The Keika Chronicle
TheJuly2024Issue

1

Meet a Singaporean!
Hello! My name is Shannon.
你好！我叫 Shannon。
こんにちは！シャンノンです。

What is in
this issue:

I am an English ALT at Keika Boys’ School. I am so happy
to share about myself and my culture in this issue of The
Keika Chronicle! Let’s dive right in ~Could you recognize the three languages above?

Shannon,Singapore,& Malaysia
Bonus:
高 2 School
Trip toOkinawa

Yes! They are - English, Chinese and Japanese!
These are the 3 languages that I can speak. In Singapore,our first language is English. We also learn a 2nd language- our mother tongue, in school! I am a ChineseSingaporean, so I learned the Chinese language inschool! I speak Mandarin (Standard Chinese dialect) to
my family and Chinese friends. Being bilingual issomething special about Singaporeans! I will share more
about Singapore on the next page ~I can also speak Japanese because I am interested tolearn the language. I love Japan! I wascaptivated by the Japanese culture
when I watched movies by Studio Ghibli.
Themovies
havechanged
myperspective on life. My dream is to meet
Director Mr. Miyazaki Hayao one day tothank him for producing those amazing
animation movies!

Did you know? Mr. Miyazaki Hayao
was born in Bunkyo Ward - where you go
to school every day! Maybe one day,you might bump into him when he visits
his birthplace ;)The Keika Chronicle2

Thank you 3-1 and 3-2!
I was so honored to visit the Year 3 Junior High School classes in the girls’
school to give a presentation about Singapore before they went on their
School Trip to Singapore and Malaysia! I hope that my stories andexperiences as a local have enabled them to deeper appreciate
Singapore’s culture and heritage while they were there.

About Singapore!
Singapore is so small - it is smaller thanTokyo!
Despite our size on the globe, we are
extremely strong in our CulturalHeritage. Our communities are madeup of Chinese (76.2%), Malays (15%),
Indians (7.4%) and other various ethnicities. We are all united by acommon language – English! Singapore is a multiracial society, and wevalue peace and harmony. Regardless of race, language, or religion, welive and thrive together as neighbors, classmates, and colleagues, andthat makes us uniquely Singaporeans.

(Malay Cuisine)
Mee Rubus ￥400

Having many cultures also means we
get to enjoy a diversity of food! Onefamous culture of Singapore is ourHawker Centers. It is like a food court
where you can order any dish you
want! There is an international
selection of cuisines, and they arevery affordable! Check out the prices
below the pictures!
(Indian Cuisine)
Roti Prata ￥300

(Chinese Cuisine)
Laksa ￥500

(Chinese Cuisine)
Chicken Rice ￥500

The Keika Chronicle

3About Malaysia!

A fun fact about me is that my mother wasborn and raised in Malaysia! We often travel toMalaysia to visit our relatives and sightsee.
Singapore and Malaysia are right next to eachother, and we usually travel by car.
Similar to Singapore, Malaysia is also amultiracial country with a melting pot ofdifferent cultures. There are 62.5% Malays,
20.6% Chinese, 6.2% Indians and 0.9% othervarious ethnicities.
The official language of Malaysia is Bahasa Malaysia, and they also learn
their mother tongue language in school. Most schools teach them English
too! Therefore, some Malaysians are trilingual! Just like my Mom, she canspeak 3 languages and 2 Chinese dialects! She is my biggest inspiration tolearn different languages!
Like the prefectures in Japan, Malaysia has 13 states and 3 federal
territories! The capital is Kuala Lumpur, where the famous Petronas Twin
Towers is.
One of my favorite cultures in Malaysia is Mamak. This is a type of cafeteria
where people can eat and lepak (relax in Malay). You can find Mamaks
all over Malaysia. Japanese like going to Saizeriya, Hama-sushi, orStarbucks with their friends to lepak while Malaysians like going to Mamak!
It is usually open 24 jam (24 hours in Malay)! You can enjoy many local
dishes like Roti Canai, Maggi Goreng, Nasi Lemak, and more! They also
livestream sport matches so the place canbecome bustling with people in a lively and fun
atmosphere!

XOXO,Shannon

The Keika Chronicle

4

中３Travel Itinerary with Mr. Ishibashi
June 3, 2024
We took a Singapore Airlines flight from Haneda International Airport to Changi InternationalAirport. Some of my students had never been on a plane before, so some of them were a little
nervous, but others were excited. We then moved from Malaysia to Singapore. We stayed ata hotel in Johor Bahru near Singapore.

June 4, 2024
On this day, we had a school exchange in the morning. We had an interaction with students
from SMK Seri Lalang in Malaysia. We played a famous game for Japanese students called"rock-paper-scissors train". Students from both schools had a great time. In the afternoon, wewent to a Malaysian village to eat local food and wear traditional clothes.
For the first time in their lives, they ate food with their hands. It was an amazing experience forthe students, and they were very happy to learn about Malaysian culture.

June 5, 2024
In the morning, the students went on a city tour of Johor Bahru, and then entered Singapore
again. They visited the Merlion, mosques and temples, and learned about multiculturalism.

June 6, 2024
In the morning, we participated in a program called B&S. We went sightseeing in Singapore withlocal university students. We had a good time using English and Japanese. In the afternoon, werode attractions and bought souvenirs at Universal Studios Singapore and had a good time. After
that, we returned to Japan. Sometimes the students felt confused because of the differencesof Japanese culture, but they felt moved, and satisfied.
“This trip was very exciting for me.
My best impression is eating foodwith my hands. It was very difficult
because I always use my chopsticks.
But it is good experience for me.”-Tamaki

The Keika Chronicle

5Bonus: 高２ School Trip to Okinawa with Erin
XOXO,Erin