myClass NEWS SEPTEMBER ’19

ISSUE 05

SEE INSIDE FOR... MEMORABLE TRIPS

STUDENTS’ PHOTOS

MEET THE TEACHERS

WHAT’S COMING UP

RECENT EVENTS

THE SUMMER SUN SETS

myClass news

Editing, Design and

Illustration

Joe Bardon

Contributing WritersJoe Bardon

Matt Burney

Emma Violet

Tim Andrewartha

Yoko (Culture and Discussion)

Masa (myClass Intermediate)

Tanami (myClass Intermediate)

Yasuko (myClass Intermediate)

Manaka (myClass Advanced)

Special thanks toDavid Cruse

CONTENTS1 A MESSAGE FROM MATT

OUR OUTGOING COUNTRY DIRECTOR, MATT BURNEY WITH A SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR ALL BRITISH COUNCIL STUDENTS.

2 TEACHING CENTRE NEWSA LOOK AT WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING THIS SUMMER.

3-5 FUN WITHOUT THE SUNWE PROVE HOW MUCH FUN YOU CAN HAVE INDOORS WITH

OUR STUDENT EVENTS.

6 IN THE LOBBYWE’VE CELEBRATED A SUMMER OF SPORT AND TANABATA IN

THE LOBBY OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS.

7-8 MEET THE NEW TEACHERSWE MEET THE LATEST ADDITIONS TO OUR TEACHING CREW,

EMMA AND TIM.

9 UK IN JAPAN A RECIPE TO CELEBRATE THE UK IN JAPAN SEASON.

10 MEET THE WORLDGLOBAL CONNECT IS A CHANCE FOR YOU TO MEET YOUR

CLASSMATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

11 THE BBC AND MEYOKO FROM BRITISH CULTURE CLASS TELLS US ABOUT HER

TRIP TO THE BBC STUDIOS IN THE UK.

12 MY UNUSUAL EXPERIENCEMASA FROM MYCLASS INTERMEDIATE TELLS US ABOUT HIS

BRUSH WITH DANGER.

13-14 MY TRIP IN GERMANYTAMAMI FROM MYCLASS INTERMEDIATE TELLS US ABOUT A

TRIP THAT CHANGED HER WAY OF LEARNING.

15 FREE IN THE MOUNTAINSYASUKO FROM MYCLASS UPPER INTERMEDIATE TELLS US

ABOUT HER TRIP TO THE MOUNTAINS.

16 WHAT PUSHES MEMANAKA FROM MYCLASS ADVANCED DESCRIBES A STUDY

ABROAD EXPERIENCE IN AUSTRALIA.

1 2

myClass news myClass newsFrom level A1 From level A1

We hope you enjoyed the long hot summer and you

were able to go somewhere nice (and hopefully a little

cooler). Here are all the things that have been

happening since the last newsletter.

Dear students,

Thank you for choosing to study at the British Council. We try our best to create opportunities for people around the world through education and culture. I really hope that your English study will open up opportunities for you and that learning a language will help you achieve your potential.

Learning a language and learning about different cultures can change your life. I came to Japan in 1992 when I was a participant on the

Japanese government’s JET Programme. That experience has led to a 22-year long career in international relations working all over the world. I came back to Japan after a 15 year absence four years ago and it has been a privilege to be working to strengthen the cultural and educational ties between our two countries. I believe that deep

people-to-people relationships fostered through educational and cultural exchange build trust between nations and

help us become stronger. You all have the ability to play an important role in using your English skills to foster understanding between Japan and the people of other countries. I urge you to use your language as a means of creating bridges between Japan and other countries, particularly as we move into an exciting time for Japan when the eyes of the world will be on the country with

the Rugby World Cup, the Olympics and Paralympics. This is your opportunity – and Japan’s opportunity – to shine!

I am leaving Japan to take up another role in China but Japan will always remain very close to my heart because of the wonderful people that I have come to

know and respect. I will miss so much about Japan and so many people I have met along the way.

Matt Burney

A MESSAGE FROM MATTOUR OUTGOING COUNTRY DIRECTOR, MATT BURNEY WITH A SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR ALL BRITISH COUNCIL STUDENTS.

A LOOK AT WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING THIS SUMMER.

TEACHING CENTRE NEWS

MYCLASS PRE-INTERMEDIATEEarlier this year, we made some

changes to Pre-Intermediate my-

Class. We created a lesson list with

vocabulary and grammar points

to make it easier for students to

study before coming to class and

organise what they have learnt

from the lesson.

NEW ADVANCED MYCLASSES

If you are taking Advanced class,

you will have noticed the new

content that has been added.

Now twice every week, myClass

Advanced students can take cur-

rent affairs classes, with original

materials focused on recent news

events created by our myClass

teachers.

I SAY HELLO AND YOU SAY GOODBYE!

There have already been a few goodbyes this year as some of our teachers leave for new challenges. Sam went back to the UK before moving to China and Rob left to study in the UK. We welcomed Emma and Tim earlier this year and we will also be saying hello to some new teachers over the coming months.

UK IN JAPAN 2019-20

As you may have already seen, the UK in Japan 2019-20 season will be starting in September. There will be all sorts of events and activities happening across the UK and Japan so please check:www.britishcouncil.jp/en/uk-ja-pan-2019-20to find out more.

3 4

myClass news myClass news

FUN WITHOUT THE SUN

WE PROVE HOW MUCH FUN YOU CAN HAVE INDOORS WITH OUR STUDENT

EVENTS.

ELEMENTARY WINE AND CHEESE NIGHTTo celebrate the first birthday of our Elementary level myClass, we held a

special wine and cheese night. We were lucky enough to have our very own wine

expert -Chikako- who taught us all about different kinds of wine. It was really inter-

esting to see where all the different wines come from and what different tastes they

have. Thank you to everyone who came along from Elementary and Pre-Intermedi-

ate.

CURRY NIGHTThis was the second year in a row we had a curry together to celebrate the end of the

spring term. We hope that it will become a annual tradition as it is such a good way to

meet new people. There were thirty-nine students and six members of staff, meaning it

was quite a full restaurant, but somehow we all got a chance to speak to each other, and

make new friends from other classes. We would also like to say a big thank you to Sum-

iko and Tomoko for organising the after party.

CONTINUED OVER ON THE PAGE...

FUN WITHOUT THE SUN

5 6

myClass news myClass newsSummer myClub Special

This August we had a series of three exciting

hour-long myClub specials led by Drew. Each

day, the students were able to enjoy a little

bit of British summer sunshine and learn a

little more about British culture.

Summer FruitsAs the clouds part and the hot weather

comes through, there’s nothing quite as

refreshing as tucking into some summer fruit.

Fruits are an excellent way to stay hydrated;

we had watermelon, pears, apples, grapes,

bananas and pineapples.

Eton MessMany a child’s favourite dessert to make

and eat, Eton Mess is a staple of British

summers. Crushed meringues, whipped

cream and berries make for a perfect-

ly sweet taste explosion. We added

mangoes to ours to give it an extra

kick. Why not try making your own

at home?!

Pimm’sWe rounded off the week in

high spirits (pardon the pun),

toasting with a tipple of

Pimm’s, the quintessential

British gin-based summer

liqueur. Fruits, cucumber

and mint leaves give the

drink the summery twist

which has been loved

by Brits for over

a hundred years.

Cheers to Drew for

organising a fun

series of events!

IN THE LOBBYWE’VE CELEBRATED A SUMMER OF SPORT AND TANABATA IN THE LOBBY OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS.

Summer of Sport!We’ve had a few activities going on in the lob-

by recently for the exciting summer of sport

in 2019. Thank you to everyone who has con-

tributed to the polls we have been running!

Here are the results:

1. Which team do you think will win the

women’s football?

England, France, Norway,

Scotland and South Africa

received one vote

Germany, Japan and Hol-

land received two votes

The USA was the over-

whelming champion with

eight votes. Well done to

everyone who correctly

predicted the champions!

2. Which 2019 sporting

event are you most inter-

ested in?

11 people chose the Women’s World Cup

2 people chose the Cricket World Cup

47 people chose the Rugby World Cup

11 people chose Wimbledon

And 2 people voted for ‘other’.

3. Which is your favourite British sport?

Netball was least popular with zero votes. It’s

not very famous in Japan, but was derived

from basketball in the 1890s and has re-

mained a popular sport predominantly played

by females in the UK. Squash received 1 vote,

and golf surprisingly only received two votes.

Darts was next with three, badminton with

four, cricket and table tennis tied with five

votes each. Rugby received six votes, but the

real competition was with tennis and football.

Tennis won second place with 14 votes, whilst

football ran ahead with 19 votes.

There are still some polls ongoing so take

part before or after your class in our lobby

waiting area!

TanabataWe also celebrated tanaba-

ta with the chance to write

wishes in English. Here

are a few of the wishes we

received:

‘Peaceful and contended

life please’

‘I want to work at the Na-

tional Diet Library and read

all the books there’

‘I want to speak English

more fluently’

‘I want to be rich with all the things that mon-

ey can’t buy such as peace, love, loyalty and

friendship’

‘I want to read English books faster than

now!!’

‘I want to work abroad!’

‘I wish for world peace’

‘I want to be rich!!’

Thank you to everyone who contributed!

7 8

myClass news myClass newsTell us about your favourite things.I love to eat and try food options from

around the world. I loved eating the Thai

food while I was there but still find eating

spicy food challenging. The fruit and

vegetables in Thailand were very delicious.

I love to eat dumplings and soups and my

favourite Japanese food is curry udon. I

listen to all kinds of music like rock, folk and

jazz.

Tell us an unusual fact about you.Sometimes people think that I made up

my surname. My last name is Violet, which

is an unusual surname. A friend who I had

known for TWO years thought that it was a

nickname and not my real name and that I

used it to try and sound different.

TIMTell us about where you are from and your life before teaching.I’m from a small village in Dorset in the

UK. It’s a very quiet

place, so very

different from the

excitement of

Tokyo. There are

no shops, but

there is a very

nice pub.

I went to university in Southampton where I

studied Media Writing. After university I did

a few different jobs and went travelling in

Southeast Asia before deciding I wanted to

come to Japan to teach English.

Tell us about your teaching career so far.I came to Japan in 2006 and I’ve been

teaching since then. Before the British

Council I taught both adults and children at

an English conversation school.

Tell us why you enjoy teaching.

I like the creative element of teaching

which is involved in planning lessons. Also, I

enjoy meeting different kinds of people and

helping them improve their English.

Outside work, what do you like doing?I like listening to different kinds of music,

including jazz, rock and electronica, so I like

going to some of the music events which

happen in Tokyo.

Why did you choose Japan?I was already attracted to Japan because

it sounded so different from the UK. Then,

when I was backpacking in Thailand, I met

some English teachers from Japan. They told

me what it was like and I thought it sounded

good, so I decided to come.

What is your favourite band?My favourite band is a Scottish post-rock

band called Mogwai. I’ve been a fan of them

for a long time and I’ve seen them live many

times, including several times in Japan.

EMMATell us about where you are from and your life before teaching.I am from Yorkshire in the North of England,

but I have moved around a lot. I was born

in Germany. I studied English Literature in

Aberdeen in Scotland and taught English in

Romania during the Summer break. After

graduating, I spend four years working for

a book publishing company as an Associate

Editor, but I missed teaching and so decided

to change career.

Tell us about your teaching career so far.After changing careers, I spent just over

a year teaching English in Chiba city and

then moved to work in Moscow for 9

months. After working in Moscow, I moved

to Bangkok to teach English for 4 years with

the British Council, where I taught a mixture

of kids, teens and adults.

Tell us why you enjoy teaching.I enjoy teaching for several reasons. I really

like planning and delivering a good lesson

and get a sense of accomplishment out of

teaching. I also think teaching English in

another country is a great way to learn so

much about the place you are staying in.

I have learnt a lot from my students that I

would have never known. As a job, it is never

boring and always interesting, challenging

and rewarding.

Outside work, what do you like doing?I am a big book worm and have a large stash

of books in my Tokyo flat. I always try and

join a book group in whatever country I am

in. I also like jogging and running. I hope to

run a 10k race in Tokyo soon.

Why did you choose Japan?This is my second time to work in Japan and

I was always looking for a chance to start

teaching here again. I think Japan is a very

interesting place to live in and I plan on

travelling and seeing

as much as I can

during weekends

and holidays.

The students

are also very

friendly here!

MEET THE TEACHERSWE MEET THE LATEST ADDITIONS TO OUR TEACHING CREW, EMMA AND TIM.

9 10

myClass news myClass news

MEETING THE WORLDGLOBAL CONNECT IS A CHANCE FOR YOU TO MEET YOUR CLASSMATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

What do people have

for breakfast in Thai-

land? What does the

Ukrainian flag repre-

sent? What’s the best

area to eat out in in

Seoul? Why are my-

Class students in Tai-

pei learning English?

How do people say

‘Hello’ in Bilbao? What’s

the most popular sport

in Hong Kong?

We’ve found out all

this and more in the

popular myClub Global

Connect.

What is myClub Global Connect?myClub Global Connect is a

video conference between

British Council centres all over

the world. Every month we link

up with British Council stu-

dents in a different country.

We first prepare questions to

ask and then link up via video

and take it in turns to

ask and answer ques-

tions.

Why come along?

The British Council has

around 80 teaching

centres in more than

50 countries! Come

along to find out about

the lives of students like

you from around the

world and use your Eng-

lish in a real-life situation.

Check the myClub timetable and social media for the next myClub Global Con-nect.

“Every month we link up with British Council

students in a dif-ferent country.”

UK IN JAPANA RECIPE TO CELEBRATE THE UK IN JAPAN SEASON.

IngredientsCanned satsumas (small can)

Gelatine sheets/ powder

Hojicha tea bags (2 tea bags)

Hot Water

Egg yolks (4)

Caster Sugar (25g)

Milk (500ml)

Corn Starch (2tsp)

Kinako powder

Whipping cream (100ml)

Procedure1.First place some pieces of the sat-

suma in the bottom of a bowl (I used

a clear tea pot to make it feel a bit

more British).

2.Steep two hojicha teabags in a

large mug of hot water and wait

for 3-5 minutes, depending on how

strong you want the hojicha taste.

3.Take the tea bags out and add as

much gelatine as the instructions on

the box suggest to make quite a firm

jelly. Pour the tea/gelatine mix over

the satsumas so the bottom of the

bowl is covered. Let it cool to room

temperature and then put it in the

fridge to set.

4.Now time for the custard. Heat the

milk over a low-to-medium heat

stirring all the time until it starts to

boil. Stop the heat and put it to the

side to cool slightly (about 5 min-

utes)

5.Stir together the eggs, sugar and

cornflour into a paste.

6.Slowly add the milk to the paste,

stirring constantly.

7.Pass this mixture through a sieve

into a sauce pan. Heat gently (to

around 75°C) and the custard

should thicken. Leave until the cus-

tard has cooled a little.

8. Add Kinako powder to the cus-

tard through a sieve, mix constant-

ly (I added just 2 dessert spoons

but taste the custard and decide if

you think you need more)

9. When the jelly has fully set, pour

the custard over the jelly and put

in the fridge.

10.Whip the whipping cream.

11.After the custard has fully

cooled, add the whipped cream

on top. Decorate with a dusting of

kinako and a few pieces of satsu-

ma.

12.Cool in the fridge and serve

when hungry.

The UK in Japan season is almost here. Check the website to find out more; britishcouncil.jp/

en/uk-japan-2019-20. We thought we would try this special recipe, inspired by a bit of Japan,

and a bit of UK, to get us in the mood.

Satsuma, hojicha and kinako trifle

myClass news

The mountain of photos I took there shows

how much I’d wanted to go.

The place was the BBC Television Centre

where countless fabulous sitcoms and

comedy sketches* were recorded and

transmitted. These shows always fascinated

me with their hilarious sarcastic British

humour, so I just had to visit their birthplace

when I got the chance. In 2007, I joined a

studio tour of BBC Television Centre with my

friend, who understood my interest.

When the tour started, I was nervous

because it was difficult for me to catch all

of the guides’ explanations. However, just

the fact that I was in the BBC Television

Centre made me feel exhilarated and relaxed

enough to enjoy the tour. According to the

guide, the centre looked like a question

mark from the air, and it seemed as if the

shape reminded the BBC employees the

importance of questioning everything about

the world. As we visited various studios, I

couldn’t stop smiling and imagining comical

scenes being played out by talented

comedians in the empty rooms.

The most challenging moment of the tour

was quiz time. Two other participants and

myself, as contestants, were on a set used

in a quiz show where we tried to answer

some quiz questions. After a while, I got

a point somehow… Yes!! To be honest, my

opponents, who must have felt sorry about

my poor English, whispered the answer to

me “secretly”.

The tour which satisfied me so much was

ending and I excitedly took so many photos

of BBC Television Centre that I lost count.

With these jolly good memories, the BBC

Television Centre still holds a special place in

my heart.

*NB Comedy Sketches: For example, “Monty

Python’s Flying Circus”, a renowned sketch

comedy with surreal jokes. “Red Dwarf”, a

sci-fi sitcom, which invites you on a comical

space voyage. “Blackadder”, a parody of a

historical comedy starring Rowan Atkinson.

“Only Fools and Horses”, a sitcom about a

south-east London family who try to get rich

by funny outcomes.

About 20 years ago, I had an unusual

experience in China. I went there for an

academic exchange with some members of

an NPO where we gave Chinese attendees

some lectures at Taishan, Beijing and Harbin

respectively. When we arrived in Beijing,

we took a chartered bus with a courier.

While riding the bus and looking out over

Beijing city, the bus stopped in front of a

huge square. I instantly recognized it was

Tiananmen Square because there was a

huge famous portrait of Mao Zedong on the

gate. There were slightly raised voices from

our group while several of us were taking

photos. Suddenly, I heard several sharp

and spine-chilling warning whistles. Soon, I

saw through the window that the bus was

surrounded by soldiers with automatic rifles.

The courier cried out “Everybody sit down!

Don’t move! Don’t speak! Don’t take any

photos!” He and the driver were talking to

one of the soldiers for a while, and after that,

the driver started to move the bus slowly.

Meanwhile the soldiers were pointing their

rifles at us with cold eyes. After the incident,

I found out that no one was allowed to

park or stop completely in the area but the

driver seemed to think that it would not be

a problem to show it to Japanese customers

for a short while. After that, I visited some

interesting places, ate some delicious

Chinese dishes and did some other exciting

things, but even then, I can remember hardly

any of it. Even now, when I think about

China, I always remember the cold eyes and

pointed muzzles of the guns of the soldiers

surrounding our bus.

11 12

THE BBC AND ME MY UNUSUAL EXPERIENCEYOKO FROM BRITISH CULTURE CLASS TELLS US ABOUT

HER TRIP TO the BBC STUDIOS IN THE UK.

MASA FROM MYCLASS INTERMEDIATE TELLS US ABOUT HIS BRUSH WITH DANGER.

we did noticed some grammatical

mistakes and some unnatural

expressions in it. Before leaving,

my friend left her email address to

contact the students.

A few days later, she received an

email from the students and we

met at a café. They seemed to be

a little bit surprised that we had

actually read their work. Although I

learned German a little in university,

regrettably I had completely

forgotten it. Despite that, they were

kind enough to talk with me in

English slowly and easily. We talked

about a lot of things and had a

wonderful time.

From this experience, I realized that

learning foreign languages is getting

new communication tools. It inspired

me to study English again and I am

really enjoying the process now.

Bebenhausen is a small village in the

southwestern Germany. It isn’t very famous

and I have never met a

Japanese person who has

been there. Yet, despite

that, travelling there made

me realize something very

important.

About three years ago,

my close friend and I went to a monastery

in the Bebenhausen. She used to live and

work close by in Tübingen and I visited her

on my summer holiday. At the entrance,

we were surprised to get a

pamphlet as it was written in

Japanese. The staff told us

that there were some students

who were studying Japanese

in Tübingen University and

they volunteered to make it,

so we decided to use it as

we walked around the silent and beautiful

monastery. It was very helpful though

14

MY TRIP IN GERMANYTAMAMI FROM MYCLASS INTERMEDIATE TELLS US ABOUT A TRIP THAT CHANGED HER WAY OF LEARNING.

13

“Travelling there made me realize something very important.”

myClass news myClass news

I let my brain out in the mountain. That’s

the impression I had the day after a

one-day hiking trip in Oyama. Although I

definitely prefer the sea to the mountain,

I have surprisingly started to appreciate

hiking. Why? Here is the story.

First of all, friends. I went there with

my two friends, a hiking expert and an

intellectual. Anyone would have been

fascinated by the expert, he knew

everything about hiking, even how he

tied shoelaces for hiking held a kind of

elegance. The topics we talked about

were vert diverse from dreams to cultural

differences.

Secondly, nature. Blessed with nice

weather, we enjoyed our hike in the

spring sunlight surrounded by absolutely

beautiful green. On the top, mysterious

but also slightly ominous clouds and fog

surrounded us, and it started to rain a little

bit.

When I was a child, I was a bit of a tomboy.

As the boy, so the man but not physically.

The climb was steep with lots of steps and

rocks meaning I had to take care of my step,

which made me completely silent during

the climb… well, despite the bear bell which

echoed down the mountain.

One of the most enjoyable moments was

lunch time! Sharing the food we brought

such as sandwiches, rice balls and cakes

was fun. The healthy tropical fruit cake the

intellectual made would get three Michelin

stars if it had been in a restaurant.

All these things completely invigorated me

yet made me so tired at the same time, so

tired in fact that I slept for fifteen hours that

night. Waking up, I felt free, as if I had let my

brain in the mountain. I will keep this lovely

memory with me.

15

FREE IN THE MOUNTAINSYASUKO FROM MYCLASS UPPER INTERMEDIATE TELLS US ABOUT HER TRIP TO THE MOUNTAINS.

It was a cold day when I touched down at

Adelaide airport. It was not the first time

for me to visit Australia. The first time I

went to the country was when I went on

a compulsory school trip for two weeks.

Being assigned to be a leader of the class,

I had too many things to

do which seemed to be

irrelevant to the stay so I

was not satisfied at all. This

time, the trip was entirely

for me and I was able to

join a local high school for

14 days.

The school I stayed in

was an school that taught the International

Baccalaureate, which is highly regarded as

an international qualification in education. I

have never been more surprised or enjoyed

studying more than in my time there and

wished to have been able to use English

more naturally. Take Economics, for example,

although I had studied Economics at the

high school briefly, everything seemed to

be completely different and much more

challenging. I didn’t realise what made

them so, but now that I have spent more

time in Japan again, and

compared it with my

experience in Australia,

I know the key was

the efforts I made to

understand the lectures.

Every night I spent so

many hours reviewing

and preparing for the

next day’s classes,

making every lesson more exciting and

unforgettable. Nevertheless, I still regret not

having developed my English skill further.

Had I been able to listen or speak more, I

would have learnt more. This feeling has

pushed me to study English ever since.

WHAT PUSHES MEMANAKA FROM MYCLASS ADVANCED DESCRIBES A STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCE IN AUSTRALIA.