Senior Ismail Kheiri’s decision to host an exchange student in this school’s Japanese exchange program was sparked by his own previous experience as an exchange student, along with a personal curiosity

“I’ve always been interested in foreign language and I’ve wanted to visit Japan since I was young, which drew me to the program,” Kheiri said. “When I visited Japan, I became very close with my host student and wanted to share the same experience with a student coming here.”

According to Karis Ho, program co-chair and sophomore, the Japanese exchange program is a mutual exchange of students between this school and its sister school Seikyo Gakuen, a private middle and high school located in Kawachinagano City. 

“The students from our sister school at Seikyo come and get matched with a student here—that’s their host student—and we just take them along through our school day,” Ho said. “We take them to activities like hockey games, go shopping with them, and they just live life with us.”

Connecting cultures

Matthew Cinkoske, exchange program committee member, said the primary purpose of the program was creating connections across cultural divides and finding common ground.

“Our slogan is Friends are friends forever,” Cinkoske said. “[The program] is not just about intercultural exchange, but it’s about trying to make friendships that bridge between cultures.”

According to Ho, one of the factors which determined student pairings was common interests; she said despite some differences, because of these shared interests, she found it relatively easy to become close with the exchange students.

“Me, my friends and the girls that we got matched with all really like shopping, and they were into badminton and sports and things like that. Obviously it didn’t align perfectly with the sports I’m into, but it was still very similar,” Ho said. “And, you know, they’re girly, and they want to do fun, American things like we do, so it was super easy and really fun to connect with them.”

Kheiri said he learned a lot about daily life in Japan through his exchange student; additionally, he said he taught his student a great deal about his life and found several discrepancies.

“I got to learn a lot of Japanese slang and how the education system works there,” Kheiri said, “and we shared our own plans for the future and how work life in Japan differs a lot from America. Japanese students spend a lot more time at club activities and studying for exams.”

Ho said the cultural difference she was most surprised by was how polite and courteous the students were.

“Obviously, people tell you [Japanese] culture is more polite and it’s rude to even say no,” Ho said, “but the amount of times they would say ‘thank you’ was really surprising, even for random things like sending them a photo. It’s just a lot more than I would expect.”

Kheiri said despite these differences, he felt connected to his exchange student through events and daily life.

“I saw the Japanese students really loved experiencing an American school dance, which they don’t have in Japan,” Kheiri said. “My exchange student, Takumi, said before the prom he was Japanese, but during it he was American.”

Building lasting relationships

On top of improving her proficiency in Japanese, Ho said one of the most important lessons she learned from her experience was how to find commonalities and friendship with others across cultural contrasts.

“I learned a lot about their language, their culture, but also things like how to connect with people,” Ho said. “At first it was kind of awkward because of the language barrier and because we didn’t know each other, but then you learn how to communicate across that barrier, find common interests, and just really learn how to connect with them.”

Similarly, Kheiri said the circumstances required him to explore new ways of conversing.

“I learned a lot about accommodating for guests and how to communicate when there’s a clear language barrier,” Kheiri said. “We often had to use hand signals or describe certain words using minimal language to communicate.”

Cinkoske said the challenge to communicate with their exchange student was a common obstacle students faced and overcame. 

“Some of [the students] still struggle with speaking and communicating in some ways,” Cinkoske said, “and so you have to figure out what they’re trying to say and they have to figure out how to communicate with you and vice versa.”

Kheiri said he made lasting connections through the program, not only with his exchange student but with others as well.

“This program has built so many new friendships, ones I will definitely carry for life,” Kheiri said. “When you’re living with someone and taking them through your daily routine, you become close very quickly.”

Cinkoske said the program held countless opportunities, not only to learn new skills, but ultimately to form lasting friendships and bonds.

“For some people who’ve been involved in the program, they’ve gone and lived in Japan, studied there, made friends there and still keep in contact with people; I know some people that have gone to weddings,” Cinkoske said. “It’s changed the whole trajectory of their lives.”