Turning Australian

By Lia Bichel
The girls, aged 16 and 17, traded in their school uniform at Toyo High School near Mount Fuji to experience the life of Australian Year 10 students.
Group co-ordinator Dianna Vaneck said since the girls’ arrival in September, they had learned and seen a lot of the country, improved their English, and had increased self-confidence.
“They have done really well,” she said. “They have improved in language and confidence. They had English skills but needed to learn to listen and understand accents, which was a problem because they learnt the language from an American or Japanese teacher.”
Outside of school, each girl stays with a host family, where they spend free time learning Australian customs and touring the state.
“They have been on family excursions to Bendigo, Ballarat, and we all went to Phillip Island,” Vaneck said. “We went to the koala sanctuary, penguin parade, and had a barbecue on the beach.”
Vaneck said the school hoped to have the same program available next year, and was currently discussing ways to improve it. Until then, 15 more students will arrive for a one-week exchange in November, once the seven girls leave, but Vaneck said host families were needed.
“They will need to provide a bed, three meals a day, and in turn they will receive a small honorarium,” she said. “Students get to experience the Australian family life and host families get to experience Japan in their own home without going overseas.”