The first day (6.11.)

Unfortunately, the first day is already over.
After breakfast, we took a bus to our partner school Tokushima Commercial Highschool. There, we were greeted by a large group of students in the gymnasium, and we played volleyball together. After that, we had an English lesson and a calligraphy lesson. The teacher explained to us, "Calligraphy calms the mind." We also learned how to write our own names in Chinese characters and learned the meaning of them. Finally, we met the principal and presented our gifts.
While we were at the school, students constantly wanted to take photos with us and asked us many questions. The people we met were always extremely polite and friendly. The students laugh a lot and radiate joy and gratitude, creating a very pleasant atmosphere. We felt welcome and were amazed at the respect and politeness with which people treat each other here.
In addition, the students wear school uniforms and slippers at school. Therefore, we also had to take off our shoes at the entrance and change into slippers.
The impressions at the school were very impressive and unexpected for us, as the differences in culture and school life became clear to us.

After the exciting morning at school, we had lunch together in a small Japanese restaurant after a short stop at the hotel. Then we watched a show in which a traditional Japanese dance was performed, accompanied by special Japanese instruments. We even had the opportunity to dance on stage.
Next, we took a boat tour on the river that stretches through Tokushima. Thanks to the great weather, it was a lot of fun and we could see a lot of the city.
We had an even better view of the city when we took the cable car to Mount Bizan - translated as the "Eyebrow Mountain" - after the boat tour. The view from the top of the mountain was truly impressive! We could see the whole city from above, along with the surrounding countryside.

When we finally returned to the hotel after the long day, some of us immediately went to sleep because we are all so tired from the long journey and jet lag. We are suffering from constant fatigue and don't even know what time of day it actually is. The eight-hour time difference is really noticeable. Some of us have headaches, while others feel like everything is swaying.
Nevertheless, the experiences we are having here are priceless and we gladly accept that.