Japanese exchange students came to Poly on Friday, March 20 and Monday, March 23, from the Happy Science Academy Kansai, Junior and Senior High School in Shiga, Japan. Coming from a total high school/middle school population of 500 people, many were surprised by not only the size of the student population, but the size of the school itself.
“It’s always fun when Japanese students come to Poly, “ said Senior Tanya Nguyen, “We get to talk about how different our school lives are–though some things, like how much we hate homework, don’t change.”
Though the students were only here for two days, they were able to experience our Intercultural Faire, in which they were able to watch various performances and try a diverse array of food.
“I love how every little thing, whether it was something as small as walking in between classes to watching the dances performed on the rally stage, made the students really excited,” said junior Michaela Vazquez. “I just thought that was really cute.”
Many students within the Japanese department were given the opportunity to have a Japanese shadow for a day.”It was great having shadows from Japan,” said freshman Timothy Haneji, a native speaker currently in Japanese 5-6 Honors. “It was also a nice experience being able to speak and converse in Japanese- I’m looking forward to having them come next year!”
Despite the obvious language barrier, students taking Japanese from all levels tried their hardest to not only communicate with but befriend the Japanese students. Though both sometimes struggled to understand one another, many were able to get their points across.
“The thing I like best about our exchange programs is that both sets of kids benefit from it,” said Japanese 3-4, 5-6 Honors, and AP teacher Susan Watson. “While the Japanese students are able to experience ‘typical’ American high schools and ‘typical’ American students, our students are able to experience what it’s like to talk to a real Japanese people,” added Watson.
On Monday, the Japanese students played dodgeball in the field with Kawasaki Sensei’s Japanese 5-6 students, which was an exciting bonding experience between the two groups. “Kawasaki Sensei said that dodgeball was really popular in Japan, and when I saw them, I could see what she meant; they were really good!” said junior Azalia Avellan.
Sophomore Shuusei Yoshida, another 5-6 Honors student and native speaker said,“When all of the Japanese shadows came to Poly, it reminded me so much of Japan and it made me feel like I was back home.”
When asked about our schools exchange programs, Watson said, “These kinds of exchange programs are rewarding and are experiences of a lifetime!”
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