EAP Term 2 2025

One of my actions that affects the environment is using a car. When I am in Japan, I always need to drive because my hometown is very rural and it is almost impossible to go anywhere without a car. The car I use is not electric but a petrol one, which means I am constantly producing CO2 every time I drive. This issue has been pointed out for a long time, but in reality, it is still very difficult to change the situation. As a solution, I think it is important to be more careful about how often I drive. I would like to use trains as much as possible and choose other environmentally friendly options such as bicycles or public transport that do not produce CO2. By doing so, I hope I can contribute to a better environment.  

 The environmental problems such as climate change, pollution, deforestation, and overfishing are becoming more severe. The causes of these problems are humans’ everyday life actions. —emitting a huge amount of greenhouse gases and chemicals, and overconsuming. Actually, I have already tried to live an environmentally friendly life for the earth. I have been interested in environmental issues and concerned about the future of the planet since I was young. When I was an elementary school student, my family and I attended a conference about environmental issues. This event had a huge impact on the way we think, and after that we changed our lifestyles —we started to do everything in an eco-friendly way. For example, in terms of lifestyle, we started using natural and sustainable things instead of chemical ones such as plastics, generating energy by using solar power, buying sustainable products from sustainable stores, eating organic vegetables which were grown in our garden or in ...

      I usually use a lot of disposable items in my daily life. For example, when I go shopping, I often buy paper bags, and when I visit cafes, I tend to use disposable cups without thinking much about it. However, I’ve realised that these habits create a lot of waste and harmful to the environment.      To reduce my negative impact on environment, I’m trying to change my habits. These days, I bring my own reusable shopping bag and tumbler. It’s a small step, but I believe it can help make my lifestyle more sustainable and environmentally friendly. 

In my opinion, there are activities that I often do which can result in negative impacts to our environment without realizing their consequences. Therefore, these are examples of my daily routines that can lead to negative effects to our environment and my solutions to change my lifestyles to be more environmental friendly. The first routine is that I often buy a take away drink without bringing my own cup.  As cold drinks always come with plastic cups.  Therefore, I haven’t realized the importance of bringing my own reused cup in order to reduce the amount of plastic cup that I use.  However, now I have learned that some small actions can lead to a huge change in the future if I do it frequently.  Moreover, it’s better to start taking some small actions rather than doing nothing.  Therefore, I will try to often bring my own cup for take away or I will have a drink at the cafe instead of ordering a take away if I have some spare time. Another action is that so...

  Assess your personal impact on the environment. To what extent is it detrimental?  Describe what do you do that is negatively affecting the environment and how you could change your lifestyle so that it is more sustainable.                      I think my lifestyle likely has a negative impact on the environment in several key areas, as      Energy Consumption: Using electricity generated from fossil fuels for heating, cooling, and lighting in  home contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.     Transportation: Driving a gasoline-powered car that releases carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere and also has a significant carbon footprint.      Dietary Choices: A diet with a lot of meat, especially red meat, is resource-intensive. Livestock farming requires a large amount of land and water, and produces potent greenhouse gases like methane. ...

When I reflect on myself, I realize that many of my daily habits are still bad for the environment. I do not separate my trash that means waste cannot be recycled. At home, I always drink water from single-use plastic bottles instead of using a water filter. When I take a shower, I often let the water run for too long. These habits waste resources and create more plastic waste. To change my lifestyle and make it more sustainable, I need to change step by step. During this trip in New Zealand, I have learned to limit my showers to 10 minutes and save more water. Now, I am changing the way I take a shower. When I shower, I will try to close the tap whenever I am not using the water. Moreover, I always use a reuseable bottle instead of single-use plastic bottles for drinking water. Lastly, I need to start separating my trash at home. I believe that even small changes in my lifestyle can help reduce harm to the environment and make my daily life more sustainable.

When I assess my personal impact on the environment, waste is one of my main concerns. Living in Thailand, I am aware that we do not have effective waste management, for instance, separate bins for waste sorting are not always available, especially in night markets or among street vendors. Furthermore, Thailand also lacks strict regulations that address the waste problems compared to other countries. While there have been attempts to encourage reusable shopping bags over plastic ones, there are not enough incentives for people to practice proper waste sorting or make habitual changes in consumption. Since Thailand is famous for its food culture, I am aware that the food packages I buy are not designed with environmental concerns in mind. For instance, I can go to any market or coffee shop and receive plastic containers that I simply throw away when finished. Similarly, I can visit any convenient store or order food online for quick meals, then discard the container without much thought...

            I hardly ever separated my trash because I used to think that the garbage collectors were just going to mix it all together anyway.🚮 That was actually part of a bigger problem, contributing to climate change and air pollution . 😷💨 So, I’ll start separating recyclables , hazardous waste 💀, and items that can be reused. 🔄  I’ll also bring my own bag when I go shopping instead of using plastic bags . 👜 These are small steps, but they can make a meaningful difference.😇

When I think about my lifestyle, I know some of my habits negatively affect the environment. I still use too much plastic and often leave electronics running when I don’t need them . These small actions add up, creating more waste and emissions. But I also know I can change. By carrying a reusable bottle and bag, I can cut down on plastic bottles, cups, and shopping bags. I can also make the effort to switch off devices when I’m not using them, especially the TV and chargers. These may seem like small steps, but together they can reduce plastic waste, lower my carbon footprint, and help me live more sustainably.

 Despite having heard about environmental issues growing for a long time, to be honest, I never thought I should do something to stop them. I know in my head that I should avoid doing things that are bad for the environment, like actively using plastic products. But when the time comes, I end up thinking, “Oh well, it’s fine.” So, I want to not only think about solution but also take action. When I chose any resouses, I would like to chose sustainable products.

 Many of human activity affect negatively on the environment, and I reckon that some of my behaviour is also detrimantal. For example, when I was in Japan, I used to buy plastics bottle of water. Besides, I often had bought foods or treats which are wrapped with plastics wraps or bags, and thrown them away with less sorting.  Plastics are absolutely one of the caus e of environmental destruction and ocean pollution.  However, this bad habit has been improving since I moved to Dunedin. I always bring my water bottle, and I often have my shopping bags. Furthermore, I'm careful to sort waste  more strictly.  One of the reason my behaviour has changed is New Zealand residents and government work on conserving environment and it affect on my habit. To change the lifestyle more sustainable, I would like to keep doing these habit even I go back to Japan, and I would collect more information about environment or some tips to reduce harm. 

I think my lifestyle sometimes has a bad effect on the environment. For example, I usually use my car even for short trips. This makes more air pollution. I also buy drinks in plastic bottles and throw them away, and I always get plastic bag when I go to shopping,so I create more waste. These actions are harmful because they add to climate change and pollution. If many people do the same, the problem will become bigger. To live more sustainably, I could walk or take the public transportation instead of driving everywhere. I can also use a reusable bottle and shopping bag. These changes are small, but they can help the environment in the long term.

Assess your personal impact on the environment. To what extent is it detrimental?  Describe what do you do that is negatively affecting the environment and how you could change your lifestyle so that it is more sustainable. Title your post 'Taking Responsibility -- Your Name' & an add an image to illustrate your post.

  When I traveled to New Zealand for the first time, I was very surprised because of the big culture differences between Korea and New Zealand. Especially at the beginning of my trip, there were many situations where I felt panic because of culture shock. Now, I have been here for almost 10 months, so I usually don’t feel culture shock but sometimes I can find many interesting things in culture differences.   The first culture shock I experienced was the greeting culture. During my trip, many strangers said “Hi” and smiled at me. It was very surprising for me, because in Korea we usually don’t say “Hi” or smile at strangers. And when I greeted hotel staff and restaurant waiter, they always asked me “How are you?”, It was very interesting because in Korea we only say “Hi” very simply.  The second was about Maori culture. Before I visit New Zealand, I didn’t know about Maori culture, but as soon as I arrived at the airport, I could find a lot of Maori culture everywhere. Am...

  When I moved to New Zealand from Japan, I experienced culture shock for the first time in my life. Everything felt new and strange. I was excited, but at the same time, I felt confused and nervous. In this essay, I will describe the thing that shocked me the most, how I tried to overcome it, and how long it took to adjust. The biggest shock for me was the way people communicate, especially with teachers. In Japan, students show strong respect to their teachers. We use polite language, and we never call teachers by their first names. We need to call them by their surname with honorifics. However, in New Zealand, students speak very casually and often use the teacher’s first name. At first, I did not know how to act, and I felt uncomfortable in class. I was afraid to make mistakes and did not speak much. Another cultural difference was the food. New Zealand meals are different from Japanese meals. People eat more bread, meat, and dairy products. The taste was okay, but I missed Jap...

 I have been in New Zealand to study since this February. New Zealand is the first country outside of Japan I went. Thus, I have experienced many different customs from Japan, however, at the same time I have faced culture shock. Firstly, I have shocked at a lot of cultural differences from Japan. For example, people in New Zealand eat potatoes rather than rice. Although I could enjoy these differences in the first month, I began to struggle with differences especially in customs. For instance, there is little public transportation in Dunedin where I am staying, so it is inconvenient for me. In addition to the bus timetable, buses often come late or come too early. Consequently, I have missed a bus and waited for thirty minutes at a bus stop. It made me really irritated because I have never experienced them in Japan. Furthermore, I was also shocked that most of the shops and cafes close in the early time, and many Kiwi people go to bed early and wake up early. In contrast, many Jap...

       People are usually familiar with the culture that they grew up in since they were young but not with a new environment that they have never experienced.  As a result, when they go to study or work in a foreign country for a long period of time, they are likely to experience some culture shock during their first few days or months in that place.  In terms of my experience, what follows is my culture shock in New Zealand.      As I have stayed with a host family since I came to study English here in February 2025.  The most significant experience of culture shock for me was the custom or the way of having a meal at home with my host mother.  On the first day that we had dinner together, I noticed that there was a round table with two chairs and I thought we would sit there and have dinner together.  This was because in my culture, when it comes to a mealtime, especially dinner, my family and I always sit and hav...

  Today, I would like to describe what I felt shock the most in New Zealand. It is the food. I know that Japanese food and New Zealand food there is very different. However, they were more different than I expected. For example, the rice. Japanese rice are smaller than New Zealand’s, chewy and sweet. On the other hand, New Zealand’s rice are long and hard and I do not like taste. This was the most shocking experience for me and it really impressed on me the different between our cultures.               First, I think that a diet based on salt and sugar is different from Japanese. While Japan has a wide variety of dashi and seasonings, I realized that food in New Zealand is seasoned with only salt or sugar and so is bland, which do not suit me at all.               Second, there is a relatively high amount of oily food. For example, fish and chips. I ...

  Since I have lived in New Zealand for six months, I have experienced a lot of culture shock. I would like to mention some of these experiences this essay. I live with a homestay family, and it has been very interesting, but also challenging. Some of the biggest incidents culture shock I had have to with the lifestyle at home. In Japan, we usually don’t talk so much during meals. But my homestay family always talks a lot, and they ask me many questions. Initially, I was overwhelmed and I felt nervous. Also, they hug each other a lot and say I love you. In my family, we don’t do that, therefore, I felt surprised and a little bit uncomfortable. Additionally, in Japan, we usually eat rice, fish, and vegetables. But in New Zealand, people eat a lot of meat, potatoes, and breads. Although the taste is very good, not having rice makes me quite stressed. Moreover, they eat dinner very early, like at 6pm, and I was not hungry at that time. To deal with some of culture shock, I tried to un...

   The most shocking thing that I have experienced in New Zealand is leaving dish soap foam on dishes or plates after washing them. My host family doesn't always rinse detergent foam off, even if there is big foam on the plates. In Japan, people wash dish soap foam from plates with water.   4 years ago, my friend who studied in Ireland also experienced that her host family kept detergent foam on plates after washing them. It was a culture shock for her and she told me about it. So, I had thought that it was just Irish culture. However, there are the same customs in New Zealand. When I faced it here, I was very surprised.   Of course, I tried to deal with my culture shock. For instance, I talked about leaving dish soap foam on plates with my friends from Asian countries. They were also confused when they faced it for the first time. But from their point of view, this custom has come from attitudes toward water conservation. After listening to their explan...

Revise your essay about an experience of culture shock that you have had and then upload it to the blog, In addition, illustrate it with a relevant image. Title your post 'An Experience of Culture Shock -- Your Name.'

  My ideal school would be for parents like me who want to raise happy children. Being a parent does not need any certificate, but raising a child is the hardest thing. Even small habits, like liking spicy food, can affect a child’s life. I often feel nervous about whether I am teaching my child in the right way. I tell my child, “Wait for the green light,” but I still wish I could hold their hand every time. I also tell them, “Don’t climb high, it’s dangerous,” and then I worry I might make them afraid. Parenting always feels like standing between protecting and letting go. I imagine a school where parents can learn how to guide their children with love and patience. In that school, we could share our worries, practice real parenting, and learn from each other. If this school existed, parents would feel more confident, and children would grow up brave and loved.