Imagine trying to explain Palm Sunday, Easter, and why we color and hide eggs and chocolate bunnies to someone from Japan—make that a high school student, excited to spend their spring break on their first visit to America, and just a little jet-lagged. They also are your house guest or classmate for two weeks.
Fourteen families of Saint Bernard School students had that experience recently, hosting 16 students and two teachers from high schools in the Nagano Prefecture of Japan for part of a 15-day tour and home stay. The local host families were from East Lyme, Ledyard, Mystic, New London, Waterford, and surrounding communities.
The visiting Japanese students were 16 and 17 years old, in their junior year in high school. The program was organized by the Center for International Training (CIT), a Connecticut-based nonprofit exchange organization founded by East Lyme High School graduate Robert Brown. Over the past 20 years, CIT has offered many different types of international exchange programs to the U.S., U.K., New Zealand, Australia, and Canada for thousands of students from across Nagano and other parts of Japan.
Southeastern Connecticut is a popular and convenient tour for the Japanese students, providing proximity to New York City, Boston, and several Ivy League schools, as well as welcomed hometown experiences with families of students attending area high schools.
“Their language has really increased in these 10 days,” said Bob Daly, the father of David, a senior, and Michael, a junior, at St. Bernards and host of two Japanese youths, Ikuma Aoki and Takashi Hirakakiuchi.
“At first, you could tell by their faces they clearly had no idea what we were saying,” said Daly, who puts a decidedly New England “r” on the end of many words that end in a vowel, “but by the end of the stay, it has been very impressive to see how much they have picked up.”
One of the American words that particularly stumped the visitors was “sarsaparilla.”
“I got to see how they write in Japanese and tried it. It was pretty cool,” said Bobby Daly, an eighth-grader.
“They all play soccer,” he added.
The Daly family, of Willimantic, had no problem staging impromptu international soccer matches in their yard. Five family members have graduated from St. Bernards. The family also is hosting Kyu-Min Lee from Korea, a student at the school for two years.
Caitryn Gustafson and her parents, Meg and John, who live in Windham, enjoyed serving traditional American breakfasts to their guest, Kiwa Yamaoka. The girls also enjoyed doing some shopping, a multicultural experience that apparently knows no boundaries.
“Everything here is large,” said Yamaoka, who got to experience the contrasts of bustling New York City and rural Connecticut.
“They’re really good at baseball,” said student Tara O’Conner, also of Windham, who hosted Mayumi Fujihira. The girls attended pottery classes together, where Mayumi demonstrated her abilities.
The exchange also gave a chance for Japanese and American students to compare notes on school and homework.
“They go to school so much longer than us each day and all year round,” said Kerry McBroome of Plainfield, who hosted Mikako Komatsu. But the Japanese students estimated they spent only an hour on homework each evening.
McBroome and Komatsu enjoyed shopping, going the aquarium, and taking in Hairspray and Grease at the Garde Arts Center.
One of the program’s objectives was for the Japanese students to experience attending American high school classes. This was a chance for those who aspire to attend college in the U.S. to see how, at least, high school classes are taught. They also attended their own English as a Second Language courses during the stay.
Brothers Alex and Zach Yakaitis of Mystic hosted two students, Hideo Watanobe and Ryosuke Kobayashi. The boys all decided they take school pretty seriously.
“They liked my American AP History and Consumer Economics classes,” said Zach, a junior.
The Connecticut youths were surprised to learn that teenagers can’t drive in Japan—20 is the legal age for driving, and it’s not an automatic expectation to get a car. Instead, their guests ride bicycles to school every day.
The home-stay was a new experience for many students and families at St. Bernard’s, many of whom had participated in the hosting program before, about 10 years ago. With about 500 students from sixth to 12th grades, the school let families with students from all grades participate.
The visitors also squeezed in trips to see historic and tourist sites in Connecticut, Boston, and New York City. Sightseeing in New York City included a tour of the United Nations, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.
In Boston, they toured Harvard, MIT, the Boston Commons, Old North Church, and, of course, Fenway Park.
In Connecticut they toured the Connecticut state Capitol, the Mark Twain House, and Yale. The students’ host families were encouraged to come along on the trips around the state and to Boston.
“Our students have really enjoyed it, but it has been a great cultural shock,” said Hiroshi Hyodo, one of the Japanese teachers on the visit. He teaches English grammar and office management in Japan.
On the final evening of the exchange, the Japanese students hosted a Sayonara Party potluck dinner for guests and families. The students treated their hosts to a traditional Japanese tea service and taught them how to make origami or folded paper design, how to write their names in Japanese calligraphy, and play with traditional Japanese toys.
“It’s been a great experience,” said Kathy Irr, director of campus ministry, who hosted the two visiting Japanese teachers at her home.
“An added and unexpected benefit was how our students, from different classes, came together to serve as hosts,” said Irr. “Some of our parents didn’t know each other before the exchange, either.”
Many of the Japanese visitors got to experience Palm Sunday and Easter services with practicing Catholic families.
“It was a linguistic challenge to explain the observances of Holy Week to them,” Irr said. “I’m sure it was unique for both hosts and our guests.”
For more information about CIT, contact Arlene Brown in Niantic at 739-4686 or abrown13@earthlink.net.