I wrote a great deal about the strange things people do in New Zealand to my friends in Japan. People walk barefoot, walk in the rain without an umbrella, and blow their noses in front of everybody without hesitation. But the big characters with three exclamation marks, was the fact, that grown men wear shorts!!!! We never have shorts as a uniform for the officers or boys of junior and senior high school. So when I saw customs officers in shorts at the airport - First I was surprised, Second I doubted my eyes, and Third, f had a problem controlling my laughter. I feel my last two and a half years have been longer than just two and a half years thinking of accountable things. They weren't all nice and exciting, but I can say it has been the hardest time I every had in my life. There are limes, when I thought, how much fun I could have if I didn't come to New Zealand. I thought I couldn't take all the grief. But I'm glad I didn't give up at the lime. I don't know whether it will be my advantage or disavantage of mine, but now, I lived in two different cultures, speak two different languages, and know the wider world.
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Thank you, New Zeland. My second mother country. S Kondo
SETSUKO KONDO Konnichiwa Minasan. What is your image of Japan? Is it, Mt Fuji. Bullet train, and geisha girls? Or may be, Honda, Mazda, and Toyota Corolla.
DERRYN MILNE
I came from Japan to New Zealand about two and a half years ago because of my fathers job. The things I knew about New Zealand were in fact, very very little. Images of New Zealand to Japanese people are sheep, Southern Cross. and kiwifruit. All my friends said "Bring back a flock of sheep and a kiwifruit vine!".
Derryn Milne, recently won the prestigious Kormako Speech Competition, in the Junior English section.
When I arrived in New Zealand. my first impression was green, green, and green. I could even see real sheep and cows. It looked so incredible thinking of Tokyo. I've seen cows about five times and have seen sheep exactly twice at the zoo in my life. Another incredible impression was the-towns. I've heard that Auckland was the biggest city in New Zealand. Now, I understand very well, that Tokyo is the city of sales and Auckland is a city of sails. When I decided which school to go to, I made guile a lot of new discoveries. Such as. New Zealand's school grounds are covered with grass, we change the class rooms each period, and we just walk inside of the school with out-side shoes. But the greatest difference I most appreciated was that we students don't have to clean our school by ourselves! In Japan, we have to sweep the floor, clean the grounds etc. There were lots of things I found difficult because of different people and culture. For example, when I first came here, everybody looked the same and walked the same. Especially girls with high heels frightened me with the noise on concrete. It sounded like the army. But the hardest thing of all was to pick up the language. a
I can say there is no similarity between Japanese and English in pronounciation and warmer. So at first the English writing looked like graphics and the language sound like music. It was very embarrassing. Everybody laughs and you don't know the reason why. One time my friend asked me, Have you done your homework?" replied, "No I couldn't I got stuck up". Another time, my mother went to Whitcoulls and asked. "Could you give me some elbows please". She came back empty handed. Later we found out that it was supposed to be 'envelopes'. think I have done, and am still doing things you think funny, but without noticing it. On the other hand. things you think are not funny, are the things I find funny.
Kerryn has distinguished herself in public speaking for the last two years now. She has taken part in classroom speech competitions and in the school's finals, but has reserved her best efforts for the Maori class speech giving. This year Derryn spoke on 'The Most Important Thing In The World' and won with this speech. She took this speech to the Auckland Secondary Schools Regional Speech Competition, which this year was held at Waiuku College. The theme of this speech is that the most important thing is people and their diversity. At the end of the day the prize was hers. From there. Derryn took her representation to Rotorua for the National Korimako Speech Competition. This competition is divided into different sections, Senior Maori and Senior English. Junior Maori and Junior English. It is in this last category that Derryn was thrilled to take the national title. Her winning speech was entitled 'My Friends Dictate My Behaviour' lasted six minutes. Derryns answer to this statement was that friends dictation of your behaviour depends on what is important to you. In other words we allow friends to dictate to us in those matters which we see as iomportant and won't be dictated if we believe it is not important. In good tradition, Derryn was supported at the National Competition by her mother, 9 students from Manurewa High School, 3 from other schools and Mr Albrecht, a teacher from Manurewa High School. These people were at the Civic Centre in Rotorua to proudly witness the prize-winning performance of their much respected daughter, friend and student_ To Derryn went the Sir Turi Carrol trophy, a trophy which again bears the name of Milne. Derryn, although in her own right, is following in the steps of her older sister Kerri. Derryn began her third form year in 1985 at Manurewa High School by winning the Maori class speech competition and then going on to win the Regional Junior English Speech competition in 1985, as did her sister. This year she has capped it off by winning the national title. We are conficent that Derryn will continue this tradition and her school is very proud that they have within their midst an orator of national status. J. R. Clarke. 21