I went on the East Coast trip from May 7 to May 12 as part of the school events with the members of G6. The cities I visited were Boston and Washington D.C. These places were really wonderful, and I could experience a lot of things. Also, I learned some things from this trip. Before this trip, I thought that the purpose of the trip was only for pleasure. I, however, realized that the trip was not only for pleasure, but also for learning a lot of things. Regarding this trip, I learned three important things: the history of America, the difference between Japan and America, and how low my English skill is.
At first, I learned American history and how important it is to learn history. For example, I learned that Lexington and Concord are famous because of the battles of American revolution that were fought there, also I learned the person who wrote Declaration of Independence was Thomas Jefferson, and Sam Adams organized the Boston Tea Party. I did not know these things before this trip. Before we went on trip, we often researched about the places that we visited, and when I went to the spots on my own, my knowledge grew deeper. To know the history is really interesting, because I can realize the reason that thse cities are famous and why the sightseeing places are popular. For example, I really enjoyed visiting Mount Vernon, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial, because I knew the history about them. The statues of Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. were much bigger than I expected, and I definitely will never forget that I actually saw the house of George Washington. Knowing the history befohinde, the impression of visiting the real thing was grater for me. Also, if we know about the history of the place that we visit, talking with local people is more spiced up. Actually, I could enjoy talking about the historical spots with local people, and I could gain knowledge of more detailed things related to the places. To know the history helps to spread to the world what I know about these places.
Second, I learned the difference between Japan and America’s security service and the importance of the flags. Through this trip, I experienced baggage inspection more than 5 times, so I was surprised at the stringency. In Japan, it is rare to inspect the tourist’s baggage, when we enter the some buildings. Also I thought that there were many more guards in America than in Japan. American are allowed to own guns, so I thought that these baggage inspections and the number of the guards showed the terror of the life in America. Next, I was surprised at the view of so many of flags in the cities. In America, it is common to raise flags of America even at the privately owned property. It is a really rare thing to raise the flag of our country in Japan. Thus, to go on trip was useful for me to know the difference between my own country and other country.
Third, I learned how low my English skill is. During this trip, I had a lot of chances to talk with native English speakers. I enjoyed almost all of the talking, but sometimes I could not enjoy it, because I had no ability to listen to English well. The speed of the English speaking of the local people was really rapid, so sometimes I asked some people so many times to repeat themselves. I was shocked at the situation. The teachers at MFWI speak English slowly so that I can follow what they say, but the local people do not care about our ability to listen to English. If I had not gone on this trip, I would not have noticed the difficulty to follow the native speaker’s English speaking. To go to the place that is different from the usual, in other words, to go on a trip, helps us to confirm the our current English level.
To sum up, this trip helped me to learn a lot of things in various situations. Things that I especially learned this time were American history, the difference between Japan and America, and my English skill. Also, I realized what I have to do from now on. It is to learn and understand my own country’s history and culture in order to tell the story of my own country’s history when foreigners speak, and to study English more. By going on this trip, I could gain knowledge that I cannot know if only I live an ordinary life.
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