JENESYS 2016 Day Three

We went to the Hokkaido Bank Curling Stadium and we had the opportunity to learn how to play the sport. The yellow and red stones on the ground were our way to score. We needed to push the stones as close as possible into the circle. The stones closest to the middle gets a point.

The coordinators taught us the proper stance and posture for curling. We were also given an equipment to place under our foot to slide. The game is much like bowling on ice.  

We were required to wear a helmet at all times whenever we are on the ice. They had very strict regulations; like not being allowed to wear leggings or thin clothes because the ice will melt. We also tried to clean the ice after we used it, although they cleaned it themselves afterward. Despite having quite a number of strict rules we had to follow, I think we all had a good time falling down on the ice! 

And here's a group photo of us with our Temasek Polytechnic friends and our coordinator!

We went to another hotel to eat our buffet lunch (the food consisted of mostly deep-fried food) and it was absolutely delicious! The hotel was nearby the sea and it was colder than most other places. 

                                          

The view near the hotel was absolutely stunning, this is the first time I've ever seen sea being frozen. I did not dare go closer to touch the ice, but it was a very pretty sight. We were even able to see native birds on the way to this place, which our coordinator mentioned that the swans were migrating from Russia.  

                                   

Next, we gathered at a conference hall with a the countries, including Japan. There were students from parts of Japan here to watch the performance. All the countries did a great job with their performance, and I'm sure I enjoyed them a ton! 

The last event was a social dinner. There was a band performing (and it was amazing) for us. They played a lot of upbeat songs which made the crowd hyped. We finally had a time to mingle around with other countries and also given a chance to talk with our Japanese friends and they prepared gifts like paper cranes and "business cards" for us!

The crowd was filled with people. We had learned a new dance: The Coconut Dance! An Egyptian teacher(?) came and helped along the little kids who sang and danced for us. It was a very nice experience to be able to meet so many people from different countries, different lifestyles, and different culture. Although today was pretty hectic, I had a very good time, though I wished the curling session was longer!