Osaka, Japan to Elk Grove, California

The Elk Grove School District hosted 30 students and 3 chaperones in Northern California from March 12-26, 2011.  They all participated in a very productive program that included language, culture, and traditional art classes as well as outings and varied activities with their host families.  The students attended daily classes at the schools, where they studied American history, English language, and participated in extracurricular activities.  During the weekends they had the opportunity to visit the sites of northern California, including the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, where they were honored at an official reception at the State Capitol and toured the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

Program Reflections
 

“I enjoyed this trip very much. I went to the Capitol and the California History Museum. I learned that there were many places only unique to California, and I couldn’t see similar places in Japan. I was also surprised at the cultural differences between America and Japan. During the visit to the Capitol surprisingly what I enjoyed the most was to listen to many people’s speech. Especially, the Japanese diplomat’s speech was great. I was uncertain about my future, but his speech gave me the idea about my future. He showed me the possible career using English language. So over all this trip was a great learning experience!”

-Sho Yamamoto, Japanese student

“I can tell the exchange students enjoyed themselves because they seemed like they had a great time during the trip. What I enjoyed most was the idea of meeting new people from across the world. To meet people from different country, a different lifestyle, and a different background definitely made the trip worthwhile”

-Dat Truong, Florin High School Student

“The reception was wonderful. Students, teachers, and the International Relations department gave amazing and heart-felt speeches and I think the students really understood how vital this program is. An ambassador from the Japanese embassy in San Francisco described how he was part of a similar program when he was in high school and how profound an effect it had on his life, and I think students really got to see the program’s importance through his speech”

-Ms. Hamilton, teacher