Day 2 ... ...

Here is the update for Day 2's programme and thank you for your patience in waiting for this update.

The pictures below gives you a glimpse of the youth hostel that the delegates lived in for that one night in Nagasaki.  

These two photos were taken at 6.30a.m. in the morning and the sky is already brightly lit

 Girls are indeed neater

Breakfast before heading off to Yamazato Elementary for the school attachment programme and the delegates are dressed in their enthic costumes ready to perform for the pupils and teachers in Yamazato.

The delegates wondered if it is indeed breakfast; or dinner? The cultured drink served as a hint.

After a 5 minutes walk from the hostel, the delegates were greeted by the staff and pupils in Yamazato Elementary where the pupils put up a very vibrant performance to welcome the delegates.

Good thing, the delegates came prepared and they finally performed the song and dance medley that they had practised.

Yamazato is one of the structure that sustained extensive damage from the atomic bomb and thus, it is also a museum for the people of Nagasaki to understand more of what happened. They have an in-house guide who will inform the visitors of Yamazato Elementary on the events before and after the atomic bombing.

Three of the delegates offering the Peace Cranes in Yamazato Elementary and a minute of silence was observed to remember those who had lost their lives on the day and after the bombing.

You would have noticed there were 3 cameras filming the delegates as they toured around the school. The delegates were then interviewed by the journalists of the various news agencies such as NBC and NHK.

The delegates are indeed confident speakers who answered the journalists' questions with poise and maturity.

The delegates then spent the remaining time playing traditional games with the pupils from Yamazato Elementary and when it comes to play, language is no longer a barrier.

Lunch in the school is a common sight in Singapore, but lunch in the classroom with the teacher is what Japanese pupils encounter everyday.

The delegates experienced that and they were happy to be part of this tradition for the first time in their life.

What everyone in the school had for lunch that day

Although, the delegates and the pupils from Yamazato Elementary met for barely 2 hours, they were already at ease with one another by lunch.

Time flies when you have fun and this phrase applied to the pupils as they soon had to say goodbye to one another.

Everyone from the school rushed out to bade farewell to the delegates and parting was indeed very hard. That marks the end of the programme in Nagasaki and the delegates then headed to Shi-Moji to take the ferry to Kobe.

It was dinner time the moment the delegates boarded the ship and traveling on a cruise was a first for many of the members.

The highlight of the ferry ride is the opportunity to be able to enjoy the cool breeze on the upper deck where the delegates had fun with their friends like they have never experience before.

The wind was pretty strong and so the pictures taken were a little shaky and off focus.

At 9p.m, the delegates met to consolidate the learning for the day. The delegates gathered in one of the 10 bunks that were assigned to them onboard. Each bunk sleeps 10 pupils and the delegates indeed has a lot of space onboard.

Day 1... ...

The much awaited Japan Homestay Programme 2010 finally took off at 1a.m. from Singapore to Fukuoka International.

The delegates met as early as 9.30 p.m at Terminal 3 with their family members and were all eager to begin their exciting 8 days of Experiential Learning in Japan.

 Mdm Maria briefing the delegates and they were also given a Good Luck Red Packet each before departure.

 Everyone posed for a photograph at the airport before departure.

 Family members joined in as well

The 6 hours long flight brought the 28 delegates into the Land of the Rising Sun bright and early at 8a.m. The delegates were welcomed by Mrs Nishiyama from the Children's Association of Japan. 

The journey into Nagasaki took about 2 hours and there was a stop over at a rest station and the delegates were very eager to start spending their Yen.

Their tired yet happy faces tell you that they are indeed enjoying every minute of the Learning Journey.

Everyone having something to munch at the rest station

It was lunch time when the delegates arrived at Nagasaki and the lunch venue was a restaurant famous for its Nagasaki Sponge Cake.

Group photo before entering

Finally, lunch was served and it was a hearty meal for all complete with rice, soup and dessert. 

 Just look at the contented faces and look at the lunch on their plates.

 Close up shot of what was for lunch ~ seafood tempura

The boys were overjoyed to have such a wonderful lunch on the very first day of the programme.

So did the adults 

 This programme is indeed a learning experience for some as seen here Fikriyah figuring out the use of the chopsticks

Daddies and Mommies, look out for the Nagasaki Sponge Cakes your children may bring back some for you.

Photos as evidence of their purchases and if they did not mention anything about it; mmm...they must have eaten it along the way...

The delegates next checked into the Youth Hostel in Nagasaki and met the tour guides, Mrs Yoshida and Mrs Kai, who accompanied the delegates and explained the effects of the atomic bombing in Nagasaki.

The visit to the Nagai House provided an insight for the delegates on how an individual like Dr Nagai gave up even his own life to find a cure for those affected by the harmful radiation of the atomic bomb.

 Watching a short intro video on the contribution of Dr Nagai

Group Photo outside the Nagai House 

Next, the delegates moved off to Peace Park where they presented Peace Cranes to remember those who had lost their lives to the bombing and to show their support towards world peace.

Mrs Yoshida and Mrs Kai explaining the significance behind the setup of the Peace Park 

 Presenting the Peace Cranes

 Another group photo

The delegates then had a rare opportunity of meeting up with the Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor,  Mr Yamawaki Yoshiro, who gave a vivid recount of what happened on that faithful day. It was not easy for him to relate the story of his survival as he lost his father to the bombing.

The delegates then proceeded on to the Atomic Bomb Memorial Museum for an in depth understanding behind the history and the technology of the atomic bomb.

There, the delegates had the opportuntiy to see many preserved artifacts from the atomic bombing. All these made them realised the extent of the destruction and how they must support world peace and never allow history to repeat itself.

Finally, another bunch of Peace Cranes were offered to the Museum just before closing time

The last stop for the day was the Urakami Cathedral which is just opposite the hostel. This cathedral was almost destroyed by the bombing and has been restored since. This structure serves as a reminder that the people of Japan is resilient and is able to get up from despair.

The day finally ended with yet another hearty meal and the delegates then had a shower and a debrief to consolidate the learning for the day and planning for day 2.

Yes, the delegates do indeed look tired but their lives have been greatly enriched with the experience of Day 1 programme.

More updates on Day 3 as the delegates will be taking an overnight cruise into Kobe via ferry and thus, there will be no updates on Day 2. See you soon!

Final Preparation

The delegates are in the final leg of the preparation before setting off on 16 June 2010.

Everyone is putting in extra effort in terms of their presentation and performance.

In pairs, the delegates prepared presentation that introduces Singapore and also information about the Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki.

The delegates had also worked hard on improving their dance steps as seen in the videos below

Cyberwellness Note:

To aid the delegates in communication with their host families and also their Japanese peers, the school will be providing them with a iPod Touch each.

A Japanese Language Communicator and Translator Application known as Ligopal has been selected based on its functionality in terms of
a. Ease of use
b. Offline application (terms no need to network connection)
c. Rich vocabulary to allow more effective communication
d. Value-add in terms of education

However, this application like many web-based application such as Google Search contains certain phrases that is more matured base.

During the training on 5 June 2010. The delegates have been briefed on the application in terms of its advantages and disadvantages. The topic of being a discerning and responsible cyber user was covered to all delegates to be wise in their choices in terms of information in cyberspace and web applications.

Important Information

Information about Singapore

There are some variation in information from the presentation of the delegates. Please refer to the link below for more accurate information about Singapore.

Information about SINGAPORE

Departure Flight Information 16 June 2010

The departure flight info can be referred to the link below

Departure INFORMATION

Selection instructions

Search by Destination/Airline
Select Destination:  Fukuoka
Select Airline : Singapore Airlines Ltd

The Check-in Row for SQ656 is Row 3, Terminal 3. Kindly do a check before heading to the airport.