Here is a French Presentation about Hong Kong.
Bella Ciao essay — Tash Tailby-Faulkes (B)
This is an article written by Natasha Tailby-Faulkes that she wrote for the ISMLA writing competition in June.
BELLA CIAO
Il 25 aprile, 2020 l’Italia ha celebrato il 75° anniversario della Liberazione ‘a porte chiuse’ a causa dell’emergenza sanitaria.
Il 25 aprile di 75 anni fa gli Italiani si sono riversati per le strade per incontrarsi e festeggiare insieme. Dopo mesi di occupazione tedesca e vent’anni di fascismo, il paese era finalmente libero. Le fotografie in bianco e nero mostrano volti sorridenti e gruppi di giovani a braccetto, dimostrando il senso di unità di quel giorno, che continua ancora dopo molti anni. Quest’anno, tuttavia, è stato diverso.
75 anni dopo la Liberazione dall’occupazione nazi-fascista, gli italiani hanno celebrato l’evento nella sicurezza delle loro abitazioni, durante l’emergenza sanitaria del coronavirus. Gli italiani hanno festeggiato questa data significativa confinati nelle loro case.Sembra che, dopo quasi un secolo, il paese soffra per le restrizioni fisiche oggi più che mai. Si potrebbe pensare che quest’anno l’Italia sia stata derubata dell’opportunità di unirsi per ricordare l’oppressione e di essere grata per la sua libertà? O, invece, i tempi strani della pandemia hanno mostrato la determinazione e l’unità dell’Italia oggi?
Diversamente dalle fotografie emblematiche del 1945, le immagini del 25 aprile 2020 hanno mostrato un’Italia dalle piazze deserte, ma dietro quegli scatti c’era sempre la stessa forza e determinazione degli italiani di non arrendersi. L’immagine potente del Presidente della Repubblica, Sergio Mattarella, mascherato, da solo, mentre rendeva omaggio alla tomba del Milite Ignoto senza pubblico e con solo pochi giornalisti e fotografi è l’immagine della solidarietà che non solo ha reso omaggio ai soldati, ma che ha anche fotografato l’umore della nazione durante questo tempo. Tutti gli italiani hanno visto quest’immagine di Mattarella in questo giorno e ciò ha ricordato agli Italiani che se anche sono da soli, sono uniti nelle celebrazioni di questo giorno importantissimo. Il messaggio di Mattarella includeva le parole “l’Italia ha superato ostacoli che sembravano insormontabili” e sembra che il coronavirus sia un altro ostacolo che l’Italia supererà.
I cittadini italiani, sventolando il Tricolore dalle loro finestre, si sono sentiti uniti nella loro identità italiana, nonostante non fossero insieme fisicamente. In questo modo si vede come gli italiani, dopo tre quarti di secolo, continuano ad essere positivi durante i periodi difficili e come il senso forte dell’identità italiana rimarrà sempre.
Natasha Tailby-Faulkes has won the Sixth Form category for Italian in the 2020 Independent Schools’ Modern Languages Association Original Writing competition. Well done Tash!
Djibouti — Katherine Savage (E)
Japan Day 〜日本文化の体験〜 — Hikari Sugano (F)
We had a Japan day on 9th of October, and here is an article written by Japanese F block how she felt about the day.
先日、Fブロックのクラブの一環として、日本の文化について学ぶ講座がありました。その日の授業はすべて休みになり、日本の文化について、実際に体験して学びました。
はじめに行ったアクティビティは、日本映画『聲の形』の鑑賞です。この物語は、日本でも有名な作品で、耳の聞こえない少女といじめっ子の青春ラブストーリーなので生徒全員が共感安い作品だったと思います。言語は日本語、英語字幕で鑑賞しました。鑑賞後、聲の形についてのポスターを班に別れて制作しました。日本の文化について、他の国籍の生徒達も理解を深められたと思います。
午後には、全員で巻き寿司を作り、食べました。コロナウイルスの関係もあって、生の魚を使うことはできませんでしたが、酢飯と海苔で野菜を巻きました。その際に使った巻きすは、生徒にプレゼントされました。皆とても楽しんでいて、日本の文化に日頃ふれることができる日本人であることを誇りに思えました。
A few days ago, as part of our F-block enrichment, we had an Activities Day to learn about Japanese culture. All the classes were cancelled for the day, so the children learned about Japanese culture through hands-on experience. The first activity was to watch the Japanese movie “Silent Voice”. This is a famous film in Japan, which is a love story between a deaf girl and a bully. I think all the students could easily relate to it. We watched it in Japanese with English subtitles. After watching the film, we were divided into groups to make posters about the film. I think the students of other nationalities were able to deepen their understanding of Japanese culture. In the afternoon, all the students made and ate sushi rolls together. Due to the coronavirus, we couldn’t use raw fish, but we wrapped vegetables with sushi rice and seaweed. The rolls were given to the students as gifts. They enjoyed it very much and it made me proud to be a Japanese person who is able to experience Japanese culture on a daily basis.
Translation of German Poem — Harry Sparke
Die Lorelei
Heinrich Heine
Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten,
Dass ich so traurig bin;
Ein Märchen aus alten Zeiten,
Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.
Die Luft ist kühl, und es dunkelt,
Und ruhig fließt der Rhein;
Der Gipfel des Berges funkelt
Im Abendsonnenschein.
Die schönste Jungfrau sitzet
Dort oben wunderbar,
Ihr goldenes Geschmeide blitzet,
Sie kämmt ihr goldenes Haar.
Sie kämmt es mit goldenem Kamme
Und singt ein Lied dabei;
Das hat eine wundersame,
Gewaltige Melodei.
Den Schiffer im kleinen Schiffe
Ergreift es mit wildem Weh;
Er schaut nicht die Felsenriffe,
Er schaut nur hinauf in die Höh.
Ich glaube, die Wellen verschlingen
Am Ende Schiffer und Kahn;
Und das hat mit ihrem Singen
Die Lorelei getan.
The Lorelei
Translation by Harry Sparke
I don’t know what it should mean,
That I am so somber;
A fairytale from ancient times,
A tale I forever remember.
The darkening evening sky is cool,
And gently flows the Rhine.
The tops of the mountains sparkle
In the evening sunshine.
The fairest maiden sits,
Poised wonderfully up there,
Waving her glistening locks,
She combs her golden hair.
She combs it with a golden brush
And sings a song as well;
The melody has an awesome,
Powerful yet strange swell.
The sailor in a small boat
Is struck and with a curdling cry;
He looks not to the rocky reef,
But up at the merciless sky.
I do believe, the waves devour
The sailor, his boat, the cry;
And that is the effect of her singing
The lamentous Lorelei.
访谈:张老师/ Interview: Teacher Zhang – Cherry Chung (DB)
告诉我们一些关于你自己：
你好！我叫张阿梅，我是一名中文老师，我在拉格比学校教中文。我非常喜欢我的职业，因为我喜欢教学生。跟学生在一起，我会觉得我年轻了很多。
你为什么要在这个学校教书呢？
作为一名教师，能在一个有活力和挑战的学校工作是无比幸福的事情。由于拉格比学校历史悠久，校园的气氛和谐，老师们都很尽职，而且学生们不但非常努力，态度也很端正。
当你是我年龄的时候，你的理想是什么？
当我在中学的时候，我希望中学毕业以后我能去一个好的大学，学习我想学的专业，然后有一个好的工作。
你为什么决定当老师呢？
我觉得老师是一个很神圣的职业，因为做老师可以教书育人，尤其当看到学生有进步和取得好成绩时非常开心。当老师不仅能传授给学生知识，而且也可以让自己的知识发挥得更好。
学中文重不重要？
我认为学中文非常重要，因为中文现在是世界上说的最多的一种语言，而且中国是一个具有五千多年历史的文明古国。中文对学生来说是一个用处非常广的一门学科。在将来以后的选择工作上，应该会有更大的发展空间。
在将来，你最想做的事情是什么？
在将来，我希望去很多不同的国家旅游，这样让我了解更多国家的风俗习惯和历史。
Tell us a bit about yourself:
Hello! My name is Amy Zhang, I am a Chinese teacher, I teach Chinese at Rugby School. I really like my job because I like to teach students. When I am together with students, I will feel that I am a lot younger.
Why did you want to teach at this school?
As a teacher, it is extremely happy to work at such a vibrant and challenging school. Due to the long history of Rugby School and the harmonious atmosphere on campus, the teachers are very dedicated, but not only do the students work very hard, but they also have a good attitude.
When you were my age, what was your ideal job?
When I was in high school, I hoped that I could go to a good university, and study the major I want to study, after that, have a good job.
Why did you decide to become a teacher?
I think that being a teacher is a very sacred profession because being a teacher can teach and educate people, especially when I see students make process and get good grades, I am very happy. Being a teacher can not only teach students knowledge, but it also expands your own knowledge even more.
Is learning Chinese important?
I believe that learning Chinese is very important because Chinese is now one of the world’s most spoken language and China is an ancient civilization with a history of more than 5,000 years. In terms of students, Chinese is a very broad subject. In the future, there should be more room for development in future selection work.
In the future, what is something you most want to do?
In the future, I hope to travel to many different countries, so that I can learn more about the customs and history of the countries.
Spanish Poster After Coronavirus — Mariella Satow (LXX)
In Citta Gireremo Cosi? — Katherine Savage, Miranda Robertson, Skye Slatcher
Here is a collaborative translation of an article about a prediction of what travel will look like in the future, from Italian to English.
| In città gireremo così?»: la copertina della Domenica del Corriere del 1962 che anticipa la mobilità di oggi | ‘Will we go around the city like this one day?’: the cover of the Domenica del Corriere from 1962, which anticipated today’s travel |
|---|---|
| Le «Singolette» che si muovono nel traffico, illustrate da Walter Molino, appaiono «profetiche». In tempi di emergenza coronavirus ricordano l’importanza di ridisegnare gli spostamenti urbani, dalle nuove norme per i mezzi pubblici alle piste ciclabili | The ‘Singlets’ that move in traffic, illustrated here by Walter Molino, seem almost ‘prophetic’. In the times of the Coronavirus emergency, they remind us of the importance of redesigning urban travel, from new rules for public transport to cycle paths. |
| Sono passati 58 anni, ma quell’immagine sembra scattata nel traffico delle grandi città di oggi. L’illustrazione «In città gireremo così?», firmata da Walter Molino e pubblicata sulla copertina de La Domenica del Corriere del 16 dicembre 1962, mostra alcune «singolette» mentre si muovono in città. Ma di cosa si tratta? | 58 years have passed, but that image seems to have been taken from today’s traffic in the big cities. The illustration, entitled ‘Will we go around the city like this one day?’, signed by Walter Molino and published on the cover of the Domenica del Corriere on the 16th December 1962, shows many ‘singlets’ moving through a city. But what is it about? |
| Piccole vetture che trasportano il passeggero in piedi, lo isolano dall’esterno e occupano poco spazio, andando incontro anche al problema della carenza di parcheggi. A qualcuno, forse, ricorderanno il Segway, il due ruote elettrico inventato da Dean Kamen nel 2001. All’epoca il disgeno di Molino voleva raccontare una «futuristica» soluzione al traffico delle grandi città, come chiarito anche nella didascalia: «Ecco come potrebbe essere alleggerito il traffico nelle città. Anziché le attuali e ingombranti vetture, delle minuscole auto monoposto che occupano una minima superficie e che potrebbero essere battezzate singolette». | They are small carries carrying a standing passenger, isolating them from the outside world and taking up little space, also resolving the issue of a lack of parking spaces. Perhaps, some people may be reminded of the Segway, the electric two-wheeler, invented by Dean Kamen in 2001. At the time, Molino’s design was intended to capture a ‘futuristic’ solution to the traffic in larger cities, as he clarified in the caption: ‘Here is how traffic in cities could be eased. Instead of the current, bulky cars, they are tiny, single-seater cars that occupy a minimal surface area, which could be called ‘singlets’. |
| Una nuova mobilità Vista oggi, in tempi segnati dall’emergenza sanitaria, quest’immagine torna a farci riflettere. Il lockdown imposto in tutto il mondo per fermare la diffusione del Covid-19 si è rivelato — infatti — positivo in termini di inquinamento atmosferico (qui lo studio), e ha portato molte amministrazioni a ridisegnare gli spostamenti urbani, dalle nuove norme per i mezzi pubblici alle piste ciclabili provvisorie (come nel caso di Milano), dalla programmazione delle corse (ripensando agli orari per evitare congestioni nelle ore di punta) al potenziamento della sharing mobility come alternativa sostenibile all’auto privata. | A new way of travelling As seen today, in times marked by the current health emergency, this image calls us to reflect again. The global lockdown imposed to stop the spread of Covid-19 turned out to be positive in terms of atmospheric pollution and led many governments to redesign their urban travel, from new rules for public transport to provisional cycle paths (for example in the case of Milan), from the rescheduling of buses (rethinking the timetables to avoid congestion during rush hour) to the enhancement of shared travel, as a sustainable alternative to private cars. |
Bruxelles — Jimmy Scanlon (E)
French Song — Louisa Roberts and Skye Maillot (F Block, S)
Here is an original song created by Louisa and Skye as a class project, with accompanying images.