Click here to view photos from the trip<\/a><\/b><\/p>\nAuburn High School student Kyle Cheney, 15, summed up similar feelings, in an interview after returning home.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth our cultures are different,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we\u2019re the same people.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the kind of realization organizers of this summer\u2019s cultural exchange to Tamba say they want students to have.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey meet, and even though their histories and cultures are so different, they really have a lot in common,\u201d said Dave Mortenson, chair of the Kent Sister Cities program. Mortenson\u2019s organization operates in unison with the Auburn Sister City program to make the youth-ambassador program a reality.<\/p>\n
The program consists of a two-way swap with families on both sides of the Pacific – a group of teens from the Tamba region of Japan stay with local families in the Kent and Auburn areas, and then those teens\u2019 families in Japan open their homes in similar fashion to the students from the families here.<\/p>\n
Operating with two chaperones (one of whom was this reporter), the American group was following up on an visit to the area in July by four Japanese students and their chaperones. During their stay in the Puget Sound area, the Japanese delegation was treated to a variety of activities acquainting them with America – visits to area landmarks like Pike Place Market and the Space Needle, and a true American pastime that draws plenty of Japanese interest – a Mariners\u2019 game.<\/p>\n
In similar fashion, the group of nine American students got a firsthand look at what it\u2019s like to grow up in Japan.<\/p>\n
Raw fish and all.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night there was sashimi,\u201d Ryan said in an interview during the trip, taking a break from her visit with the family of student Yuka Hashima.<\/p>\n
Of the Japanese delicacy, which consists of raw fish, Ryan expressed some trepidation, but handled it okay.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a little different,\u201d she said. \u201cThe texture threw me off. But it\u2019s not bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also was touched by the generosity of her family.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey took me shopping for a yukata (a cotton summer kimono),\u201d she said. \u201cThat was really special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Auburn High School student Christina Jones, 15, said during the trip that she was getting on well with her family, but the most challenging person to communicate with was the youngest brother of her exchange sister.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t understand English at all,\u201d said Jones, who like the other students in her group has been studying Japanese, but found it difficult at times to use in regular conversation.<\/p>\n
But it didn\u2019t take the American teen and the Japanese boy long to find common ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cI played video games with him,\u201d Jones explained.<\/p>\n
Kent resident Alex Hwang, who attends a transitional school through the University of Washington, said during a break in the trip that he was amazed at the generosity of his host family, in spite of language barriers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re wonderful at interpreting what you want to do,\u201d he said, noting that electronic dictionaries were proving very helpful. \u201cThey\u2019re just so hospitable. \u201c<\/p>\n
The host families, for their part, seemed equally enthused about their American guests.<\/p>\n
Yoko Kashi, who opened her home to Kent-Meridian High School student Dexter Lesaca III, said Lesaca was a big hit in her house, especially with her children.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy home is very small,\u201d she said, noting that with the sleeping arrangements it required, her youngsters were fighting over who got to sleep closer to Lesaca.<\/p>\n
There was also an incident involving Lesaca, a cat, and somebody\u2019s head, but Kashi laughed it off as a funny antic, and made it clear she enjoyed the American teen\u2019s energy.<\/p>\n
In addition to the casualness of their home stays, the American teens and their chaperones also had their share of formal events to attend.<\/p>\n
The most prominent of those took place Aug. 11, and consisted of a presentation to the mayor of Tamba City, Jyugoro Tsuji.<\/p>\n
In an event that was covered by the local Japanese press, chaperone Jim Isom presented Tsuji with a document from the cities of Auburn and Kent, agreeing to continue to pursue a formal sister-city agreement between the three cities.<\/p>\n
Tsuji and his officials also heard presentations in Japanese by the American students, as well as speeches from a variety of officials gathered for the event.<\/p>\n
He also shared his thoughts on the visit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope your visit will enable you to broaden your international experience,\u201d Tsuji said. \u201cI firmly believe your experience will serve as a precious memory that will last a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also opened up the meeting to questions from the students. They were happy to oblige him.<\/p>\n
Jones asked him if he planned to visit America anytime soon, to which Tsuji answered he hadn\u2019t yet decided, but expressed hope he would someday be able to.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the mayor comes to Washington, he could stay at my house,\u201d piped up Amy Chung, 15, a Kentridge High School student.<\/p>\n
The American delegation also took trips to the larger cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, in addition to visiting a number of local high schools and junior high schools, as well as being guests at several banquets and picnics.<\/p>\n
But the youngsters were equally enthused about coming home to their families. On Aug. 17, they were treated to a emotional homecoming at SeaTac Airport, following a 10-hour flight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI miss him – he was gone for 10 days,\u201d said Shirley Hwang, Alex\u2019s mother, after reuniting with her jet-lagged son at the airport.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a good experience,\u201d she said, noting Alex might look at his own world a little differently now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he should appreciate home more.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Pictures:<\/a><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was a typical day in a typical junior high school.
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