LastyearIhadawonderfulexperience.IwentonastudentexchangetoJapan.ItwasanexcitingtimeofmylifeandI      learnedmanythingsabouttheschoolsysteminJapan.IwasinGrade11,whichissecondyearofhighschoolinJapan,butIwasyoungerthanmostofmyclassmates.That’sbecauseJapanesechildrenenterfirstyearofelementaryschool(小学)inAprilfollowingtheirsixthbirthday.IstartedschoolwhenIwasstillfiveyearsold.
InJapan,Childrenattendelementaryschoolforsixyears,wheretheystudyJapanese,arithmetic,science,socialstudies,music,crafts,physicaleducation,andhomeeconomics(simplecookingandsewingskills).Duringtheirthreeyearsinmiddleschool,Englishisaddedtothislist.MostschoolshaveaccesstocomputersandtheInternet.
Theclassesinmyschoolseemedratherbigtome,around30studentsinatypicalhighschoolclass.Weatelunchintheclassroom,insteadofacafeteriaandenjoyedahealthy,nutritiousmealpreparedbytheschoolorbyalocal“schoollunchcentre”insteadofeatingthesame,drysandwicheseveryday.IreallyliketheJapaneseinterpretationofschoollunches.Ialsoenjoyedthefieldtripsandactivities.AtJapaneseschools,therearemanyschooleventsduringtheyear,suchasfielddaywhenstudentscompeteintug-of-war,fieldtrips,andartsandculturalfestivals.
小题1:ThewriterwenttoJapan_____lastyear.