No.180
Contact:
Yamatotakada Lismore Sister City Association
A local newsletter quarterly issued
Yamatotakada Lismore Sister City Association,Nara,Japan
Spring・Summer Issue,2021

ＴＥＬ：0745-22-1101
http://www.city.yamatotakada.nara.jp/lismore/

We do hope The Bamboo Shoots born out of the soil of Yamato-Takada will grow up and act as a go-between for the citizens in Lismore and in Yamato-Takada

The Bamboo Shoots reissued!
We, members of editorial Board of ‘the Bamboo Shoots’, had to ceased issuing it for about one year and a half, because of theprevention of the expansion of ‘COVID-19’.

Bamboo English Restarted！
Good news : ‘Bamboo English class’ restarted on April 6, which is supported by the Yamato Takada・Lismore Sister CityAssociation. The class had to be cancelled to prevent the expansion of ‘COVID-19’ in Nara Prefecture. Ms. Kristina, ALT inNara, helps the kids from five years to twelve years old to learn living English. They feel very happy together with her, who isvery kind and friendly.

～Activities of Bamboo English～～Hello,写真everyone.
I am Maria Kristina
Okamoto.
写真 3
写真Flores21
I am a Filipino and I have been living here in Japan for morethan ten years. I met my amazing Japanese husband here
and I gave birth to two wonderful children. As my children
grow older, I noticed their interest in the English language.
I was a full-time housewife back then so I thought, why not
try and teach my own children. As time passed by, I noticed
how much they improved and it made me so happy.

Bamboo English Teaching Staff

Maria Kristina Flores Okamoto

When my children grew up, I was passing by the street when I saw this advertisement regarding parttime teaching as an ALT. I told myself why not give it a try. I started teaching and I really enjoyedspending time with the students. I am always excited to get up the next day to see the students. Thatis when I realized that teaching is my passion. So I continued working as a full-time ALT. Becauseof this, I met more students and I realized that every child is unique. Some of them are very confident,
yet most of them are very shy. They are scared to speak English because they don’t want to makemistakes. So I had to find ways to make it enjoyable for them. While doing this, I am also learning
to be a better teacher at the same time. I attended various classes and seminars to learn moretechniques on how to be a better teacher and so I can do more for my students.

That is why I am very thankful to Yamato Takada Lismore Sister City Association Bamboo English
program to include me in their Team. Together with the Japanese teachers, we help the children here
in Yamato Takada to interact in English in a fun way, by using creative ways like games, singing andothers while learning English. I have observed that play has a very important role in learning forchildren. The variety will keep them engaged to make learning more fun. And here in Bamboo
English, we practice that method of learning and playing at the same time. It is an excellent program
to help children experience English in a different environment together with other children who wants
to experience the English language.

New Government Office Building Now Completed!
Completed!
Yamato Takada City Hall is newly
completed and the wholebuilding is to be available on and after July 12, 2021. Witha lot of expectations for local citizens to fully utilize it as
their ‘amazing’ new facility, its construction work began in
September, 2019. They believe that it will support thememotionally so that they can be proud of it.
The new office building is surely to be a much more citizenfriendly, comfortable and affectionate place for them.

This Year’s Exchange Student Project Cancelled:
The Exchange Student Project organized by the Yamato Takada Sister City Association to send some students to theCity of Lismore, Australia, was cancelled this year, too, just like the case of last year, partly because the COVID-19
pandemic is growing more dangerous and partly because the number of the infected persons throughout the worldis not on a downward trend.
When the circumstances are improved, it goes without saying that project is to be put into practice in the following
year.

Students from Yamato Takada in 2019Students from Lismore in 2019