810 Japanese and Australian students together
austraLasia 810
Japanese and Australian Salesian students work together
 
Melbourne: 13th March '04 -- Nine students from the Salesian Polytechnic School in Tokyo arrived in Melbourne, accompanied by Fr. Bob Zarate, for their 2-week homestay exchange program.  This program, in its 9th year, is done with the cooperation of the Salesian College 'Rupertswood' and Nagle College Bairnsdale.  Students of these two schools also alternately spend 2 weeks in Japan, a week with a school in Nagoya, and another week in their sister school in Tokyo.  The program aims to have the Japanese students have a glimpse of Australian life, exposure in their Salesian school counterparts in Australia, and, of course, the daring application of what they learned in English Conversation class.  On the other hand, most of the Australian students who go to Japan are students in their elective Japanese Language Class.

The group from Japan will stay in Australia for two weeks, with a busy Rupertswood-Nagle-Rupertswood itinerary.  With most of them coming to Australia for the first time -- including Fr. Bob -- this year's experiences will surely open for them a lot of opportunities to deepen their identity as students of a Salesian school and a venue to strengthen their self-confidence.