Sophomore, exchange student host, and exchange student Audrey Swenson

What is the exchange program about?
It’s about creating new environments and exposing ourselves to new cultures. (Directors) have said multiple times it’s about creating lifelong new friends with people you are safe around. I have made so many friends from this experience and it’s very exciting.

What was it like when going to Japan? How did you immerse yourself in that culture?
It was really fun and immersing was even better, cause I was living at (host’s) house. So I got to try all their food and went to school with them. I saw how things were different, like the majority of the school was outside, and taking off my shoes and just using chopsticks all the time. My hands cramped a lot because of that, but it was so fun.

What culture changes did you see when visiting Japan?
The schools were crazy different. Instead of students moving from class to class, the teachers moved instead. The school is outside, there are special school shoes and the uniforms were crazy. In general people were a lot nicer and quieter, and everything was cleaner. The family environment was still very similar, and the houses were obviously smaller but something different was that (host’s) mom was always at home but she had a part time job.

Sophomore and exchange student host Georgia Estrada

How is it being a host for a Japanese exchange student?
It’s very fun, there are some points where it’s definitely more intense cause I don’t think people realize that (the exchange students) are new and they have never been here and they want to see so much and they want to see everything and it’s being engaged and understanding that they are new as well as for your studies you are not falling behind but it’s been very fun, getting to re-experience the things that I find mundane in my life with somebody who has never seen them.

What places did you visit together?
We have been going to many american restaurants like Bubs, we watched american sports, like the entire program went to watch a hockey game together. We did go to some japanese restaurants since we thought as a host family it was important to make sure that something feels familiar during the process. But mainly we just tried to expose (the exchange student) to things you generally can’t find in Japan cause that’s the goal.

Japanese exchange student Risa Aoki

What do you think about American Culture?
People here are very positive and talk a lot. In classes Japanese students don’t speak that much, but in America all the students speak and talk with each other, and discuss their answers.

In the places that you visited, what did you like the most?
Prom was very interesting, we don’t go to dance in Japan. Only adults can go to the clubs and highschool students can’t go to such places, so I had a good experience when we went.