Waitangi Day

Waitangi day celebrations at Kaiapoi, Christchurch, 2010.

This is the great Maori chief, Tetaki Tairakena who has no significance in the local history and Waitangi celebrations. His attire is a mixture of modern and old and way out of touch with how it should be. The ancient and sacred korowai around him and the seashell doesn't really suit the dark glasses, Jimi Hendrix hat and colored shorts. So, he's a half modern and ancient Maori chief.


More pictures of the half ancient and modern chief with his warriors, doing the pukana!



The waka and its warriors paddle out onto the river.



The half ancient and modern chief is seated in the waka with his warriors.



A re-enactment of the battle between the Maori and the British soldiers.

This time, no one was killed, only water bombed. Of course the Maori won this time.

Waitangi day

Two recent English arrivals were overheard speaking in a pub in Waitangi in the early 1800's . They were talking about some of the problems they faced since they had arrived in NZ.

A: These damn Maoris seem to own all the land here, old boy!

B: Yes, bloody buggers. How can they own everything when we have nothing...I say, old boy, what can we do to change everything? We can't have savages telling us what to do, we're from the British commonwealth, by God!!

A: Spoken like a trooper! I have a brilliant idea to get all the land off these uneducated savages.

B: Jolly good, James! Tell me your master plan!

A: Well first, we'll write a legal document which says they no longer own any land in NZ or Aotearoa as they call it. Then we'll write in it that all the land belongs to the queen of England and that they must give it all to her. Then, we'll tell them that everyone who has British descent living in NZ may take the land off them.

B: By joves, old chum, what an absolutely brilliant idea! I'll drink to that, it'll work like a charm!

A: The great thing about it is none of the Maoris can understand English.

B: So you mean we can legally take the land off them using our law, even though, it's not the law here and they wouldn't have a leg to stand on because we are the legal law here not them?

A: Precisely, old boy! And if they don't like it, we'll just shoot them because we have the guns...the symbol of the queens authority!

B: We'll get the buggers to sign it ... and you know what? they won't know what they're signing cause it'll all be in English...ha ha ha!

A: Oh...that's so funny... they'll think their land is safe...but they'll be signing it all away to us and England the motherland. Hail, hail the queen!

B: So we come here, we don't have anything, we write a legal document, we then force our law on them and our treaty and the land is all ours...just like that!

A: I'll drink to that, old son!

Parachute Festival

Preamble

Here are the pictures of the Parachute Festival, 2010, which is held yearly in Mystery Creek, Hamilton, NZ. We were invited by Steve Apirana to play in his band at the festival - The Steve Apirana band - and The Velvettes. The gigs were awesome!! So check this out!

The journey
So me and Donna flew up on Wednesday morning from Christchurch. Here we are in Auckland airport, the start of it all.



The reunion
The Apirana whanau at Te Rangimarie Marae, Hamilton.
They are a beautiful whanau.


Front: Aroha, her daughter and moko, Donna Next: Ainsley, Steven junior, Steve, Molly, Rueben Apirana. Top: Ozzie friend...i forgot his name...all round good ozzie!

Practice
It was really good to hook up with all the guys again. I think it was something like 20 years since we last played in the both bands. Here is the original line up for both bands rehearsing the materials... it was a longtime, but we got it going in the end. Awesome it was!!

Kit Grenon - - Me - - Steve - - Graham Flaws


Molly Apirana
We added Molly, Steve's girl. She is an amazing singer, songwriter. I love listening to her singing.
She writes deeply touching songs -moving, moving, moving!!

The mantle has moved, Steve bro!! - your girl has the mana!! Ka mau te wehi - Awesome!!

The Steve Apirana whanau

You know about Steve. Ainsley is a lovely singer who plays the flute and writes her own songs. She has released an album of her music. Steven (next to mum) plays the guitar, piano, sings and writes his own songs. Rueben, plays the guitar, drums and always supports his family. You know about Molly. An increbily gifted and talented family. Their family is so tight and loving and Ainsley is just an amazingly loving and kind mum. It was just awesome being with them.

Playing at the Parachute Festival. Saturday 30 January, 2010.
Onstage with the Steve Apirana Band

So, here I am onstage with my kit, this is minutes before the band started.

I took shots of the crowds from my drumset. Yeah, the crowd went off!!

These are onstage shots ... I look cool, eh!~~~Okay, then...you can't see me, but that's me, honest!!

More onstage shots of the Steve Apirana Band with Kit, Steve and Donna playing flute.

So like, I'm playing with my best friends and my wife in the same band. It can't get any better than this!! All goooooooooooooooooooooooooooood, eh!!!

Molly Apirana in the house!! Oh, there's Derek Lynd and Steve on big screen...choooice!!

Onstage with The Velvetttes
These guys are the cool in music. Awesome band, awesome guys!!

These are the band shots - The Velvettes, nothing but the best!!

Does that look like Ray Charles on drums or me?

The Velvettes together again onstage after 20 years...wooah, too much cool, dude!!

Family and friends at Parachute

I took my older brother, Delmond and his partner, Muriel to the festival.

Alex lived with us for 3 years in Chch while she was going to art school at Canterbury Uni.

We think of her like our daughter. She is a lovely person and special to us. She now lives in Auckland is married to Darren and has 3 children. She came down to see us at the festival. It was so nice to see her. God Bless her.

That's Heidi and Ann Warren, dear old friends of ours. When we were young, we used to hangout together in Chch. They have both been living in Rotorua now for many years. It was so good to catch up with them at the festival. Heidi is also a great singer songwriter and guitarist. He was in the 70's Maori band called 'Butler' with Steve.

Tino harikoa te ngakau me te wairua i te kitenga o ratou oku nei hoa rangatira

Our spirits lifted with joy at the seeing of all our great and chiefly friends

Konei te korero mai rano: Te mea nui rawaatu he tangata he tangata he tangata
This is our ancient saying: The most important thing of all is people, people, people!!

Tena ra tatou katoa

Greetings to you all!!

To read more about my drumming career - check out my archive:

The little drummer boy

The little drummer boy

"I want to play the drums," said a 10 year-old boy inside his beating heart. No one heard the dream that started in him, but as he stood outside the music shop staring at the drumset in the window, he started dreaming, fingers tapping on the window as if he was playing the drums, making drum sounds loudly with his mouth and stamping the footpath with his feet to keep the beat. Drums, drums, drums, I want to be a drummer. Then this dream began to drive the little drummer boy, at the age of 11, he started playing the drums, well they weren't exactly the drums, they were anything he could hit with his hands: the table, chairs, cups, plates, bottles, his old lady's pots and pans, pillows, cushions, the bed his younger brother and sister's heads. Then he made his first drumset out of some tins and played them by using branches and coat hangers which had thin sticks. He learnt by listening to music on the radio and his father's record collection by copying the drummers. In those days they had no TV. Then at the age of 12, He played in his cousin Kawe's band, everyone else was older than him and they played all over Auckland, South Auckland and Waikato. His cousin bought him his first drumset-these were magical times for him - he played and played and played.

Forty years later the dream still lives on in me, I have played for many bands and have never stopped playing them and still today I play in bands. The drums have been a lifelong passion that has allowed me to work with some of the greatest muscians I have ever known. One of the greatest pleasure has been to pass this dream on by teaching many young drummers to play the drums. To see the dream that started up in me all those years ago begin in the heart of a young drummer is sweet and beautiful.

So step inside my world - the world of drumming!!

STUDIO DRUMMER
I recorded the drums for Steve Apirana's album in Australia, 2009. The studio was in New Castle and was formerly owned by the famous Australian band of the eighties called: INXS.

This is my studio drums: a DW maple wood - with zildgian cymbols and high hats. It was a beautiful kit to play.

SESSION TIME
Laying down the drum tracks for each song.
You do this by listening to each other through the ear cans. Apparently this gives the engineer a better recorded sound on the tracks.

Okay...I look like I'm in agony! Would you believe me if I said it's sheer pleasure drumming in a studio and especially on an album. Awesome dude!!



...aaahh...yeah...more drums...once I'm on them I can't get off...



Hey, where's the drummer?

This is what we call live sessions. We play the songs by listening to each other through the ear phones. Studio muso's laying down tracks. It's such a buzz recording!!



MIXING ROOM
This is a mixing desk~~big, eh? All the music we play comes in here and mixed down to their own tracks each instrument gets a track each. Drum track, guitar track, bass track, bla bla bla...

That guy there is the engineer who does all the mixing as well as make us cups of coffees... cause were stars... yeah, right!



And this lady...is my wife.



Starting from left to right: engineer, producer, Steve, Donna, me.



MATECITO LATIN BAND
I have been playing in a latin band for the last 15 years. The leader is Gerrado Torres from Peru. He has taught me how to play authentic ryhthms on the drums like: merengue, salsa, pom pom, bossa nova and many others. Over the years we have played in latin fiestas in Christchurch which are often the highlights on the Christchurch entertainment scene. Gerrado is like a soul brother to me and I have been privileged to share his culture of music and ryhthm.

Playing latin ryhthms is one of my favourite styles of drumming. It's so fast, syncopated, and intoxicating to play. Awesome!!

Gerrado and me. Rehearsing in the Christchurch town hall before a fiesta night.
You can vaguely see my beautiful sonor drumset in the background. Awewsome kit to play!!



DONNA TAIRAKENA BAND
This is Donna's band. She plays a tasty mixture of latin, jazz, ethnic grooves and ballads. This is one of her concerts at the Christchurch Jazz School. Pretty awesome band!
That's my magnificent pearl jazz kit I'm playing. It's so sweet to play!!



That looks like me...oops

I use this kit for smaller gigs where the drumming is more delicate and ryhthmatic. It's a beautiful kit to play along with piccolo snare drum. Picolos are the sweetest snares ever and ever amen!





GO DRUMMER BOY !!!

Does Asian parenting produce top of the class students?

Have you ever wondered why Asian students, although a small percentage in our education system, are often near or at the top academically in New Zealand schools and universities? If that is the case, does that mean they are more intelligent than us or are we not utilising the potential of our intelligence as they appear to be doing? To put it more simply, are they smarter than us?

Not so according to Dr. Soo Kim Abboud and Jane Kim, authors of the book: 'Top of the Class' in which they give reasons as to why Asian students become top of the class. "They are no more intellectually gifted than non-Asian students." They point out that it has nothing to do with how they are born but everything to do with how they are raised. Put very simply, Asian parenting raises high achievers who often become top of the class students. So what is it that they do differently with their children?

Parents define their children's role as one where the children must focus on school work during the day and continue that role after school and into the evening. "The teachers are the educators during the day and the parents carry on the role as educators at night," according to Abboud and Kim. As a result, Asian students know exactly what their goal is and embrace the role of being a student at a very early age; very rarely do they waver from their pursuit of academic excellence or as we put it: 'they become top of the class'. More simply, the single most important goal is their school work.

While Kiwi children may see the school bell at the end of the day as an excape from learning and education and chase a thousand other non curricular activities; viewing their roles as students as over. The Asian students, on the other hand, will focus on homework after school and into the evening; their role as students is for life and it does not switch off whether they are at school or home -theirs is a very single minded approach. So does that mean Kiwi families are raising their children wrongly? Certainly not! Our aims are exactly the same, but the difference is in our methods and the reasons behind them. In other words, we have the same intentions for our children, but we arrive there through different pathways. We have a more broader approach toward our children's education, perhaps more holistic where the goal is academic, emotional, physical and social education with a wider world view-and as well as, success at all levels at the end.

Is our way academically deficient and theirs superior? Or is their way emotionally deficient and ours superior? Far from it! In my opinion, both styles showcase a stunning array of parenting toward successful education. No one style is the complete answer, every child is different and what suits one may not suit another. However, the strengths of both philosohies could be taken on board and employed in improving education for students of all races.



My students are a product of their upbringing: results orientated, driven to succeed and are single minded in their pursuit of achieving their goals. They study in class after school, and in the library when the school closes and when they return to their flats and homes they continue their work after dinner. A rigid and driven regime, perhaps by our standards, but a normal educational life for them. They are incredibly disciplined, motivated, and make marvellous progress on their journey of learning English as a second language. They bring to us a model that has been successful for them. Perhaps as Kiwi's we can learn a thing or two from our Asian counter part and add more tools to our already successful parenting philosophies. Conversely, I have noticed that my students are benefitting from a more balanced approach to learning and studying while they are here - not just hard study, but time out for relaxation and socialising; something they are learning from our more holistic approach.

In my view, education is not about who is the smartest, it's about how can we raise our children to be successful in education, to reach their potential and to succeed. The highlighted differences between the two philosophies is that one is a single minded focus and the other a more broader, holistic view; these do not conflict, but can go hand in hand in enhancing and improving education results for all students.

Read my blogs:

• Unforgettable Asians
• Asian View

to find out more about my students

My student's writing corner

This week's writings are taken from the students oral presentations and writing assignments. Enjoy!


Student Profile:
Natsuko Saito
Student. Japan

My unforgettable travelling experience
Written by Natsuko Saito (taken from her oral presentation)


Do you like travelling? Travelling is a wonderful time, because it makes us happy and excited. I think that everyone has many lovely travelling anecdotes. As you know, i am crazy about running, and today, i'd like to talk about my first running experience in Hawaii.


Every December, Hawaii has a big festival, the Honolulu marathon, which is also very popular in Japan. I thought travelling abroad was a special thing, so i decided to participate in my first Honolulu marathon.


First, i want to talk about my disasterous experience. Before i went to Hawaii, i thought that it was always hot; however, the weather was too awful; it was very cold and it rained for 6 days.

On the first day, i caught a cold and i didn't go sightseeing and shopping for 2 days. On the third day, i went shopping, because i didn't have any warm clothes. Unfortunately, it rained heavily and i didn't have an umbrella. Eventually, when i paid the shopping bills, i noticed that i had forgotten my credit card, so i had to return to my hotel room from the mall to get it.

Okay, it wasn't all bad, i also had many great episodes, even though i went alone to Hawaii, i made many friends who had all had some experiences about going abroad to study, for example: Australia, England and the USA. I heard many valuable information from them and they encouraged me; i still keep in touch with them today. The next thing was, i saw a lot of volunteer activities by many volunteers who supported the marathon. For example, on the eve of our race, they prepared and distributed our dinner and played music and danced - these were indeed quite amazing! In addition, on race day, they made a lot of sweets and drinks. Some of the children had long dividing ropes and kept smiling for us all day. Indeed, i will never forget their smiles, and of course, i reached the goal line.

In conclusion, we can get a lot of precious things from travelling. All travelling has been unforgettable experiences for me which are stored deeply in my mind. In the future, i want to go all around the world and i hope i can get more unforgettable experiences.

Second article: What i learnt from reviewing TOEFL sentence structure and academic reading Written by Natsuko Saito

Do you like to do a review? A review is a really important thing for us because we can make our knowledge clearer. For example, solve some of our exercises that were difficult and so on. Also, we can find our weak points, so we need to review our English lessons many times. I'd like to talk about what i learnt from reviewing TOEFL sentence structure and academic reading.

I felt that every lesson was difficult for me to understand when i moved to this class, sometimes i thought that i couldn't study any more. However, i continued to study and i realised that a matter of first importance was to review in order to both give clarity and confirm my uncertain knowledge. I thought that this week's review was really lucky for me because it helped me to understand better about noun clauses and i realised that i need to study more about adjective and adverb clauses, which i still find confusing. This is definitely a way to help me solve similar exercises.

Furthermore, i really enjoyed studying in groups; we were able to help one another and it helped us to understand academic reading. I liked playing word games; finding sentences and correct answers. These games helped us to enjoy learning English.

In conclusion, some people say that review is boring, and that we should study new things. Others say that a review is the most important time for studying. As for me, i think that a review is essential for learning English. We usually forget many things in only a day, so we need to constantly repeat studying. I have decided that i will continue to study and review English every day.

Student Profile: Aiko Hayashi Student. Japan

Ambition or love, which is the most important thing?
Written by Aiko Hayashi

We sometimes face fateful choices that we have to make, such as, which is the most important thing in life love or ambition? It is quite an awkward question, i rather think. Is it necessary that we choose one thing?

As far as i am concerned, it is a trivial matter to be blinded with love compared with fulfilling one's ambition, especially while we are young. When i was a high school student, some grown-up person said to me, " You have to study hard for your ambition." Moreover, having a relationship with a boy was forbidden by my school rules. As a result of this suggestion, i became a nurse through my steady efforts.

At the moment, i can't make a strong decision about what is the most important thing in my life. The reason being is that i have felt regret that i didn't fall in love when i was young. However, if i have children some day, i will say that love will make me value them. As i see it, love is rather a fleeting thing compared to ambition which leads to a steady life; i have chosen the latter, certainly! Nevertheless, love gives us strength to carry on living as well as happiness and peace of mind.

In conclusion, it is very important to remember all the time that: every moment is one gone and never returns to us again. So, i want to live my life everytime and everywhere. The most important thing is to live my life true to myself.

Student Profile; Sachiyo Sumo
Student. Japan.

Student Profile:
Ko Ahram

Student. Korea

Reviewing English

Written by Ahram Ko

Have you ever done a review time? I think reviewing is helpful to remember lessons we haven't done for a long time, as well as, we can learn more information that we didn't know during the review time. This week. our class had that time, therefore, i would like to talk about the things i felt and learnt during this week's review time.

First of all, i enjoyed it because we reviewed and learnt more about grammar and reading skills.

Everyone studied with a light feel because the teacher made the time relaxing for us, for example, sometimes we sang a song or had free conversation something like that; these times were very funny and we could enjoy this time.

Secondly, this time was helful for me; we discussed with each other about how to find the answer and whether this sentence structure was correct or not, thus we could all share our opinons. Also, i remembered again things that i had forgotten, so these were the things that helped me during our review time.

In conclusion, during the review time i learned many things and enjoyed it, also, it was helpful for me. So, i hope i can use these things.

Student Profile:

Dae Seong

Student. Korea

Student Profile:

Cai Yu

Student. China

Student Profile:

Mayuko

Student. Japan

An unforgettable travelling experience

Written by Mayuko (taken from her oral presentation)

I would like to tell you about an unforgettable travelling experience that i have had.

I love to travel abroad and i have been to some foreign countries, especially, i like to see world heritage sites, and one place i have travelled to is Indonesia. I would like to tell you about this unforgettable country.

I travelled there about 3 years ago, and it was the first time that i had travelled abroad by myself. My friend had been working at a travel agency, so she arranged a cheap travel package for me. I travelled with a travel guide and a driver; they made my travel comfortable, and i felt like a celebrity.

In Indonesia, i saw many beautiful sunsets where the sky's colours would gradually turn to pink and purple. It was really amazing and definitely the best sunsets i have ever seen. One of the many highlights for me was visiting Borodour which is a world heritage place and Bhuddist temple. It is terraced shaped and has many objects like birdcages and statues of Buddha, indeed, a very mysterious place where i felt very excited about being there.

I really enjoyed travelling in Indonesia, but i had a very strange and disruptive departure at the airport. As i was being checked, the clerk checking my ticket and passport suddenly said, "Who is this?" He was pointing at my ticket. I checked it and found it wasn't mine, another person's name was written in it. It appeared that my tour guide had given me the wrong ticket by mistake. "You can't go back to Japan. Bring your ticket," he said. at that time, i could not understand the situation. Suddenly again, the clerk said, "Just kidding. Maybe someone else used your ticket." So i was saved.

In conclusion, travelling to Indonesia has given me both good and bad memories; nevertheless, it was still an unforgettable experience for me. Travelling brings me many memories, so i want to travel to many foreign countries.

This week's writing is taken from the students writing assignments and diary

Student Profile

Yuki Hamasaki

Student. Japan

My favourite book shop in Christchurch

Written by Yuki Hamasaki (Taken from her diary.)

I bought a book named "Jane Eyre" which was written by a British female author: Charlotte Bronte. Since my friend urged me in order to improve my English reading skills, i was determined to buy it.

I found this book in a second-hand book shop which is located in Manchester street near my school. The book shop is my favorite book shop because there are huge numbers of antique books; moreover, the atmosphere of the book shop is calming and soothing as if it is a scene from a Hollywood movie. Hence, i would like to go the book shop again after i finish reading the book i bought; even though, the story is too long for me to read.

Second article: What is the most important thing in your life; ambition or love or both? Written by Yuki Hamasaki

I would like to discuss this question: What is the most important thing in your life at the moment, to fulfil your ambitions while you are young or to fall in love or both?

Most young people might say that love is the most important thing in their life. On the other hand, when they are middle aged, about around thirty, they might say amobition is more important because they would have fulfilled their dreams of succes, Hence, it is dependent on people's conception of what they think is the most important thing in their life.

In my opinion, both to fulfil my ambitions and to fall in love are important in my life because i believe i cannot succeed without love. Some people say that they can live without love in order to hide their weak mind. Today, however, teenagers who don't get enough love from their parents, tend to become delinquents; thus, they lose their ambition when they are still young, which is not good for society. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people all over the world who are not loved; moreover, they don't know what is love and cannot find find success or achieve goals without it.

People desire to succeed in theri life and also they want to be happy; furthermore, there are some who are very lucky and succeed in love because they already have the love and support from their families or lovers. However, some people who succeed and get a lot of money may lose their love, for example they may divorce or may lose a loved one through death and cannot continue to live their life with happiness.

In conclusion, people cannot succeed in their ambitions without love; furthermore, they cannot survive without love.

Student Profile Yoko Sakurai Nurse. Japan

What is the most important thing in life now, love or ambition?

Written by Yoko Sakurai

What is the most important thing in your life at the moment? We have many important things in our life such as family, friends, ambition, money, love and so on. However, possibly, we can't have everything; we get something at the price of something. Sometimes it is difficult to decide what is the most important thing in our life. I have considered these matters, and i would like to give my opinion in the following article.

What is the most important thing at the moment for me? I choose to fulfill my ambition without hesitation. That is why i am studying English now; to fulfill my dream of working as a nurse overseas for a long time. In order to study abroad, i have spent a lot of money, left my job, my family, friends and country. Nevertheless, they understood my feelings when i decided to go abroad to study; furthermore, i continue to be encouraged so much by them even now. In this situation, how can i abandon my ambition? Therefore, i think that studying English is the most important thing in my life at the moment.

On the other hand, some people say that falling in love is the most important thing in our life. They insist, in fact, that it gives us happiness, but i am not sure if 'falling in love' is important for me or not because i don't want it now; even though, i wish i may fall in love with someone. I can't do anything by myself; it depends on my destiny. Nonetheless, if i fall in love with someone, i hope he encourages me to achieve my ambition.

In closing, people may have different opinions from each other for the important things. In my case, studying English is the most important thing at the moment in order to fulfil my ambitions in the future. Therefore, i keep making an effort with fortitude to fulfill my goals!

Second article: Reviewing English - Written by Yoko Sakurai

This week in class i reviewed grammar, sentence structures and academic reading skills that i have been learning. Before i learnt them, i couldn't understand many of the sentences that i had been learning; however, when i reviewed them, i noticed i understood the sentences that were difficult for me, so i would like to write about what i learnt to organise my mind.

In the TOEFL sentence structures, i am easily confused with the connectors to do with noun clauses and the reduced forms of adjective and adverb clauses, as i have often made mistakes with those parts. However, i think i understand them more clearly now, because i reviewed them, although i feel i have to review them periodically for it to remain in my brain. Other structures are almost no problem, though i want to practice them , so i can use them correctly all the time.

For the reading skill, learning question types and how to identify an answer were good strategies to help me find the answers. Before this, i didn't know that skill as a result, developing reading skills was difficult for me, but now, i think i can develop my reading with that skill; nevertheless, i still need more practice with that skill.

Indeed, sentence structures and reading skills that i have been learning are very useful to improve my English.; even though, at times it can be complicated for me. However, when i understand the meaning of sentences, it makes it easier to understand English. Therefore, i would like to keep reviewing and practicing those skills to improve my English.

Student Profile
Yukari Hidehira

Nurse. Japan

Ambition or love, which is the most important?

Written by Yukari Hidehira

What is the most important thing in your life? To fulfill your ambitions while you are young or to fall in love or both keeping connection with friend or family, your career and so on. What is your purpose in life? I'd like to discuss these questions and give my point of view about them.

In my case, it was important that i fulfill my ambitions of being a nurse from early childhood, which was a dream that i finally realized, and then, i started looking for a new dream. Nursing is certainly now my vocation, but while i worked, i felt i had to improve and learn a lot more skills; hence, i ended up studying English in New Zealand. I think learning communication skills is the subject in my life. During the time i worked as a nurse, i met various patients and i learned there are many affected people. There after, i thought i would like to work with them in some capacity, as a result, i had to communicate with them. I like talking, but i am not good at expressing my opinions; now i am studying English because i think it is important to communicate with people who live in different cultures, so it has been good for me to do this.

I am of the opinion that we definitely should have some ambitions, for example, i hope to work in foreign countries some time in the future, so it seems to me, that if we don't have ambitions, we wouldn't enjoy our life; nothing to look forward to so to speak.

In conclusion, my point is: Don't be afraid of failure, try to do everything!

This week's writing comes from the student's writing assignment
Student Profile

Toby Diebermann

Student. Germany

What I do for leisure and relaxation!

Written by Toby Diebermann

For me, relaxation and leisure are significant; relaxation is the association between fun, leisure and exhaustion when i can do what i want. This combination gives me a good feeling; furthermore, i can focus on doing an activity properly.

In the following paragraphs, i will talk about martial arts, squash and scuba diving because these are my favourite leisure and relaxation activities. Following that, i will describe my favourite relaxation experience.

Every Sunday morning, i meet my friends in the Dogo, a special name for a martial arts room, to practice for competitions as well as for fun, After warming up, and practicing the art of falling, we create a new demonstration for an open day. During this time, i can relax and invent new self defence techniquies, and i concentrate on myself in this situation.

If it happens that i feel completely relaxed, then i get the best ideas for a new demonstration or self defence. Sometimes we create a fight with weapons such as a rubber knife, baseball bat, rough or belt; nevertheless, we are really careful with our partners that we don't hurt them seriously; nevertheless, we attack realistically. In this time, i'm really relaxed and can forget all the stress and problems because i'm in my own world. After 3 hours of intensive training, we go together to a squash club to improve our stamina, reaction and agility. Squash, a mixed version of tennis and badminton, is a really fast game where you increase your skills in flexibility and reaction. For me, that is another way to relax; moreover, i forget all and switch off; i then focus on the game. Following this, my friends Frank, Robbie, Marlene, Fabi and Wini form groups in pairs and then we race for the best seat in the sauna; consequently,the loser has to look after the heat and the water, thus, the others can relax and enjoy their glory.

For me, that is relaxation, if i have a lot of fun with my friends and after a successful day we spend our time together. In that case, we will dive in a fantastic world; the magic feeling of no gravitation in the water underworld. For example, whenever i have enough time like one or two days, i go with my best friends Dominik, Frank or Olaf to a mountainous lake or a normal one near our hometown to scuba dive. Before we start, we check our equipment; furthermore, in our briefing, we discuss what we do in case of an emergency. After all this, we dive in a new world; moreover, every lake has its own world; thus, every dive is more exciting than the last one because you discover new areas in the lake; you feel a very fantastic feeling. When we enter in this world and achieve weighlessness because of no gravity, it is like the feeling when you fly; therefore, i can turn off and land back. This pleasurable feeling calms my heartbeat; however, you have only an hour and in this time you forget everything. That is the best way for me to relax.

Let me finish by talking about my favourite leisure experience when i was in Tamanu, a small fishing village in Spain, where you can have good diving and relax on the beach because there is no tourists only divers. In the summer of 2008, i spent 5 days with my friends there; it was really fantastic; the water was incredible and the underwater scenery was heart-stopping.

Summary

In conclusion, the best way for me to relax is, on the one hand, when i do sports with my friends and after that we enjoy the time in the sauna; on the other hand, when i go to another world where time is not an issue.

I think that is the description of relaxation.

Second article: Learning English in King's Education

Language school Written by Toby Diebermann

I came to New Zealand as a work and holiday visitor; however, it was more difficult than i thought. After 8 days in a backpacker, i found a share flat with 5 wonderful people from the Philipines, Japan and New Zealand. They helped me with my CV and to land a job, but it was not the job, but rather my bad English skills that caused problems. Consequently, Adelin, my Philipino flat mate, advised me about King's Education language school; that was my start at King's.

When i first started, it was really difficult to reconstruct the course because i knew that my listening skill was very bad. After the first Monday test, a listening test, Mr Tetaki saw my weakness; also he gave me a home page which helped me to improve my listening skill. He was right! Every day, Mr Tetaki shared small pieces of papers, and we had to write a topic. Mr Tetaki achieved with this method the ability for the students to talk among one another; furthermore, he broke the ice between the students. Day by day, Mr Tetaki came with a smile and a charisma that motivated the students to study hard but with fun! Mr Tetaki is a really fair teacher; he respected everyone and had no favorite student like other teachers in Germany. In addition, he is a friendly man; moreover, he spends a lot of time with and for the students. Nevertheless, he didn't like it when somebody came too late without a serious apology.

I have never heard Mr Tetaki make a negative statement when a student gave the wrong answer, especially in writing, where the essay has a lot of mistakes, he would support the person to find the right answer; he explained the grammar mistakes, so that you didn't lose face. That was for me really inimitable and fascinating because in the schools which i have attended you got at first a commendation, and after if your study went wrong, you avoided the unfriendly sound. On the one hand, Mr Tetaki is a really funny and personable teacher who likes it when the students are happy, on the other hand, he is a good teacher because he can explain difficult tasks very easily; consequently, everybody can understand him and what he wants from his students.

But the absolute highlight is that he developed a way to connect hard work and study with a good portion of humor and fun. It reminds me of the first week, Mr Tetaki asked me why i was here. I told him why and he and Elsa helped and supported me. They created an interview and a perfect CV. King's Education gave me more than a good experience in English; it gave me the realisation that life can still be funny. I had a great time there; i found a family in New Zealand not only good friends. Everybody helped one another and didn't just look after themselves.

The second highlight was that i learned so much about different cultures in Asia and different meals which we cooked in the kitchen. Today, i can write my name in 3 other languages: Japanese, Korean and Arabic.

Summary

It was a great time for me which i had at King's Education; moreover, i will never forget my friends and the different teachers at King's!!

This week's writing comes from the students writing assignment and oral presentations

Student Profile:
Kyohko Agatsuma
Student. Japan


Describing my city - Shinjuku
Written by Kyohko Agatsuma (This is her oral presentation.)

Good morning, everyone. This morning I'd like to talk about my city. To be honest, I don't have a city because of my father's job; my family has moved around Japan every 3 or 4 years. So then, I will introduce the city where I lived until a month ago - Shinjuku. Shinjuku ward is where the government offices of Tokyo, the capital of Japan, are. The population is about three hundred thousand people and the area is about 18 square kilometers. There are 16 people per 1 square meter. You may think that is an unbelievable number, but yes, it is very crowded; there are a lot of people and buildings everywhere; quite frankly, it is unpleasant.

Shinjuku is the centre of business. Everyday about 3 million 460 thousand people come to Shinjuku station; there is more number of people there than any other station in the world. I think this city is suitable for business, but not for living. I hate its air and water because I feel it's polluted; and the sky view above is narrow because of the buildings which block it out. At night, we can hardly see the stars because of the neon lights. However, the city does have some good points; one of them is convenience, we can buy anything whenever, wherever we want to, because it is serviced by great transportation systems, therefore we can get anywhere easily. Another good point is that there is a large park which is rich with nature and has good sports facilities. The park extends over Shinjuku and Shibuya ward-the area is 5 hundred 80 thousand square kilometers. Shinjuku also has a lot of fantastic restaurants, although they aren't original, they are varied and serve many kinds of food from all over the world; including Japan. Although the commodity price is high, salaries are higher than any other places; and I think the area is safe. It is true that there is a lot of crime, but Shinjuku is a nightless city with many police officers and some large emergency hospitals.

I don't recommend this city if you don't like overcrowding and people. There are of course other alternatives while you are here such as using the internet in which you can do everything you want, even if you are in the country side. Nevertheless, inspite of its shortcomings, I was still able to meet with many active people during my stay here, it was a good experience for me. Unfortunately, the city doesn't have a good environment, but I think that it depends on whether you can find a way to relax even in a crowded and dirty city, If you agree with me, please try to visit Shinjuku.

Thank you for listening to me.

Student Profile:
Masayo Nishino
Student. Japan

A healthier and safer Japan for people and animals
Written by Masayo Nishino

I have two things which I really want to change, so if I was the leader of my country, I would enact the following two legislations.

First, I would prohibit the sale and production of cigarettes. It is obvious that everyone wants to become healthier, and it is also well known that smoking harms our health. so I really believe we don't need cigarettes anymore. Before the enactment of the legislations, I would need to give consideration to manufactures and retailers associated with cigarettes, because a lot of jobs will be affected by these changes. I would have to give them some time to change their products, because they will certainly suffer heavy losses in their business. However, Japanese cigarette companies have other production lines, for example beverages and foods, so they could change their main products if they are given enough time to prepare.

Second, I would introduce a deposit system in order for people to have pets. Nowadays, a lot of people have pets. However, as the rate of having pets increases, there is an alarming amount of pets that are disregarded and eventually euthanized. I really feel sad about this fact, so I would like to change this situation. I believe that a deposit system will make people more accountable and careful about having pets. If that system was put into effect, people who want to have pets would have to pay a considerable deposit to the government, and if they needed to leave their pets, the money would be used to keep their pets in a facility for stray animals; and if they kept their pets until those pets died, the deposit would be returned to the pet owners. This deposit system would prevent the waste of animal life.

There are two ways to improve our communities. One is the prohibition of the sale and production of cigarettes; this in turn would make the country's population much healthier. The other is imposing a deposit system in order to have pets. This would prevent the neglect of animals and save their lives.

I wish these two ideas will be realised in the near future!

Student Profile:
Shoko Matsumoto
Student. Japan


Shaping a better future in Japan
Written by Shoko Matsumoto

Many people are concerned about the future; global warming, social welfare, the economy, declining birth rate and aging societies. What should we do to get a better future? I'll focus on talking about two of them. To improve these problems, I'd change the situation of workng women and introduce environmental tax. Both ideas will play an important role in shaping a better future.

First, we must prevent the birth rate from going further down. I thought about why many women don't want to have children. Nowadays, Japanese women's social status has been rising, but it is easy to lose that when women stop working to have a baby, because most companies are unwilling to give maternity leave and pay due to its cost. As a result of this, many women are driven to quit their work. For women, giving birth is an impediment to their career, resulting in some women tending not to have children. To encourage birth rate, I'd like to make laws that the government will give maternity leave with pay and free medical support such as maternity check and medical care for children. Moreover, companies would be obliged to equip their places with nurseries and to introduce flexi time. If these efforts bear fruit, the birth rate will increase.

Second, we should take action to protect the environment for the future. In these days, the earth suffers from environmental problems; especially global warming which is the most serious issue. If we do nothing, the earth will be destroyed. To protect the earth, I'd like to introduce an environmental tax. The government must impose a new tax on cars, tobacco, chemical products and non-recycable papers. The tax rate would be 20% of its price. The tax money would be used to make solar panels, wind power generation and to plant trees.To find new taxation may weigh people down, but if we do nothing, we and prosperity will have more burdens in the future.

Finally, what should we do to stop declining birth rate and global warming? For our future, to improve the situation for working women and to protect the environment; these matters are indispendable. The government must offer working women a happy working environment. As well as, the government must impose a new tax on some products. It will be a tough call for people, but it is inevitable for our future. Now is the time to take action.


This week's writing corner shows some interesting ideas and opinions from students.

Student Profile:
Marina Inoue
Student. Japan


Living and studying in a foriegn land
Written by Marina Inoue

"Why does everyone really like studying English?" I had always thought that in my mind about my classmates in my university. Actually, my university is for foriegn studies, however, their Englilsh levels and motivations for studying were much higher tha i had expected. On the other hand, the reason why i chose my university was just,"English is useful!" Mine was very different to other students' reasons. As a result, i completely lost my confidence and i decided to study abroad.

I started my study in NZ with a high motivation. However, the beginning of school life was absolutely depressing because i hadn't been able to express things that i wanted to say. Honestly, during that time, i had learned English by memorising phrases that we often used in conversations. This then was so frustrating for me because it was so unexpected.

However, now, i really like talking with you in English and i really enjoy studying. In the beginning, English was the thing i had to do. But it has changeed into the thing i want to do. It's a big difference for me. In addition, now, i'm positive about my English.

In conclusion, why did my thinking about English change? I reall feel it's thanks to you. I have found studying English is fun through communicating with you.
Thank you for listening to me.

Student Profile:
Masashi Sakaue
Student. Japan


Living and studying in a foriegn land
Written by Masashi Sakaue

Good morning, everyone. This morning i'd like to talk about living in another country. There are many reasons why you come to New Zealand. You like sheep, you like some thing, but my reason for coming to New Zealand is funny compared to you. It was kiwi fruit! I did a part time job selling kiwi fruits in a supermarket like Ito Yokado and i realised how delicious kiwi fruits are - especially golden ones! After that i was addicted to kiwi fruits. At the same time, i was keen on British rock...i love the Beatles and Oasis, so i liked English. Kiwi fruit and English, kiwi fruit and English, kiwi...oh, New Zealand! I thought i wanted to go to New Zealand, it was a suitable country for me. So, i began saving and left Narita a few weeks ago.

I managed to arrive at Christchurch airport and my host family cam for me there. I spoke to them, but of course, they couldn't understand my English. I didn't know why? I had learned English for 7 years. Please return my 7 years. It was my first shock. The second one was the difference of the culture. New Zealanders don't work for a long time. They are at home before i go to school and before i come back. And something else that was strange, the bus drivers wear sunglasses, pierced earrings and listen to music they like. It is unbelievable in Japan. And the third shock is the high calorie food here. My host mother gives me a lot of desserts after we have finished dinner. For example ice cream, apple pies, yoghurt, chocolate cakes muffins, cookies and so on. But i can't refuse to eat it. I think my host mother wants to make me fat! It is her pleasure. And my host parents' children can't say Masashi. They always say Mashushi. It was a shock. But it's better than massage. There has been many shocks, but i think it is good experience for me.

After i graduate from King's, i have to go back to Japan. And i want to find a job related to English, like a kiwi fruit importer. And i want to keep on studying everday in Japan. I will recommend going overseas to my friends. I want to say to them, "Don't be afraid, everything will be right."
Thank you for listening to me.

Student Profile: Basim Majdi A Baakdhah Architect student. Sauudi Arabia


Hip Hop music dominates the world youth culture
Written by Basim Majdi A Baakdhah

Hip Hop is a traditiional music and dancing style that has gained popularity in recent years. Having its origins in America, hip hop is in the present century; a philosophy and way of life.

Hip hop has spread recently through out the world and turned into a culture that is more than just music; today it is a way of life for many young people. It is characterized by art forms like
graffiti and clothes styles in which they express themselves. The music features hip hop lyrics, human values, and interests as important as peace, tolerance and respect toward others and self-knowledge and resistance to racism that blacks suffer severely from in America.

There are four elements in the hip hop culture:
1. DJ - Playing disks, this is the art of music manipulation
2. Graffiti - The relationship between graffiti and hip hop culture originated when early artists wrote slogans on walls. Today, It is defined as visual expression of rap music.
3. Break dancing - Break dancing developed as part of the hip hop culture. It also be defined as the physical expression of rap music. People now break dance in the streets, in break dancing competitions in America.
4. Rapping - Rap music is a key element in the cuture of hip hop. It can be defined as a lyrical singer singing fast rhythmic words of the song.

Finally, in my opinion the style of hip hop is becoming very famous throughout the world because almost all people like fast music and dancing.

Student Profile:
Yasunori Koga
Student. Japan

The negative effects on children from watching too much violence on TV
Written by Yasunori Koga

What is your opinion about too much violence on TV? It is said that children in the US watch TV on an average of about 4 hours everyday. Television programmes are becoming increasingly violent. So, what's the problem? I'm going to write about some of the effects on children of watching too much violence on TV.

Firstly, watching TV too long makes children's eyesight worse, It's without a doubt. As well as children are use to watching so much violence nowadays and as a result, it causes problems such as foul language, swearing and bad behavior. I think it is a serious problem because it promotes violence and violent crimes. In fact some causes of awful murder cases resulted from the influence ot TV violence.

So, If i had children, what would i do? Should i prohibit them from watching TV? My answer is no! I guess there are several solutions. Here is my solution to the problem.
1) Limit children's time of watching TV
2) Check the programmes that they watch
3) Sit down and watch programmes with them
I reckon watching TV is not too bad, even if the program includes some violent scenes, because you can say to kids, 'It's a bad thing." It is important to comminicate with your kids!

In conclusion, too much violence on TV has a bad influence upon children, so their parets have to make rules, such as the time of watching, choosing good programs and so on. I think parents and chilren sitting down and watching TV together is a good experience for the kids.


This week's articles come from the students' Friday morning oral presentations.

Student profile:
Natsumi Hayashi
High School Student. Japan


My Career
Written by Natsumi Hayashi
[This article was an oral presentation given by Natsumi in our Friday morning class.]

Good morning, everyone. When did you first start thinking about a career? When did you decide what job you wanted do do? When I was young, I dreamed of being a florist, a dolphin trainer, a pharmacist and so on. But now, I am older, I am thinking about what I want to do. So this morning, I'm going to talk about my plan for the future.

First, let me talk about my interests from my childhood. I have always been interested in nature and the environment. When I was a child, I liked playing with soil and leaves, matter and catching insects. Also, when I went to my grandparent's house, I liked walking in the mountains and looking for animal footprints. I also liked trying some easy experiments from my science book. However, I sometimes felt uneasy. For example, when I saw a large number of lights at night, I thought,"It's a waste of electricity. Maybe it's not good for the earth." And when I grew up, I found out about global warming and I realized that I wanted to learn about it. I didn't want to see the earth destroyed.

So, I have decided to go to university and study forestry. I want to be able to learn about more special things and I want to be able to tell people about forestry and nature. And after graduating from university, I want to work for the Ministry of the Environment in the prefectural government.

This is my plan for the future. However, it might change. Actually, after coming here, I am thinking about going to university in New Zealand and studying forestry. To make my dream come true, what I can do now is study hard. But I don't want to study like my teacher in Japan who always said, "Don't play! Study hard!" It's more important for me to enjoy my life than just study. The first thing I want is to make my career delightful!

Thank you for listening to me.

Second article: Doing something that was hard to do Written by Natsumi Hayashi

Good morning. This morning i'd like to talk to you about something that was difficult for me to do. When i thought about it a certanin word crossed my mind immediately. It is studying! I've met with many difficult situations in my life, but studying is always difficult and a big problem for me.

One of the hardest problem about studying i've ever experienced was when i had a high school entrance examination. Usually, most of the students who want to go to high school, start preparing for the studies 1 year before the examination. However, when i started studying, 6 months had already passed.

Actually, i was not upset, but i knew the examination would cover everything we had learned. So, i started using an empty room in the cram school to study by myself. I went to the room as soon as the class finished. I ate fast food for dinner and studied for 5 hours every Monday to Friday. On Saturday, i studied 1 hour or sometimes 10 hours. I decided to take a rest on Sundays.

At that time, i think i was very exhausted mentally. I don't know why i could study that way. I didn't think about anything at that stage, i just focused on studying. Finally, my effort was rewarded and i was accepted by the high school that i wanted to enter.

Now, i've been attending that high school, my school life was totally different from my expectation. It's far harder that what i experienced at junior high and i'm under stress. To be honest, i can't study well now. I will have a university entrance examination in 2 years, but i've lost confidence completely. However, after coming to NZ, i'm gradually gaining confidence again. I will go back to Japan soon, so i'd like to show my resolution now at this place. That is; to not be beaten by any hardships and to pass the university entrance examination hurdle.

Thank you for listening to me!

Student Profile:
Keisuke Isuji
Student. Japan


My Career
Written By Keisuke Isuji
[This article was an oral presentation given by Keisuke in our Friday morning class.]

Good morning, everyone. When I worked at the company back in Japan, I often thought, 'What is my vocation?' Some people who were at the same age as I was had already found their vocation and I envied them because they had been consistent in their thinking about their jobs. So, this morning, I'd like to talk about my career I have had so far and also in the future.

Firstly, I want to begin by talking about my childhood passion and my career in the past. Since I studied English when I was in junior high school, I was interested in English. Then, I didn't like studies very much, but I couldn't explain why. However, English was very pleasant for me. In addition, I got to know a woman English teacher who came from New Zealand. She told me a lot of good things about New Zealand. At that time, I thought I wanted to study abroad someday. After junior high, I tried to enter high school which had an English course. However, my mother was in opposition to my idea. So, I ended up going to a commercial high school to learn about computers. I got five first grade qualifications and learned about the process of getting qualifications which was most important to accomplishing my goals. As soon as I graduated from high school. I started to work. I worked very hard and had never been absent from work for 6 years. I was promoted to being a manager when I was in the fifth year. And now, I have been studying here for more than 2 months and I have learnt so many things that I didn't know before.

So, what job do I want to do in the future? The first thing is I want a job where I can use my English. So, maybe I'll work at an airport or at an art museum as a staff member. Of course, I'll keep studying English. In the remote future, I want to translate famous English novels into Japanese. And then finally, I really want to write a novel about life before I die. Probably a little bit of self indulgence on my part, but I want to write it as a witness to the fact that I lived in this world.

In summarising, my future career is very difficult for me. That being the case, what should I do? The answer for me is learning, learning, learning! One day, I hope I can say proudly, 'This job is my vocation!'

Thank you for listening to me.

Student Profile:
Akiho Wakatsuki
Nurse. Japan


Traditonal and modern lifestyles
Written by Akiho Wakatsuki
[This article was an oral presentation given by Akiho in our Friday morning class.]

What do you associate old and modern with? I know that there are a lot of differences between old and modern. For example houses, food, clothes, education, technology and so on. However, I think that the most different thing between the old and new is how people communicate with others. If I asked teenagers, "How do you communicate? What would they answer?" I guess they would say, "A cellphone or e-mail." It's really different from when I was a junior high school student. So, I would like to talk about these communicative differences.

When my grandmother was young, the main means of communication was letter writing, If people wanted to communicate with someone, they had to send a letter or go to their home, because there were no telephones in those days. When the telephone was invented and it became the new and popular way to communicate, I was born. So for me, I didn't have a cellphone until I was a high school student. So, when I wanted to talk to my friends and boyfriend, I had to phone their home or go to their house. I was especially nervous and felt a lot of stress when I phoned someone's home; I had to be careful not to annoy the family. My ex-boyfriend always said to me, "I don't want to phone your home because when your father or brother answered the telephone, they were very cold and never changed toward you." It was a very big problem for me and I also hated the fact that my family knew my companion relationships. However, I made a lot of good relationships with others. To phone their home meant that I could talk to not only my friends but also their family; and I was able to learn the manners of communication.

Recently, teenagers communicate chiefly through the internet and cellphones. With that, they don't need to choose the time and place or protect privacy. My youngest brother, who is a junior high school student, is always using it to communicate with his friends and girlfriend; sometimes he ignores my parent's talk because he is crazy about it - and, he also even uses it in the toilet. He said, "I can't live without my cellphone." What do you think about his opinion? I can't understand it, he can use a cellphone very well. However, he can't talk very well with people who are older or he meets for the first time, and his friends too. Actually the cellphone and internet is very convenient and useful-we can talk to people however far away, where ever, whenever, to whoever as we wish. However, there are dangers that can impede conversation such as slandering people, meeting people who don't know his face, and the number of cases that lead to crime on the net is a worrying fact about it.

Finally, in comparison with the old, the modern method of communication, even though it brings with it some hidden dangers, is surely more convenient and easier to use. However, I think that manners and skills in general communication have become weaker. In my view, as technology develops, we should not be controlled by it. I think it is becoming more necessary to improve our own conversational skills and manners along with it. If we do that, we will be able to make good relationships with others all over the world based on good communication. I certainly hope so!!!

Thank you for listening to me.

My students' writing corner
I am an English teacher in King's Education Language School where I teach them.
Each week, I will publish articles written by my students

where students give their views on a whole host of topics

movies - food - fashion - music - singers - Asian culture
countries - careers politics - actors - sports - war
environment - social issues - crime - travelling - parents
traditions - modern technology - learning English
living in Christchurch - Kiwis - Aliens - festivals - singing
weather - Maori culture - flatting

Student Profile:
Naoko Tsunekaae
Nurse. Japan

Has studied for 2 months in my class
Prepared for IELTS English


My English language learning experiences
Written by Naoko Tsunekaae

When I went to a language school in Australia, I always thought about what I could do after class. Maybe we might go to the cafe or go to see a movie or drink some beer? Here in King's, students are very serious and hardworking. After class, they often stay at school or go to the library. I was surprised! Also, another surprising thing was the words Tetaki said to us, "Do not have a boyfriend or girlfriend. It's a waste of time."

I stayed in Australia on a working holiday visa, so I could go everywhere as I liked and whenever I wanted. However, I'm here on a student visa, so I have to live in the same city for a long time. I was worried about being able to concentrate on studying and also if I could find something interesting or pleasant here.

In the beginning, I didn't know how to manage the time to study, cook and communicate with flatmates at the same time, thus I felt a little bit home sick. One day, one of my classmates asked me to go to the swimming pool together with her. After that I was really refreshed and felt good. I didn't expect things to work out that well. In addition, I went to lake Tekapo with my friend and that short travel released me from stress. These experiences encouraged me to have a lively mind and I felt like studying hard. I found that it was important to get some small rewards sometimes.

I had never deeply thought about my ideas on money, relationship and my career, not even in Japan before I studied here; so now, for the moment, it has been a very important time to think about myself. Here in King's, students have their goals and strong purposes to study English. As a result, they have motivated me to study hard and make an effort.

I really appreciate the opportunity to come here to study and spend time for myself. I don't know exactly where I will live or work in the future yet, but I know that studying English opens up other possibilties, and I can get more choices. Now, I would like to try it as hard as I can.

My future home comes from my family home
Written by Naoko Tsunekaae

Living with my family comfortably influences my ideas, personality and life. I have learned a lot of things from my family. The family is the first society for everyone, thus, it is very meaningful and essential - I can imagine my dream home from my family one.

My mother has encouraged me to be able to do many things, also, she has taught me studying, cooking, sewing and so on. I didn't like studying with my mother when I was an elementary school student, so I always wanted to avoid it. But now, I understand how important it is. If she hadn't taught me at that time, I wouldn't have known how to concentrate on studying and wouldn't have had much interest in it. In my dream home, I would do the same to my children as my mother had done for me. I really appreciate what she has done for me.

Travelling with my family forms a deep relationship between us. We didn't often go travelling together, because my parents worked hard and were too busy. However, when we went travelling, we talked more to each other and had a good time together. As a result, I remember those memories more clearly and still now, we talk about the travelling that we had done before. In my dream home, I would travel with my family as much as I can. My parents didn't take us to campsites, because they hadn't done it before, therefore, they didn't know how interesting it was and how they could teach us. When I went to Australia, I saw many families camping with their camper vans, they seemed to enjoy themselves a lot and their children learned about cooking, making fires and so on. I think it is a good way to learn about the preciousness of nature, water and food.

I can imagine my dream home from my family home plus my experiences. I would like to do things with my children as my family used to do with me. Also, I have seen a lot of different families and experienced many things that have changed my ideas and influenced my life in a new way, therefore, I would choose the best ideas and to make my dream home with them. I would like to encourage my children to have their own dream home.

Having a wonderful family life as well as a variety of experiences influences the idea of our dream home.

Student Profile:
Saori Takahashi
Nurse. Japan

Studied for 2 months in my class
Prepared for IELTS English


My English language learning experiences
Written by Saori

Most international students in New Zealand are faced with a lot of problems; moreover, they have a lot of anxieties -I am also one of them. In this article, I would like to write about some of the experiences that I have had.

When I first started at King's Education, I was looking forward to studying English because it was the first step to my dream and I was interested in English, as well as, I was thinking that I could make a lot of friends, especially foriegners.

However, I also had a lot of anxieties due to my verbal skills being poor; I lacked vocabulary and my pronunciation was poor. I worried that some people wouldn't be able to understand me. In addition, I had a lot of questions, for example: Can I understand the lessons? How can I attend? and so on.

Now that I have already spent six months at King's, my feelings have gradually changed because I have adapted to this surrounding - for that reason, I enjoy studying. Added to that, I have improved my understanding of English a bit better than before. However, I still have some anxieties, but I know I shouldn't say 'I can't' before I try something.

In closing, I'm not only learning English, but also other cultures. If I study hard, I believe I can achieve my goals. As my teacher often says, 'You do nothing, you get nothing. If you try, you can get better and better until you achieve your goals.' SO TRY!!! I believe everyone can do everything.