After about two full weeks of cultural immersion, we were back in the classroom yesterday in our joint program with Rikkyo University in Tokyo. Unlike some previous years where the presentations were more ad hoc, our students had spent some time at home preparing their 15-minute presentations. Yesterday they shared these presentations in small-group breakout sessions with their Japanese counterparts, who did the same with them. Then the two groups prepared a joint presentation to give to the entire session at large.
Some random thoughts about the presentations: It was impressive to have the Japanese students give their presentations in English. They did a great job at something that takes a lot of courage. It's one thing to have a private conversation with someone in your second language, but to give a presentation in front of a group of about 50 people is another story. We can't understate how impressed and grateful we are at their efforts. That girl standing next to Ryan, who was from Germany via New Zealand (?), was the tallest woman that we've seen so far. Ryan is on a riser, and she is on the floor! Adam looked so at home with that microphone; we're thankful that he didn't bust out into a song, although you could tell that he wanted to!
Today we're off for a day-long trip to Mt. Fuji. We're not really sure what the itinerary is for the day, so stay tuned!
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