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2021 Student Summer Picnic!
Thank you to everyone (including those not pictured) who came to our student picnic at the weekend!
We had fun meeting up outdoors, drinking tea, eating Japanese snacks and talking about Japan-related (and non-Japan-related) things.
It was so good to see students in person after such a long time!
Thank you to everyone (including those not pictured) who came to our student picnic at the weekend!
We had fun meeting up outdoors, drinking tea, eating Japanese snacks and talking about Japan-related (and non-Japan-related) things.
It was so good to see students in person after such a long time!
Although all my teaching is online now, I still plan to run occasional social events in Brighton for students. I’m looking forward to seeing you all again soon.
2019 Summer Party!
Thank you so much for coming to our 2019 student summer party this year! We had a sunny, relaxing day on Brighton beach and even went for a paddle in the water.
I hope you enjoy these sunny photos of this happy day!
Thank you so much for coming to our 2019 student summer party this year! We had a sunny, relaxing day on Brighton beach and even went for a paddle in the water.
I hope you enjoy these sunny photos of this happy day!
A Japan Pub Quiz!
I wrote a little bit about my Japanese volunteers who come to help out at class and with events and workshops.
But I’m also helped enormously at Step Up Japanese by my students, who organise events, give me great ideas, and share helpful feedback on how to make class better.
I wrote a little bit about my Japanese volunteers who come to help out at class and with events and workshops.
But I’m also helped enormously at Step Up Japanese by my students, who organise events, give me great ideas, and share helpful feedback on how to make class better.
Huge thanks to STEP 4 student Sheen-san for organising this fantastic Japan-themed quiz for us last week. And thank you all for coming!
またしましょうね。Let’s do it again sometime!
End-of-term Sushi Night! Easter 2018
Thanks for coming!
Where shall we go for our next (non-academic) event?
Summer Barbecue! Or, "Everybody Loves Corn"
Summer can feel kind of long. For me, the summer break is when I get to reflect on the year gone and think "big picture" thoughts about what we're going to do in the next year.
But I know that the summer break can feel long for my students. I wanted to have an event in the holidays so we could spend time together, catch up on how everyone's summer has been, and hopefully speak some Japanese too. I also just really wanted to have a barbecue. Everyone likes a barbecue, right?
I brought corn. Everyone else brought corn too. It was great.
Summer can feel kind of long.
For me, the summer break is when I get to reflect on the year gone and think "big picture" thoughts about what we're going to do in the next year.
But I know that the summer break can feel long for my students. I wanted to have an event in the holidays so we could spend time together, catch up on how everyone's summer has been, and hopefully speak some Japanese too.
I also just really wanted to have a barbecue. Everyone likes a barbecue, right?
I brought corn. Everyone else brought corn too. It was great.
An impressive selection of veggie and definitely-not-veggie food.
David tending the corn.
Phil brought mochi. ありがとう、フィルさん！
Delicious Japanese-y desserts. ニックさん、ありがとう！
After the BBQ, Paul and Will of Sussex Aikido treated us to a mini Aikido demonstration.
There's a little video of this on the Step Up Japanese Facebook page too!
Old and new faces. みなさん来てくれてありがとう！
As usual I was having too much fun (and tending the BBQ too much) to remember to take an actual group photo...
The question is, what shall we bring to eat next year?
Just kidding, I'll definitely bring more corn again.
It was really good to see everyone again, and hearing everyone's news - and speaking some Japanese, of course.
Did you know the Japanese word for corn is... コーン ("kōn")? 🌽
Like many people in the UK, I studied French in school. I liked French. I thought it was really fun to speak another language, to talk with people, and to try and listen to what was going on in a new country. (Still do!)
When I was 14 we went on a school exchange to the city of Reims, in northeastern France. I was paired with a boy, which I’m sure some 14-year-olds would find very exciting but which I found unbearably awkward. He was very sweet and we completely ignored each other.
That was nearly 20 years ago, and I didn’t learn or use any more French until, at some point in lockdown, I decided on a whim to take some one-to-one lessons with online teachers. Here are some things I learned about French, about language learning, and about myself.