TAMAGAWA
Tamagawa Gakuen of Canada Society
AT A GLANCE
Volume 1 issue 2
Serving local and international communities through education
March 2010
YOKOSO! ようこそ March is a very busy month at Tamagawa, along with multiple groups from the community using our facility, there will be 48 University Agriculture students from our main campus in Tokyo coming to join us on the 24th for 4 months. They will stay at our Nanaimo Campus for 2 nights and 3 days. During that time we will do our best to get them acclimatized and give them as much information as we can to help them to survive life in Nanaimo. If you are lucky, you can witness a fun phenomenon which is the orientation of the bus system. The best part of it is the look on the bus drivers face when he pulls up and sees 48 people waiting for him where normally there would only be one or two. Once we teach them the basics, it is up to them and their host families to get them through the next few months unscathed. The students will attend VIU for an ESL class and Horticulture classes, and one day a week they are back with us for Compara-
tive Culture and Ecology classes. While the students are in Nanaimo they are required to volunteer some of their time to different causes in the community, so if you see them out there picking garbage, attending to the animals at the SPCA, or even serving lunch at the New Hope Centre, honk and wave. I am sure they would appreciate the support. It is not all books and work for our young visitors, the students will go on several field trips while they are here, including Milner Gardens, Butchart Gardens, and a multi day trip through Hope, Lillooet, Pemberton and on up to Whistler, learning about different species of plants and about our fragile eco-system. When their schooling is finished, they will be able to take the last week in Canada and go on a “trip” of their choosing. Banff and Jasper are a favourite for most, but Yellow Knife and Fort McMurray are fast becoming a popular destination.
This month at Tamagawa 今月の玉川
HINAMATSURI 雛祭り Hinamatsuri or “Girls Festival” takes place on March 3, and is the day that families pray for the happiness and prosperity of their girls, helping to ensure that they grow up healthy and beautiful. Families who have daughters display special dolls for this festival and dedicate them to peach blossoms. Hinamatsuri is also called Momo no Sekku meaning Peach Festival.
From January to March 31st we are running a promotion for non-profit organizations.
The Tozan Cultural Society is holding a pottery demonstration with guest speaker Robert Baron, on March 6th and 7th. Space is limited. Contact Ian Nattrass at nattrass@shaw.ca or Gari Whelan at Whelan@telus.net.
The arrival of 48 of our University Agriculture Students on the 24th.
For more information on availability and a free estimate on your next retreat or workshop, give us a call at 250722-2511, Fax us at 250-722-2254, email us at info@tamagawa.ca or you can look us up on the web at: www.tamagawa.ca
Phrase of the month 今月の言葉 Kyowa nanyobi desuka? 今日は何曜日ですか？ What day is it today?
Tamagawa is a proud supporter of both the Tozan Cultural Society and the United Way.