Hello!
Sorry for the late upload!! These last few weeks have been the best and I am extremely grateful to be here! All the people I have gotten a chance to meet have been lovely and kind. Also shoutout to Michael, Kayley, Cindy, Kawthar, and Lily for making this experience so amazing so far <3
Sapporo
Sapporo is such a beautiful city. It’s a nice combination of a busy city, mountain village, and peaceful grasslands. The diversity in nature has made exploring the city so fun. Every new place I go to has been an adventure! Some highlights of the city so far are:
- Odori Park: sprawling for like 10 blocks, I could walk this park all day or just sit and bask in the sun. Plus the TV tower at night is chefs kiss.
- Maruyama: I hiked this in my first week and it was so breathtaking. Although I was not prepared to hike it, the experience was unforgettable.
- Susukino: so lively and so many things to do!
I can’t forget about the FOOD here. Although I still need to explore more restaurants, the food I’ve had thus far has been some of the best food I’ve had.
I cannot wait to explore every inch of the city while here!!!!
Core Memory: sitting in Odori Park waiting for the TV Tower to light up while listening to Sabrina Carpenter’s new album. Genuinely a vibe.
Hokkaido University of Education (HUE)
The university is around 1 hour away from my accommodation in the northern area of Sapporo where it is a little more quieter and peaceful. The university is a little smaller but very beautiful. The university students are actually on vacation at the moment, so the last few weeks at the university have been quiet aha. We have been getting Japanese lessons and education seminars from a teacher at HUE and our liaison. They have been such amazing teachers who have welcomed us into the university with open arms!
Our Japanese teacher has been teaching us Japanese in the mornings, and although I find it challenging sometimes, being in the classroom with her and my peers has been so much fun! I am learning a lot and it is nice to learn a new language. She is also so much fun and makes learning Japanese engaging. I just hope we don’t ask too many questions. We just finished the lessons this week and I am 100% going to miss it.
Our liaison has given us a couple of seminars about Japanese education and it has been so informational and interesting to compare Canada/Alberta to Japan. Some features that I really like:
- IT IS A NATIONWIDE CURRICULUM! Imagine being able to move around the country and the curriculum doesn’t change!
- They have a mandatory course starting in grade 1 called Moral Education
- English is a mandatory subject taught starting in grade 5
- They are taught home economics starting from a young age!
School Visits
So far, we have currently been to two 2 elementary schools and got to engage with grades 5 and 6, as well as a special needs class. We visited various classes and helped the kids with their English. They got the chance to ask us questions in English, like “What is your name? When is your birthday? What is your favourite food?”, and we also got a chance to speak about our favourite countries to them which was very fun!
My cheeks were hurting so much because I genuinely couldn’t stop smiling. The kids were so excited to talk to us. Their energy was so heartwarming. The English teacher we were with also made the experience so much fun. Her energy was so engaging and she knew how to get the students to pay attention and have fun.
A few observations that I made during these visits were:
- Students were able to join classes online
- There were large open windows that made the classrooms and the school feel so open and bright
- Students clean the school during their break after eating
- The schools had various facilities for their various courses
- A lot of kids walk/take transit to the school by themselves
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In conclusion, my time in Sapporo so far has been truly amazing. I am grateful for this experience and the opportunity to learn and immerse myself in a different education system. I have learned so much in my few weeks here and it has been great to see how the Japanese education system differs from ours back home and as well as how they are similar.
Next week we attend two more school visits before we start our school volunteering! I look forward to the rest of my time here in Sapporo!!
Sincerely,
Juan
