2017年10月28日土曜日

2017年10月28日土曜日 -

Lucy: British Education

There are many differences between British education and Japanese education. One of the first differences that many notice is the structure. In Japan, the most common structure starts from Elementary school, next is Junior High School, followed by High School and then finally, University. In the UK there are two different structures, and where you live decides on which structure you are entered into.

The most common structure in the UK starts with Pre-school. Children under the age of 5 years attend Pre-school (sometimes called Nursery) and it is here that British children begin their educational career. This is the stage of education where we learn the alphabet and how to count from 1-10. We also make a mess and even make pictures out of pasta!

Now this is where things can get tricky, depending on where you live decides whether you enter Primary or First school. 'What's the difference?' I hear you say. Well let me explain. In Britain school education levels are not by grades, by years. So, instead of 1st grade, 2nd grade and so on, we have Year 1, Year 2, etc. Now here is where it can get a bit bamboozling… Primary School starts at Reception (Year 0, if you like), starting at the age of 5 years, and continues onto Year 6 (11 years old). First School starts at Reception and finishes at Year 4 (9 years old). So you spend 7 years in Primary School, and only 5 years in First School! Wow! Now isn't that confusing?

If you went to Primary School, the next stage is Secondary School. This starts at Year 7 (12 years old) and finishes at Year 11 (16 years old). If First School was your previous educational platform, the next step is Middle School; Year 5 to Year 7. Then you move onto High School (Year 8 to Year 11). In Year 11, every teenager will sit examinations called GCSE（General Certificate of Secondary Education）'s. We don't hold graduation ceremonies at the end of High School like Japan, the only rite of passage event we hold after GCSE's is Prom. But hold your horses, there is one more step before University.

After Secondary or High School, you can choose whether you want to attend College or Sixth Form. College provides more practical courses, such as catering, child care or manual labor (brick-laying, construction, etc.). Sixth Form is the entry level before University. Sixth Form is levelled as Year 12 & 13. During those years, you sit two sets of examinations; AS-Levels and A-Levels. This examinations are similar in retrospect to Japanese University Entrance examinations, and the grades convert into UCAS points. In order to enter University, you have to accumulate a minimum number of these points.

Now, post-University can be a totally different story in Britain, compared to Japan. In Britain, graduate students have a lot of different opportunities they can choose from. In Japan, the norm is to begin applying to many companies before finishing University in order to find a good job. In Britain, students can choose from taking a gap year (sometimes before or after University) to go traveling, or work in a part-time job to save some money. Some students will go on to specialize at University by taking a Master's Degree, and pursuing further education. And some students join a company to begin their working career.

Mess：混乱
tricky：やり難い
bamboozling：当惑させる
Reception：幼稚園と小学校の間
Wow! ：うわー！
educational platform：教育の舞台
teenager：10代の子供たち
right of passage：通行権的な
Prom：ダンスパーティ
hold your horses：はやる心を抑えて
in retrospect：今から振り返って思うと
convert：変換する
UCAS points：The Universities and Colleges Admissions Serviceのポイント
accumulate：蓄積する
gap year：高校から大学、大学から大学院への進学までの期間

specialize：専門的になる

2017年10月21日土曜日

2017年10月21日土曜日 -

Charles: Halloween Monsters

As I've explained to students in some of my lessons, Halloween is a much bigger deal in America than it is in Japan. In terms of holiday popularity, it's second only to Christmas. People will have parties, go trick-or-treating, see Halloween-tailored films and TV specials, and of course wear costumes. Most people put marginal thought into the costumes that they select. Most are not even scary; more often they're silly. They're whatever was popular that year or one of the time-honored classics like Dracula or a werewolf. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is kind of lazy. So rather than picking the most apparent monsters, why not choose the monster that most resonates with you personally. If you're not sure what exactly a monster represents, let's break down some of the most popular monsters and what anxieties I think they represent.
      Zombies and mummies are popular monsters. They're both easy costumes to set up and just require either makeup or some gauze. Zombies are similar enough to regular people that the comparison is unavoidable. I think the reason people fear zombies so much is because they already have anxiety about the people around them. Sheer competition and consumer culture make our peers seem to be mindlessly automatic and quietly hostile. People are skeptical or concerned that others won't default to being helpful. Zombies and the fear of zombies are in a way fear of the average person and what it would be like if we found ourselves at odds with their ambitions.
wiki
      Socially, the opposite of zombies is vampires. Vampires are smarter than an average man, superior in athleticism, ruthlessly calculating and manipulative. They represent a parasitic elite class of nobility and disproportionately powerful people we feel at the mercy of. By the grace of a vampire you can be welcomed to their blood-sucking class, but at the cost of any human decency you once had. In this way it's not that different from selling your ethics out to gain social status or influence. If that offer still seems somewhat appealing to you and you feel guilty, the next monster is another you may understand.
wiki
      Werewolves make a commentary about shame and guilt. They're largely about having characteristics people are afraid of revealing which are embarrassingly uncivilized. People fear that they may be a danger to both themselves and others for afflictions they've incurred. Though western nations are largely seen as more individualistic, the idea of becoming a social outcast for circumstances beyond your control was frightening enough to make this concept tremendously popular. Other mutations of this like Mr. Hyde in the classic "Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" are variations of this concept; that man obscures his true brutish nature. People worry about the secrets others have but also they worry about their own being exposed.
      Unfair punishment, unfinished business, or injustice in general leads to hauntings. The hauntings feature evil spirits most commonly known as ghosts. Ghosts are common in most cultures including Japan so they need no explanation really. People like to have things resolved and settled neatly. This gives them an illusion of control over the natural world. Seeing ghosts or the living dead subverts that sense of control and makes people feel helpless. Aliens and UFOs also play into the idea of helplessness. They render people immobile but conscious as they experiment with them. This too preys off our fear of losing control of our lives and selves. 
      When we overcompensate and try to bend the natural world to our control this can be daunting as well. We could end up creating Frankenstein's monster. The monster itself wasn't inherently evil but after seeing the cruelty of its creators it became hostile. Mankind fears the natural world so it builds a technological one and grows to fear that too, ultimately becoming the enemy of both extremes. Besides the obvious fear of advanced weaponry, Frankenstein's monster could represent an unease of the pervasive automation creeping into modern life. We combine our identities with our technological representation on social media to become a kind of man-machine hybrid just like the monster. People rightly fear that technology being turned on its creators.
      I think the common trend with a majority of these monsters is a sense of helplessness. We can understand the world somewhat, but suffer anxiety knowing we can't use this information in any productive way. At least you can control which costume you choose. Maybe a simple act like making that decision is enough to feel productive and push back against fear. That may very well be the spirit of Halloween.


Vocabulary

marginal: very small, little
apparent: obvious, easy to see
resonates: creates a feeling or emotion, forms a connection
break down: to make simple, reduce in complexity or difficulty
sheer: absolute, pure, lacking other influences
consumer culture: common lifestyle where social status is purchased by ownership of objects. People in this society labor to obtain the currency to buy things not only out of necessity but out of a desire to be respected.
parasitic: performing the characteristics of a parasite, living off the labor of another, relying on others productivity without contributing anything by oneself
selling out: betraying values such as integrity, morality, or authenticity for material/personal gain
afflictions: a condition of suffering and pain
incurred: taking on ownership of something (usually a penalty, fee, or other unwanted thing)
brutish: crude, animalistic, uncivilized, unsophisticated, barbaric
haunting: negative atmosphere often connected with the supernatural, influenced by dark magic or evil spirits
subverts: undermine, cancel or overturn, betray
overcompensate: to respond to something in excess, making too strong of a reaction
daunting: intimidating, frightening, challenging
pervasive: able to penetrate defenses, piercing, abundant or unavoidable


2017年10月13日金曜日

2017年10月13日金曜日 -

David Huynth：Nagasaki and Huis Ten Bosch

During my first trip to Japan, I visited Nagasaki with some friends I made during my study exchange. When we were in Nagasaki, it was the end of October and it was raining the whole time. Despite this, we tried to visit as many places as we could.

      We first visited Mt. Inasa and climbed to the lookout point at the very top. From there we got to see the beautiful Nagasaki Bay as well as the city lights when it got dark. After that we checked into a hotel and went to a hot spring to relax. The next day we visited a few of Nagasaki's churches and got to look around inside Oura Catholic Church. It was beautiful and very peaceful inside and the more religious of our group checked the mass times. Next we visited the Nagasaki Peace Park as well as the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb museum and saw the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter. Our mood in these places immediately turned serious as we saw the effects of atomic weaponry. The rain only made the experience all the more sombre.

      At night we visited Glover Garden, which was very brightly lit up as if to try and lighten our moods, and it made for some very nice photos. It was quite a new experience for me as I had rarely been to places that had so many lights and so many different colours. It truly felt like I was in a different world. Afterwards, over dinner, we excitedly told each other about the places we visited and the things we saw. By the time we made our way back to the hotel, we were already looking forward to the next day.

      The following day we went to Huis Ten Bosch. This was the part of the trip I was most keen on. It was raining again, but this did very little to affect the mood of the group. Luckily, when we got there the rain had let up a little bit and we were able to buy our tickets and walk into the park relatively dry. There were so many attractions, especially with Halloween so close, that I can't even begin to remember them all.

      We had a great time in Nagasaki. If you haven't been there, I highly recommend it.

study exchange：交換留学
Despite this：そのくせ
the lookout point：見晴らしのいい場所
the mass times：礼拝の時間
Hypocenter：爆心地
Weaponry：兵器類
Sombre：憂鬱な
lit up：ライトアップされていた
Lighten：明るくする
Rarely：めったに～しない
Huis Ten Bosch：ハウステンボス(観光施設の名前)
keen on：乗り気な

little to affect：ほとんど影響ない

2017年10月13日金曜日 -

Tamar: Greek Island Escape – Opportunities Await

Despite the fact that a multitude of Aussies in their mid-twenties travel to Greece each year over the European summer, the Greek islands are full of mystique and astonishing beauty. It was June in 2014 when I packed my Katmandu travelling pack and left Sydney bound for Europe. First stop, the Greek islands.
       Ironically, when I stepped off the plane and checked into my hostel at Mykonos, I was of course surrounded by Australians. We travel in droves, and the Greek islands are no exception. The hostel overlooked the sea and the water glistened in the sunlight on a daily basis. There are no tarmac roads around here, just cobblestone and white-splashed houses on the hills overlooking the water – the Greek islands are truly as they appear on the postcards. On my first night in Mykonos, I ventured alone into the town for a late dinner. Mid-way through chomping down a gyros and a Greek salad, a group of Japanese travelers sat on the same table as me. We were the same age and shared similar interests. We bonded together and I saw this as a fantastic opportunity to learn more about life in Tokyo, where they were from.
       We chatted together for the next four hours, immersed in discussion about Australian and Japanese cultural topics and how different our lives are. The friendliness and generosity of this group of Japanese travelers strongly resonated with me and it was this chance meeting that propelled me to travel to Japan. Fast forward three years, I finally made it to Japan in December 2017 for a two-week holiday. And now looking back on living in Osaka since May 2017, I can thank this group of Japanese travelers for inspiring me to undertake this experience.
       In summary, travelling in our youth broadens our appreciation of other cultures and enriches our ability to relate to a diversity of individuals. This is more than ever important in 2017 as international relations continue to shift and change at a pace beyond our comprehension. I can gladly say that I've become a better person because of this experience so far in Japan – Arigato Gozaimasu.



Despite：～にもかかわらず
Multitude：大勢の
in their mid-twenties：20代半ばに
Mystique：近寄りがたい神秘的な雰囲気
Astonishing：驚くべき
Ironically：皮肉なことに
In droves ：ぞろぞろ動く群れ
glistened：キラキラきらめく
tarmac：タールを混ぜた舗装材
cobblestone ：玉石
ventured：思い切って～した
chomping：ガツガツ食べる
bonded：意気投合した
immersed：どっぷりつかった
resonated：共鳴する
propelled：進ませた
undertake：企てる
broadens：広げる

diversity：多様性

登録: 投稿 (Atom)