On the 16 February, I joined a group of 14 other secondary students as we commenced the first-ever NA CAPE domestic study tour. Each student has been in the process of studying at least one of three languages; Chinese, Japanese, and/or Korean. Each day was targeted, with the first focusing on China in Dunedin, the second on Japan in Wellington, and the third on Korea in Auckland.

We started off at the Dunedin Distinction Hotel with a presentation organised by the music professor from The University of Otago. This included two enchanting musical performances on the Korean gayageum and the Chinese yangqin. At 8:45am the next day, we all headed down to The University of Otago where we participated in an immersive introductory lesson for the Chinese language. Following this, we headed down to Lan Yuan and toured the garden before leaving for Golden Harvest at lunch. Our tables were presented with various plates of authentic Chinese cuisine including maple tofu, steamed egg, soups & more. After spending another ½ hour at Toitu, we headed back to Lan Yuan to enjoy some lion dancing. Their bright colours and soft fur danced around the courtyard and we learned of their fascinating roots. We even joined in to experience the energetic and memorable skills involved.

The next day kicked off with a presentation where we learned of the deep roots the Japanese have in Aotearoa’s history. After another introductory language lesson, we put our skills to the test and ordered in Japanese for lunch. Unfortunately, our day was cut short due to a tragic change of flights (thanks Air NZ). Our group mourned over the loss of the traditional tea ceremony and Japanese business presentation. We proceeded to spend the afternoon in the airport, playing phone tag and enjoying overpriced ice cream *cough cough* Ben & Jerry’s. But to make up for this depressing change in our plans, our fantastic supervisors decided to take us to Daiso, an incredibly popular dollar store in Japan. Though, of course, in Aotearoa this dollar became $3.50 for nearly everything in the store. While others spent the night playing hotel karaoke (technically still in the Japanese theme) my group of Japanese learners studied past 1am working on our presentations for the end of the tour.

The next day we awoke to an incredible view of the famed Auckland sky tower right outside our windows! Our morning consisted of a presentation on Korea’s economy before yet another engaging language lesson. Perhaps one of my favourite parts of the tour was our rushed calligraphy lesson where each of us applied ink to paper in precise brush strokes to convey a Korean poem. Lunch consisted of rice, 4 sides (2x kimchi, seaweed salad, & a marinated egg), and a main of our choosing. After playing the Korean game “mugunghwa kkochi piotsseumnida” (red light, green light) we embarked across the harbour to the dance company En Beat. Our teacher was Rina Chae, previously a choreographer/ dancer for big names such as Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Boa, Monsta X and even IU!

So soon into our little adventure, and it was already coming to a close. We attended a presentation about global citizenship before each group gave their own 15 minute presentation about what we’d learned. Finally, our long nights had paid off with a jubilant win for the Japanese group! I gained an abundance of knowledge about these SEA countries & their relations with Aotearoa. To anyone learning one of these languages, I seriously recommend this trip so look out for it in the future! I’m sure you’ll have just as unforgettable & valuable an experience as I did. This study tour just wouldn’t have been the same if it weren’t for the absolutely amazing students I shared the experience with. They all made it so incredibly fun and I know our bonds will only grow, even as we’re now spread throughout Aotearoa. And of course, this wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for our NA CAPE staff and supervisors. Thank you so very much!