Ririko

 

I’m living in Whangarei, which is located in the northern part of the North Island.  It was winter until recently and it was cold.  It wasn’t as cold as Fukui’s winter though.  It rained pretty much every day, but now the weather has become much warmer and better!

 

I’m living with my host father, mother and a cat.  They’ve hosted many students from abroad for a long time so they always tell me various stories of the students they’ve had.  I also heard they used to run a lodge and they like moving houses.  It’s fun to listen to such interesting stories.  My host mother’s good at cooking and my host father’s good at gardening.  They have lots of friends and we often have dinner with them.  Our cat is called Missy and is friendly.  I’m lucky to have met such nice people!

 

I go to Pompallier Catholic College and take ESOL, English, Math, Science, Religious Study, Sports, Hospitality and Music.  The first five are compulsory subjects.  My favourite is Sports. I like the class because I can make friends and because I enjoy playing sports I’d never played in Japan.  I found hockey an exciting sport!  I want to play it in Japan as well! There are lots of opportunities to cook in Hospitality class compared to Japan.  In Japan, before we actually cook in a class, we have a class to check a recipe and what ingredients we need.  However, here, we get a recipe just before starting to cook.  We sometimes have cooking assessments and we have to make a dish assigned by the teacher individually. Sometimes it’s tough for me because I didn’t really cook in Japan, but actually I’ve made lots of dishes so far so I’m sure I can cook better than I used to.  The subjects I struggle the most with are Religious study and Science.  There are many technical words, and I didn’t have any knowledge of Catholic ways at all, so it is hard for me to keep up with the classes.  However, my friends and teacher have always taught me kindly so I’ve been trying to work hard. 

 

I have three memorable school events, which are the school ball, running in cross country and a dance contest.  The school ball was like a formal dance party and we all dressed up and danced! Everyone looked stunning in their dresses.  I wish we had a school ball in Jin-ai.  In cross country, we ran 4 km.  The day was awful because it was pouring with rain and there were lots of hills and mud.  I was exhausted, but it was a funny memory.  In the dance contest, we got into groups and each group choreographed, and then we performed in front of other groups.  I was nervous, but I really enjoyed dancing with my group members. 

 

very single thing that I’ve done has been wonderful and unforgettable.  I have been able to study English in New Zealand thanks to my family, my teachers and my friends.  All of them have been supporting me a lot.  I can’t thank them enough.  In the rest of my time here, I’ll do my best so that I won’t regret not having achieved what I can do here. 

 

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in a month.  I hope you’re looking forward to seeing me whose face has become rounder!   Ha ha!  See you soon!

 

Thank you for reading my essay:-D!!

 

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