Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Cupertino Schools: Monta Vista High students spent a week immersed in Japanese way of life – San Jose Mercury News

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Courtesy Sarah Finck/Jan. 2016 Students from Monta Vista Higher School recently went on a journey to Japan as section of an exchange student program through the Kakahashi Project. Chaperone and French Teacher Sarah Finck, left, enjoys a sushi lunch along with a host mother Masako Hago.

A group of 22 students at Monta Vista Higher School recently were invited to spend a week forever immersed in Japanese culture.

The Kakehashi Project, a program created to promote cultural exchange and create relationships between students knowing the Japanese language in the United States and students in Japan, decided on twenty Monta Vista students to experience life in Japan from Jan. 18-26.

The group, which visited destinations enjoy Tokyo and Sapporo, attended lectures regarding Japanese society, visited landmarks and museums, spent a day at a Japanese Higher school, and stayed along with a local family to experience the culture firsthand.

Most of the journey was free and was offered by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco. Students and chaperones received complimentary round journey worldwide plane tickets, overseas travel insurance and accommodations, dishes and transportation in Japan. The program is a coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the U.S. government.

“I’ve constantly had a fascination along with the beauty and complexity of the Japanese culture, yet a journey to this country was never ever financially possible,” said Alicia Marzolf, a junior. “Once I heard that I could travel along with school and have actually every one of expenses paid by the government, exactly how could I refuse? I jumped at the opportunity, and looking back, I’m truly glad that I did.”

Marzolf said the very best section of the journey was staying in the residence of Japanese hosts.

“It was interesting to tour Tokyo, however obtaining to remain in a residence along with a Japanese family truly opened my eyes to Japanese culture and day-to-day life. I felt that along with the residence stay, I got a ‘true Japanese experience,” she said.

Om Khandekar, a sophomore Japanese student, said he wasn’t sure exactly what to expect.

“The residence remain felt truly authentic of the Japanese culture we’ve been learning,” Om said. “It gave me the most brand-new experience. There were a great deal of manners. I come from an Indian family. I was not used to the etiquette called for at the [Japanese] dinner table.”

The journey was not necessarily a vacation, though.

“every one of the people from [Monta Vista] were rather lucky that we had this opportunity,” said Om. “It wasn’t merely sightseeing and tourist stuff. It additionally felt rather rigorous, and we were knowing the whole time.”

The students learned invaluable lessons from the experience.

“I was pleased to see that the students were using exactly what they learned in class to communicate along with their residence remain family and the Japanese Higher school students,” said Keiko Howard, a Monta Vista Japanese teacher that additionally went on the trip. “They learned something that couldn’t be learned from the textbooks in class, something much more personal that could only be learned from residence remain families and students in Japanese Higher schools.”

Immersion programs are a door to one more world, according to said Sarah Finck, chaperone and French teacher at Monta Vista. Finch was thrilled to hear regarding exactly what the students learned.

“As global communication and knowing becomes crucial for lots of occupation paths, it is ideal for students, early on, to get hold of from their comfort zone, attempt brand-new things, and see exactly what life resembles elsewhere, not merely as an English-speaking observer from the outside, however as somebody that can easily really comprehend where others are coming from,” she said.



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Cupertino Schools: Monta Vista High students spent a week immersed in Japanese way of life – San Jose Mercury News Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Blog baru

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