This year's annual Sapporo University English study tour was held in the United Kingdom from August 2nd to September 2nd. Thirty-three SU students studied at St. Giles College in London for three weeks and spent the last week touring the country by bus. They left London directly for the city of Edinburgh, Scotland and then went south, stopping at various places, such as the homes of poet William Wadsworth, writer Beatrix Potter, and playwright William Shakespeare, Liverpoolﾑthe birthplace of the Beatles, and Oxford University, and then backed to London. From London, they went by the Eurostar to Paris, France for a few days before coming back to Japan.
During their three weeks in London, the students lived at home-stays and commuted to St. Giles College by taking the underground and buses. Each day after classes, small groups of five to six students went to places that they were interested in and had planned on visiting before leaving Japan. On weekends there were trips to Stonehenge, Canterbury Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, and Dover Castle. The following articles by Ayako Kageyama and Izumi Okuhara recount their experiences of this year's study tour in the U.K. and Paris, France.
By Izumi Okuhara
We studied English at St. Giles College in London. We enjoyed various things after school. For example, we enjoyed the Ferris wheel called the London Eye and went to watch a musical and took part in parties or events held by the college. St. Giles College, which is located in the center of London, is a very convenient and attractive place, because near by is the famous British museum. Many students came to school to study English from many countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Taiwan, China, Korea, and other Asian countries. I'll write about my impressions of London where I spent three weeks .
On the first day, we had a placement test. After the test we were classified into levels. One class is composed of 10 to 15 students. We could take a class comfortably, because the level of English was adjusted to us. There are a lot of facilities in the school such as personal computers for the Internet, DVD's or Video facilities, a library and a snack bar called the canteen. These facilities were sufficient for students' needs.
We went to school from Monday to Friday, and had three lessons each day. One lesson consisted of 100 minutes, and the next two lessons were 1 hour each. We learned the fundamentals of grammar and debated about topics with each other. The lesson in itself was not difficult. We went sight seeing in London with classmates as a lesson. We could decided where to go after discussions. As a result, we could communicate with the other students and our teacher.
However, our opinions were not understood by the other classmates or by our teacher sometimes. It was very regrettable. The accents of the Italians and Spanish were difficult to understand for me. In addition, they spoke English more actively than Japanese. We tried to speak English actively due to their influence. Then I realized the importance of not being afraid of mistakes. I tried to communicate positively with classmates; for example, we talked about music, movies, and about Japan. As a result, we could make foreign friends. This course was a good experience to realize a change of attitude that we wrestle.
We could spend a fruitful school life in London by the grace of our host families. I stayed at the home of Ms. Carol Ellington, who is from Jamaica. She is Jamaican, while some host families of some students are of African descent. I was surprised that there are many black or Middle Eastern people in London. Carol lives with her son Jade, who is 13 years old, and she has a daughter who is 22 years old. However, they do not live together. She was very busy to work at home and her job, because she divorced her husband. My host family lives in Kilburn, which is far from the center of London. It takes one hour to go to school by bus and underground. I was very puzzled as to how to go to school during the first week. However, I could to see the sight after that.
I had a daily routine after school in London. When I went back to my host home, we used to talk about the happenings of the day. She told me about her home, Jamaica. When I could not return home because of trouble with the underground, she took care of me as if I were her real family. The feeling of being from different cultures disappeared from me. She often said me a favorite phrase, "It is a very good experience for you to visit London." Actually, I wanted to return to Japan at the beginning the home stay because I had to take the underground and bus alone there. Everything was a succession of first experiences. However, after one week, I didnﾕt feel homesick. At the same time, I could realize my growth in spirit.
As a consequence, I could enjoy my three weeks in London. These were excellent days for me with the teacher, classmates and host family. These weeks in London will be an unforgettable memory, and every experience is really precious to me.
By Ayako Kageyama
Anyone who visits the U.K. for the first time will be surprised at the old houses which line the streets and the greatness of its historical buildings. The U.K. is always at the cutting edge of fashion or the arts, yet nowhere in London can we see modern streets surrounded by many skyscrapers such as we can see in New York or Tokyo.
Canterbury Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral, which are Gothic masterpieces, are the greatest of all. According to the local guide, people from around the world have been coming to the U.K. to study this style of architecture. Those old towns of low houses surrounded by ramparts with the cathedrals in their center present most attractive scenes.
I was impressed that cathedrals are located in the heart of cities and that they are not just standing there but still living with their congregations. We roamed around these towns, no buildings higher than the cathedrals; we could see the cathedrals from any position.
Besides the cathedrals, there are old historical buildings all over the U.K. which have stood for hundreds or thousands of years and are preserved in the same way. Of course, these have been restored many times. These are not preserved by the government alone. These buildings still exist thanks to the grace of active citizenship, as it is an English tradition. The main activities of The National Trust, whose role is to protect not only buildings but the environment around the buildings supported by citizen volunteers, should be imitated all over the world. The house of Beatrix Potter, the author of "Peter Rabbit," is conserved and exhibited by The National Trust.
Thus we had a chance to visit these lovely places which have been preserved for generations, and touched and felt the British tradition. This tour is one of the biggest attractions of the English Study Tour.
During our stay in London, we split into small groups of six or seven after school and went sightseeing to places which we had planned to visit before leaving Japan. A special fascination for me was the musicals. The popularity of musicals in London is greater than in the U.S.A. It is popular entertainment with every generation from children to the elderly. My group watched "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" which is popular with children, and "The Phantom of Opera, " which has also played in Japan. We were drawn to the overwhelming vigor of the performances, the singing, and especially the excellent stage direction.
Now, twelve shows are playing in theaters throughout London. The tickets can be bought by telephone or over the Internet. However, we went to the ticket center and could get them cheap. The price is about £20~£25 (4~5 thousand yen) for the cheapest ticket. London may now be able to say that it is the "musical's home." Altough most of the productions have also played in Japan, London's productions deeply impressed me. It was one of my pleasures to see the audience's reaction, such as booing at villains or clapping and whistling at heroes.
After leaving England, we visited Paris, France, which has a long history of monarchial and republican culture, celebrated with dignity and fascination. This fact gave me a strong impression. Above all, Versailles Palace, the embodiment of absolutism, had a splendor that surprised me. We were surprised at how large Buckingham Palace was in the U.K. However, Versailles is on an even bigger big scale than that. Surely, it testifies to the authority of Louis dynasty which is represented by Louis XIV and Queen Marie Antoinette. Is it only I who thought this masterpiece is also a symbol of people's toil for generations? I was also fascinated with Notre Dame which is one of the first Gothic structures anywhere.
Throughout this English study tour, I strongly felt European's pride and respect and patriotic love for their own country. Also, I noticed Japanese ignorance of Japan. However, I could also reconfirm Japan's merits and demerits and her own tradition, which we should protect. In England and France I saw and felt a lot of things, for example their literature, history, music, culture, which will certainly be a treasure throughout my life. I am thankful from the bottom of my heart that I could experience such a precious tour.