On Thursday, May 2,  the students taking Japanese had the chance to learn calligraphy from the visiting Japanese students. For most SHS students it was the first time to try calligraphy and they looked nervous in the beginning about writing Japanese characters with a brush. After learning the basics strokes, they practiced writing simple characters such as 木 (tree), 火 (fire), and 日 (sun). Some students learned from the Japanese students how to write more complicated characters such as 桜 (cherry blossom) and 愛(love).  Shodo (the way of writing) is one way for them to experience a different culture but also to express themselves in their own way.