学校生活

中学２年生　ブリティッシュヒルズ研修旅行　12月10日～12日

　英文は、学年付のALT教員によるメッセージです。

～１日目～
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

予定通りブリティッシュヒルズに到着。天気にも恵まれました。こちらは、代表的な建物であるマナーハウスです。

到着すると、レッスンをしていただく先生より、ここでの過ごし方について英語で教えていただきました。

左の写真はマナーハウスの中のレセプション、右は食事会場のホールです。すばらしい雰囲気！

７グループに分かれてレッスンを受けます。普段のクラスの垣根をこえて、協力し合いながらチャレンジしていました。

夜の自由時間での一コマ。マナーハウスの体育館で卓球を楽しみました。

コロナ禍で、本学年は今回が初めての宿泊行事となります。本校での宿泊行事に少しずつ慣れて、明日も楽しんでくれればと思います。

 

Introduction:
British Hills is a hotel and a school located on a mountain in Fukushima Prefecture. It’s something you have to visit to truly understand. It has a castle, a mansion, a great hall for fine dining, and classrooms to teach students English while having a great time! Each year the Junior 2nd Grade of Teikyo Daigaku JHS visits British Hills for 3 days, and each and every time they go, the students have so much fun that they don’t want to leave!

Day 1:
On the first day of our trip to British Hills, the students met bright and early on a cold winter morning. After loading their luggage onto the bus, they settled in for a 5-hour bus ride to Fukushima. On the way, the students played games, chatted, sang, and watched DVDs. In the afternoon, they arrived at British Hills and were greeted by a beautiful sight, piles of snow, stone castles, traditional wooden cottages. The students audibly gasped at what they saw, it was like looking at something straight out of Harry Potter!

After a quick introduction to the teachers and the school, the students “Checked in” and were given a small golden room key (It looked very cool). The first lesson of the day was called Survival English and involved common phrases and techniques for using English in everyday scenarios. The students seemed a bit shy at first, but in the end, they were very enthusiastic about their first class and grasped the techniques very quickly.

Students did different classes at different times over the next few days. The activities ranged from calligraphy to culture and manners to describing things, and students were even treated to a tour of the Manor House on the second day.

In the evening, we sat down in the Refectory for dinner. Students were treated to what some might consider “traditional” English food: roast pork, sausages, chips, pumpkin soup and cake. They seemed to enjoy the food a lot, at least that’s what it seemed like from all the empty plates.

After dinner, the students had a few hours to spend time however they wanted. Some students took the opportunity to wander the grounds, visit the pub, play table tennis in the gym, or take photos with their friends. Eventually, after tilting their heads upwards and staring through a thin layer of fog, the children found a most beautiful sight, one that some had never seen before: Stars!

After an exciting (But tiring) first day, the students settled in for bed and prepared for the remainder of their adventure.

 

 

～2日目～

今日は、朝からレッスングループごとに分かれて様々なレッスンを受けました。

こちらは「マナーハウスツアー」。

マナーハウスとは、中世英国貴族が自分の領地である荘園内に建てて生活していた建物だそうです。ブリティッシュヒルズの先生に、マナーハウス内の各部屋を案内していただきました。どの部屋もとても豪華で、「おぉ～」と感動の声が漏れる生徒たち。英国貴族の生活が少しだけ垣間見えた気がしました。実はブリティッシュヒルズは、ドラマのロケで使われることがしばしばあり、右側の写真「図書室」も、一部の人たちの間では行く前から話題になっていました！

こちらは「カリグラフィー」のレッスン。中世ヨーロッパの、アルファベット飾り文字を「カリグラフィー」と言うそうです。書き方の基本を教わり、それぞれカード作りにチャレンジしました！

こちらは「British Hills Experience」のレッスン。

実際にスタッフとの会話を通じて海外で過ごしているような体験をすることができます。「What is the most popular drink in the Falstaff Pub（※フォルスタップパブ。ブリティッシュヒルズ内のレストラン）?」など、決められた質問、さらにレッスンの中で、自分で聞きたい質問を決めて、館内のスタッフの方々にしていました。

２日目のしめくくりは、テーブルマナーのレッスン。本日のディナーはフルコース。しっかりドレスコードもあります。制服に着替え、ディナーの前に、ナイフ・フォークの使い方を始めとした、英国式テーブルマナーを学びました。

ディナーは、前菜からデザートまで、本格的なフルコース。やや緊張した面持ちで食事をする生徒たちでした。

ブリティッシュヒルズの最後の夜。昼の「British Hills Experience」の授業で質問した、「フォルスタッフ・パブ」で人気の飲み物、「バタービール」を飲みに、パブはたくさんの生徒でにぎわっていました。明日は最終日。楽しい時間はあっという間に過ぎていきます。

 

Day 2:

With sleepy eyes, the kids rose out of bed early in the morning and cast themselves out into the morning cold to trek up to the dining hall for a buffet-style breakfast. After stuffing themselves with baked beans, sausages, veggies and juice, the second day of classes began for the students.

In Calligraphy, students were tasked with creating aesthetic text atop coloured birthday cards. After the conclusion of their classes, they were allowed to keep the specialized calligraphy markers.

In Culture and Manners, students dived into the rich and unique history of England, seeing unique artifacts along the way. One peculiar instrument the students saw was the Indigenous Australian didgeridoo!

During the class named “Describing Things”, students had to work in pairs to create pictures of bizarre animals and objects by describing them to a partner. “Please draw a triangle-shaped cat!” students shouted to their puzzled partners.

Perhaps the most interesting activity of the day was the Manor House tour, in which students entered the previously locked off areas of the Manor House to find rich tapestries, beautiful paintings and a pristine library on the top floor. Their favourite room, however, was most certainly the “King and Queens’ rooms”, which had comfortable chairs, couches, wood carvings and antiques. I saw many smiles that day, so I think the students had a lot of fun no matter what they were doing.

After the activities for the day were over and done, students got in uniform and headed back to the Refectory for a meal they weren’t going to forget: A traditional full course meal! Students sat with a napkin on their lap, 4 knives to their right, 4 forks to their left and two spoons in front. One by one the meals came out: Salmon and veggie appetizers, cream of potato soup, baked bream and the main course: Australian roast beef with gravy (Tasted just like it does in my home country). Rounding out the meal with lemon sorbet, berry cake and traditional Christmas pudding in custard, the students went to bed satisfied. 

 

 

～3日目～

研修旅行は早くも３日目、最終日を迎えました。この日はレッスンの締めくくりとして各グループで一人ずつスピーチを行います。

スピーチのテーマは”My treasure”（私の宝物）です。皆、写真などを示しながら紹介をしていました。

さらに各グループから代表者を選出し、全員の前で改めてスピーチの出来を競います。

最後は講師の方々からのメッセージを頂きました。皆さん、お疲れ様でした！　英語だけでなく、様々な文化や人に触れることができた今回の体験をぜひ大切にしてもらえればと思います。

 

Day 3:
On the final day of the journey, the students again woke for an early breakfast, only this time, instead of activities and lessons for the day, the students spent their time reciting the speeches they had spent many weeks writing and working hard to memorize. The speeches were all amazing and the students did a great job speaking loudly and clearly in English about their treasured items. Afterwards, the 14 best speakers were chosen as finalists to recite their speeches once again in front of everyone. Despite their nervous, wobbling legs and shaky voices, the students knocked their speeches out of the park one more time, and in front of a huge audience this time!

The finalists were given a prize, but every student got a certificate for their valiant efforts! After that, it was time to say goodbye to British Hills once and for all. Students ran around and enjoyed the last of their time, but it was clear that they didn’t want to leave. Some asked if they could stay forever! We all hopped on a bus and waved our last goodbye to the teachers and buildings of British Hills, joyous for the memories we had created there.