Rhys Jenkins, a former student, visited Hillmorton recently, prior to leaving New Zealand to live and study in Japan on a scholarship through Ara Institute of Canterbury and Shuudoo University in Hiroshima, Japan.

Shortly before he was due to set off on an adventure of a lifetime, Rhys returned to Hillmorton to catch up with some staff, and to visit a Year 10 Japanese class.

While visiting, Rhys reflected on his Japanese study. He was initially inspired with the idea of studying something ‘different’ through the  Hillmorton Japanese taster programme he had in Year 8 at Manning Intermediate. Once at Hillmorton, he took Japanese in Year 9 and 10. Rhys admits he took it pretty casually. Although he thought it was interesting, he wasn’t very motivated to study outside of class time.

The idea of a school trip to Japan in Year 12 came up; Rhys’ best friend was going so he decided to go too. Not wanting to embarrass himself and wanting to optimise his time away, Rhys started doing additional study that went beyond the school curriculum.

The trip itself was like something out of a movie for Rhys, something he’d never seen before. He says he was surrounded by people who were completely different, who had a different way of thinking. It was all totally new and beyond just a language – it was intriguing.

Rhys saw the first part of the trip as a safety buffer as the school group was travelling together with graduated time out. It felt good to talk in Japanese – a reward for his hard work. And then came the homestay segment of the trip; this was wholly different! He was completely immersed in Japanese; naturally his host family said things he didn’t understand and there were things he didn’t know how to say. But, somehow, they communicated, and they welcomed him into their home showing heartwarming hospitality.

From Year 13, Rhys wanted to continue with his Japanese study and chose to  enroll at Ara in Christchurch. In his second year of his degree he found out about possible exchanges with universities in Japan. Naturally he wanted to go! With the option of four universities, he chose Shuudoo University in Hiroshima. Why? Because it was the closest one to his host family and he wanted to go back to see them.

Rhys is now in Japan for six months of study with his fees covered by his scholarship. He is enjoying living their again, making new friends and reconnecting with his host family. After graduating he hopes to return to Japan to work. He’s looking forward to his future options – who knows what they’ll be - while he continues to fulfill his dream, learning more about Japan and, more importantly, being there!