyed the beautiful beach, playing sports and chatting.

And I could learn about Bible although I'm not a Christian.  Owing to this camp, I found the importance of learning other religions.

the 1st week

     This is the first week that I spend in AUS.  
                                                                                                                                                    



 Before I came to AUS, I was worrying about my host family.

However, I found I didn't have to worry about it
immediately when I met my host family.

He is Benton who is vigorous and noisy boy.  He
was accustomed to me quickly, so I felt happy.

I and Benton like soccer.  Therefore we often play soccer in
the yard.

I want to teach him soccer since now.









This is the picture of Brisbane.

Brisbane is beautiful and quiet although birds are too loud.

I took to AUS and Brisbane because there are a lot of people who have different nationalities, religions and cultures.
Also there are many international students in UQ, so I make many friends from other countries.