The Junket Queen....

Konnichiwa! Welcome to my next study tour *cough* junket.

Now in all fairness, it does sound like a junket: 3 weeks in Hiroshima, tour of a sake brewery, attendance at a medieval warlord festival, kimono lessons, calligraphy lesson and so on. BUT....I will be doing some intensive Japanese study whilst I am in Hiroshima. It is not going to be all shits and giggles but will involve some serious studying.

Last year I was awarded an Asian Language Teachers Qualifications Project (ALTQP) scholarship to retrain as a Japanese teacher. At the end of Term 2 (July) this year, I was sent an email about the study tour and as I had received the scholarship, I was eligible to apply....to cut a long story short, I am off to Japan in about 13 sleeps time.

The purpose of the study tour is to:help in-service teachers, as well as would-be teachers, of the Japanese language to improve their language proficiency, especially oral communication skills, by providing them with opportunities to build practical knowledge of the language as well as to use the knowledge in various situations.

During the three weeks of the tour, the other nine participants and I will be based at the Hiroshima International Centre and receive about 30 hours language instruction and also be involved in a variety of culture activities.....including a 'farm stay'.....god help me!!

The purpose of this blog is to, once again, eliminate any need to talk to you....or more to the point: eliminate your need to talk to me!! As I found out with my previous blog (http://www.kristysoaptour.blogspot.com/  Nice plug!) it became a great way for me to reflect on what I was doing. And to keep a record of stuff that I do. The old memory ain't what it used to be! So whilst it does feel self-indulgent, it becomes a great way for me to remember my experiences.

So どぞう　よろしく　おねがいします　(dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu) and ゆっくり　読んで　下さい (yukkuri yonde kudasai).

 

Token Japanese photo
(not of Hiroshima....Kiyomizudera in Kyoto...one of my favourite temples)