Great Ocean Road

By Ririka Yamaoka

Over the Labour Day weekend (8-10 March), I went on a two-night, three-day trip. My host family and Mikoto’s host family went to a place called Apollo Bay. It was about a three-hour drive from Melbourne.

As soon as we arrived, we had lunch. I ate souvlaki. It was my first time trying it, so I was happy to challenge myself with a new food. After lunch, we went to our accommodation. The place was very clean and felt like home. After that, we went to look for souvenirs. I bought a coaster, which was very cute.

When we returned to our rooms, we all went to the beach. It was my first time visiting a beach in Australia, so I was very excited. We played on the beach for about two hours. The scenery was beautiful, and I had a great time.

After dinner, before going to bed, we looked at the stars. Unlike in Japan, the stars were incredibly clear and beautiful, which surprised me. On the morning of the second day, we got up early to see the sunrise. The combination of the sea and the sunrise was stunning. After watching the sunrise, we went to the Great Ocean Road.

There were many large rock formations, which were very impressive. After that, we visited Cape Otway. The scenery was breathtaking and beautiful.

That night, we had fun spending our last night together, playing pillow fights and singing karaoke. On the way back, we visited a chocolate factory. I bought lots of souvenirs, had lunch, and then we returned home.

Seeing the unique landscapes of Australia, going to the beach, and sightseeing in various places made for an amazing trip. It became a great memory and a special experience for me.

Volleyball

by Mizuki Morishita

On Thursday 27th February, there was a volleyball trial tournament. I was chosen to play in the Team A with the MWSC students MWSC.  There were four schools that came to compete in the volleyball round robin finals.

I am in the volleyball club in Japan so I am confident in playing. However I was worried about whether I could communicate well because I was playing in a new situation, with different people, and in a different environment than usual.

Once the match started, we were able to connect the ball well and even spike the ball, and we had many rallies, and when we scored a point, we all celebrated together, and it was great fun.

Everyone on the team was proactive in communicating with me and explained things to me very kindly, so I no longer had to worry. Even during breaks between matches, I was able to practice and play with everyone and we was also very enjoyable. I think the team’s sense of unity was much stronger than during practice, and we were able to fight as a team.

On the way back to school, I was able to talk a lot with the friends that I had made, and it was a very fulfilling time.

There were no differences in how volleyball is played in Australia and Japan, but I was surprised that the tournament was held in such a big gymnasium.  I think that this volleyball trial tournament will be a great memory for me.

How I spent my weekend

by Minami Saino

It has been a month since the exchange students arrived in Australia. In this article, I would like to write about how I spent my weekend with my host family. I went to a market with my host family and other exchange students last weekend. The name of the market is Fitzroy Market. This market is held every weekend and there are many people there. There were second hand clothes, hats, books, CDs, a bakery and a cafe. I enjoyed looking at lots of different clothes and we had a great time shopping. I also loved the place because of the atmosphere there. It was fun to see so much graffiti art.

On Sunday I went out with a group of friends that included MWSC students and the other Owa exchange students. We went to an escape room and I was really looking forward to it because I had never done it before in Japan. However, I was nervous because it looked a little scary. It was a little difficult for the five of us to escape from the room, but it was very interesting to solve the problems. In the end, I was happy to escape. After that, we walked around the city. I had ramen for lunch. It was the first time for me to try Australian ramen. I found it interesting because it tasted a little different from Japanese ramen. It was a very satisfying day.

I have also been to many other places with my host family since I arrived in January. I especially love the beaches and cafes in Melbourne. I hope to visit many more places during the rest of my stay.

Food Technology

by Mikoto Iwaki

In Food Technology class so far, we have made Mediterranean Risotto, Apple & Cinnamon Tea Cake, and Baja Fish Tacos. In Japan, we only have home economics once a week, and it’s very rare to cook, so we’re happy we could make a lot of food in Food Tech at MWSC. At Owa, we only cook once a semester. We think the Food Tech level at MWSC is very high. We also think the amount of food we get to prepare is very generous. When we made food in home economics in Japan, the portion was always very small. But when we make dishes in Food Tech here, there is always plenty of food. Each group has five people and everyone is given a role to complete. The space is small and the room is full of students, but Food Tech is fun because we all cook together, so we’re always moving. We love Food Tech. We always eat what we make in class for lunch. We were surprised that when we made Apple Cinnamon Tea Cake, we got to take the whole cake home.

 

Swimming Carnival – Monday, 3 February 2025

by Itcho Taniguchi

All eight Owa students attended the swimming carnival on February 3rd. The carnival was outside. It was very hot, but some Owa students decided to support the swimmers rather than swim.

I swam freestyle (50m), breaststroke (50m), and butterfly (50m). I came 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

There aren’t many 50-meter pools in Japan so it was a fun experience to swim in such a big pool for the first time.

Japanese and Australian sports festivals are different. The MWSC swimming festival was like a party! All the Year 12 students wore costumes.

I drank a blue sports drink. It looked strange. I thought it was blue hawaii flavour, but it was raspberry.

We took pictures and ate lunch with MWSC students and I was able to make some new friends.

 

Yuzuki Enjo Camp Diary, 29 – 31 January 2025

All the Owa exchange students from Japan joined the Year 10 camp to Coonawarra Adventure Resort. It was very very very exciting!

On the first day, we rode a bus for about 3 hours. It felt like Australia has nature everywhere. I was surrounded by mountains and lots of animals. For example, kangaroos, cows, wallabies, etc. The first activity was archery. I thought it was difficult and I couldn’t hit the target. The second activity was an athletic course. The instructor cleared the course very fast. That day we had a trivia event and Koyuki, Mikoto and I joined up with the students from the room next door to make a team. Everyone was so kind.

On the second day, we went canoeing. I think canoeing was the best activity of the whole camp. It was amazing. The next activity was the giant swing. It was very scary. We had to pull the string ourselves. Our fifth activity was raft building and we were divided into two teams – MWSC vs Owa exchange students. We managed to do the entire task using only English! However, our raft didn’t work. I thought it was very funny.

The sixth activity was ziplining and Koyuki and I did ziplined six times! It was fun. That evening we did a night hike. I walked and talked with MWSC students on the night hike because I thought it would be a good chance to make Australian friends. As a result, I think I made some new friends. I tried my best on the night hike.

On the third day, the seventh activity was rock climbing. It was very tiring but I made it to the top. I think all the activities were very good. I think that not being able to refuse to do the activities is a big part of foreign culture. I can refuse to do activities in Japan. For example, I could refuse to do activities I am afraid of or if I don’t want to get wet. I think that the camp was a great experience for me.

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Welcome to Mount Waverley Secondary College, Owa Exchange Students!

A warm welcome to eight exchange students from our sister school, Owa Senior High School in Osaka! They arrived this week and, eager to experience all that Mount Waverley Secondary College has to offer, immediately joined their fellow Year 10 students on camp. We hope they have a fantastic time and make some lasting memories.

These students will be with us for Term 1 and we encourage everyone in the school community to extend a friendly hand and make them feel welcome. If you see them around school or in the wider community, please say hello! Sharing our Aussie culture and helping them settle in will make their exchange experience even more rewarding. We look forward to a wonderful exchange with Owa Senior High School.

 

Owa Senior High School Website