It was twenty years ago TODAY!!

It was 1989 that MIHI SHINODA first came to Dominion English Schools. She came and stayed a year in New Zealand, wanting to truly give herself a good base in English before she went back home to Japan. She stayed in one homestay family in St Heliers Bay the whole time she was here, making firm lasting friendship with her homestay mother. Miho made friends at Dominion from all over the world. She made friends for life from Japan and still is in touch with some. She made friends with New Zealanders as well and has maintained contact with them ever since her visit.

Last week she came back to study again at Dominion English Schools – Auckland Twenty years later!!!

This time she brought her 13 year old daughter Shizune. Unfortunately the two could only stay here with us for 1 week, but her plans in the future are to bring Shizune again and when her younger daughter Ibuki is old enough to join our programmes, she too will join the school.

At Dominion last week Miho met one of the teachers who taught her 20 years ago (Alyson Craig) It was really exciting to go back and look through the old copies of the school magazine that have survived since then and YES!! We found photos of her, twenty years younger…in her Level 6 class……photos of her friends and teachers that she remembers so well! She also caught up with Zane Williams who is still around too….organising the best activities and excursion programme any language school ever had – he remembered Miho too. We remembered Miho because she stayed and studied a long time with us…and she stood out then as a special person, really interested in her New Zealand experience, working hard on her English and enjoying herself all the way! It was great to see you again Miho – part of the big Dominion family.