早いもので、あと１週間で台湾研修に出発となりました。そんな中、放課後の職員室に現れたのは、オリーブ班の２人です。昨日練習した英語のプレゼンについての質問...と思いきや、彼女らが会いにきたのは岩間先生（実は、先生は上海への留学経験があり、しかも、中国語の教員免許もお持ちなのです）！　早速、職員室の前の廊下で「中国語教室」が始まりました。

　「私たちは天草高校の１年生です。（我们是天草高中一年級的学生。）」日本語とも、英語とも異なる中国語の発音や文法に興味津々の２人。楽しそうに何度も発音を練習し、最後には「お手本」を録音していただいて、「がんばります！」と笑顔で帰っていきました。

　教えていただいた挨拶が台湾のみなさんにバッチリ伝わるといいですね。加油！！

    In just one week we (four students and two teachers) will be leaving for our Study tour in Taiwan. After school today, two members of the ”Olive Group” suddenly knocked on the teachers’ room. We thought maybe they wanted to ask questions about the English presentation they practiced yesterday... but it was Mr. Iwama, a Japanese language teacher, whom they wanted to meet. (He has experience studying abroad in Shanghai, and has a teaching license in Chinese!) A “Chinese class” began immediately in the hallway in front of the teachers’ room. 

　We are first-year students at Amakusa High School. (我们是天草高中一年級的学生.)” The two students were curious about Chinese pronunciation and grammar, which are quite different from those of Japanese and English. They enjoyed practicing their pronunciation over and over again, and eventually, they happily left with a “model reading” recorded on their smartphone. 

　We hope that the greetings they taught us will be understood perfectly by the Taiwanese people. Thank you very much!