August 6 (Thursday)
Our intensive short-term study abroad program in Utah officially started today.

We gathered at Utah Tech University in the morning and held an orientation jointly with our sister school, Shinagawa Etoile Girls’ High School. The staff from ZIP, who will be supporting us, gave us advice on how to spend our time abroad, including the importance of “taking on challenges” during this study abroad period and clearly communicating our own opinions to our host families.

After that, we separated by school and ESL classes began. First, we played a bingo game while answering English questions within the classroom, and then we worked on English conversation lessons where we got to know each other better through self-introductions and questions. While there were moments of confusion when English didn’t come out as smoothly as we hoped, the students actively worked to communicate with their partners by cleverly using the vocabulary and expressions they knew.

In the afternoon, we toured St. George. We also climbed Dixie Rock and enjoyed a panoramic view of the city of St. George from the summit. While experiencing the intense heat characteristic of Utah, we enjoyed the grand landscape spread before us, making it a precious experience that could only be had in this location.

August 7 (Friday)
Following yesterday, we attended ESL classes at Utah Tech University in the morning.

We first made name tags and used them to introduce ourselves. We also used the spacious classroom to engage in a “True or False about American Culture” game, learning about American culture while having fun. Additionally, we split into two teams and took on an activity where we expressed English words through gestures for others to guess. Through various activities, we actively engaged in English communication, making for an energetic class throughout.

For lunch, we all moved to a nearby park and ate sandwiches. Moving our bodies in the spacious park and enjoying the local atmosphere gave us a renewed sense of actually living in America.

In the afternoon, we visited St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm. We viewed dinosaur fossils and actual footprints up close and took on the scavenger hunt prepared by the museum. We were able to learn about the history of dinosaurs preserved in Utah’s earth while having fun.

Tomorrow and the day after, we will spend the day with our host families. Although our Utah study abroad has just begun, I hope the students will actively engage with the local culture and lifestyle and accumulate one by one the experiences that are difficult to have in Japan.