 Dorm rooms have beds, desks, and shelves, but no TV. English is "team taught" by a Japanese and native-speaking teacher to give even beginners a feel for talking in English. Works of art by students are found all over the campus. Rugby is a school sport, and the high school team has won the national championship. Club
Activities <=
Yuta Terunuma |
Meikei
High School
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A Dorm Student's Day
Meikei High School has a dormitory. About 170 students currently live there, including those whose parents have been transferred abroad and whose homes are far away. Two to three students share each room, which is furnished with bunk beds and a closet. There are also study desks and bookshelves, along with space for students to study or chat together. Surprisingly, though, the rooms have no television. "I was surprised when I first found out that there's no TV here, but I've gotten used to it." The students don't seem to mind not having a TV that much.
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teacher also lives with his family in the dorm masters' quarters. He watches
over the students' daily affairs, from keeping track of their allowances
to helping them relax on sleepless nights.
Yuta Terunuma, Ryosuke Hoshijima, and Ruiko Nishida are eighth graders who moved into the dorm in April 1999. Let's spend a day at the dorm with them.
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Ruiko Nishida |
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Ryosuke Hoshijima |
Dorm students wake up at 6:15
a.m. "There aren't any alarm clocks; whoever is on duty that week goes
around waking everyone else up," explains Yuta. Until 6:45 it's time for
morning exercise, and the students do some light exercise or go on walks.
After that, they clean up each floor, including the toilets and hallways.
Then they have breakfast at 7:30 and attend their first class at 8:30.
After classes end at 4:00 p.m., they have free time.
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rom 7:30 in the evening it's
study time. The students read, do their homework, or sometimes play cards.
They go to bed between 10:00 and 11:00 at night. The flow of time is regulated.
"Although it's tough having to wake up early even on holidays, it's more
fun than being at home because I'm with many friends," says Ryosuke. His
home is in Kagawa Prefecture, more than 800 kilometers (497 miles) away
from Tsukuba, so he can go home only about three times a year. At Meikei,
though, he gets to live with a very large "family."
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Dinner begins at 6:00 p.m.
Today's menu is tuna baked with miso (bean paste) topping, grated white
radish with young sardines, simmered vegetables, miso soup, rice, and
fruit salad. "The most popular dishes are udon (thick Japanese noodles),
ramen (thinner Chinese-style noodles), and rice dishes with various
toppings," says Ruiko. "But what I really look forward to is going home
twice a month and eating my mom's dishes."