Hina Mitsuda is a Japanese exchange student from Toho High School in Nagoya. She has spent the past five months immersing herself in all things Marian and New Zealand, participating in basketball, netball, Kapa Haka among other things.

This is her farewell speech.

Hi.

I'm Hina and if you guys don't know, I am an exchange student here at Marian College.

I went to Marian College for two full terms - Terms 2 and 3. Before I came here, I thought 'Oh I have five months' but when I finally got hee, time really flew by so fast that five months was not enough.

On the first day of school, I was nervous and a little afraid, but everyone was really kind to me and my nervousness was gone from the first day. Thank you so much everyone for being so kind to me.

To everyone who was in the same class as me - thank you for kindly teaching me when I didn't understand or didn't get it. I really appreciate it. I also joined many events such as the Move It Challenge, Feast Day and the Formal (which we don't have in Japan), and I really enjoyed them. Furthermore, I joined the netball and basketball teams and played with my team members. It was really fun.

In term 2, I was taken to Mercy Cup. I was also taken to a basketball tournament during Term 3. We came second and got a medal. It was a really good memory and a great experience. Thank you so much.

They also took me on a ski trip, which was a lot of fun.

Moreover, I was in Kapa Haka, so I performed with everyone in Tūhono. I was impressed by how everyone appreciated and respected the Maori traditions and culture of New Zealand. This makes me love New Zealand even more!

I am really hapy that I chose Marian College. I have made many precious friends here at Marian. I am so lucky to have met everyone at Marian. Thank you so much for giving me so many experiences.

I cannot thank you all enough.

The memories and time spent with friends at Marian will be treasured for the rest of my life. Thank you for a wonderul and irreplacable time.

I hope we can meet again next year at the Five School Exchange in Japan - so please come to Japan everyone! Also let me know when you guys travel to Japan - I am so sad to leave everyone. I will definitely come back here one day.

To my friends, teachers, and host family, thank you so much for everything. I love you so much!

Hina

Article added: Thursday 26 September 2024