英語クラブ

this is old news now, but. . .

my 一年生 (first year girls) got first place in the ken (prefecture) speech contest. . . that's the contest that was the same weekend as yosakoi in osaka. . . i felt so bad that i could be there. . . but they did a great job! (and if you can't tell by the picture, these two could have cared less if they got first or last place. . . they're hilarious!)

also, one of my 三年生 (third year) girls got fourth place in a different speech contest held the week before. . . she should have placed higher, but her speech was on the serious side while the judges seemed to prefer comedy. . . here is her speech. . . and unlike many of the other students who wrote their speeches in japanese and had their teachers translate them into english. . . yes, i'm bitter about that. . . kanako wrote her entire speech in english. . .i only edited it. . . (did i also mention that kanako passed level 2 1/2 of the eiken - english proficiency test? not very many junior high school students make it to that level. . . i don't think i'm allowed to have favorites as a teacher, but i will really miss this girl when she graduates in march). . . anyway, here is her speech. . .

Having a Broad View of the World

I’m interested in English and learning about foreign countries. I want to learn about other countries and be able to communicate more, so I study English hard. If we can speak English, we will be able to talk to more people and learn more about the world because English is used by many people in many countries. Then we can cooperate with people in the world for peace.

In my life, I have many chances to communicate with people from other countries. I’ll tell you about the two biggest chances.

First, three students from Mongolia studied at my school first term. They studied all subjects in Japanese. Sometimes, they couldn't understand Japanese, so we taught them in English. Then, I thought, English is useful when we communicate with people from other countries.

Second, I lived in Indonesia for a year when I was little. While I can’t remember everything, I can remember the beautiful nature and friendly people. I like Indonesia very much. My mother also likes Indonesia.

There were some big earthquakes on Java Island in May. I was very surprised and sad to hear this news. The earthquakes did great damage to the center of Java Island. About six thousand people were killed. Nine hundred schools and two hundred thirty thousand houses were destroyed. So, the people there haven’t been able to live normal lives.

Many volunteers have been working hard and doing their best for Indonesia. My mother started doing volunteer work too. She sold bags and hats made in Indonesia at Sunday Market. Many people in Kochi joined the volunteer work. My mother looked very busy, but she said, “This work is not a hardship. I don’t feel tired from it.”

I also joined the fund raising campaign at Hirome Market. I wanted to help, so I worked hard. I called, “Please help the people of Indonesia.” Then, many people came and donated money. Sometimes a little child came. I was very happy, and I said, “Thank you.” The child was smiling. I learned many things and found something warm in my heart.

I believe only learning to understand other countries is not good enough. Our actions are also important. When we are able to communicate and interact with people from different countries, little by little the world becomes more peaceful. This is why I want to have a broad view of the world.