Grace Na

On Aug. 7, the closing ceremony started off with drinks and pizza handed off to the Japanese delegates. Once the Bonita Vista High (BVH) student hosts got their pizza, they were given the time to bond and eat before the delegates received certificates for the completion of their studying abroad program.

Hugs, gifts and meaningful goodbyes are exchanged in the Bonita Vista High (BVH) cafeteria on Aug. 11, as the Japanese delegates part ways with their student hosts. On Aug. 7, BVH welcomed a group of 35 Japanese delegates who would spend a week attending BVH as a part of a foreign exchange program with EduAbroad, an organization that gives students the opportunity to study abroad in America. Each delegate received an American student host to guide them through their time at the school. The delegates’ week to study abroad at BVH concluded with a ceremony during the sixth period, in which they sat and ate pizza with their host, received a certificate for their completion of the program and were given a BVH Barons T-shirt.

The closing ceremony marked the end of a very unique experience for the students. Hosts such as sophomore Jewel Lasig were inclined to guide a delegate because it would allow her to connect with someone from another culture. 

“I enjoyed my week with my Japanese delegate. When I saw the opportunity to tour students from Japan [around school], I immediately took the opportunity. I wanted to have the experience of making friends and talking with new people that aren’t from the U.S.,” Lasig said.

Saying goodbye was no easy task for the delegates and their hosts. Many of the hosts formed close bonds with their delegates after spending the week at school together. Delegate host and senior Amelie Juneau shares how hosting Japanese delegate Shizuka Yoshitn made class time more enjoyable.

“I’m going to miss having her as a buddy during class. Sometimes there’s quiet time, so me and her try to talk to each other,” Juneau said. “It was nice that we got to know each other, and I could help her out with class, but it’s sad that she’s leaving.” 

Attendance Coordinator and Math Resource teacher Christina Ada was the liaison between EduAbroad and BVH. She was responsible for pairing the delegates with hosts, as well as the opening and closing ceremony for the delegates. Ada explains that one way delegates were able to connect with their hosts was through shared interests. After the delegates and hosts completed Google Forms describing their interests, the delegates were paired with BVH students who shared their interests.

“I tried to match up some of their likes, favorite subjects, and favorite foods so that they had some things in common because the goal for the Japanese delegates to come is to practice their English,” Ada said. “This way, they have something that they can try to talk about with vocabulary that they’re already familiar with.”

Lasig says that she and her Japanese delegate were able to build a friendship over the similarities they discovered about each other. Lasig shares how having these similarities allowed them to create memories such as dancing together in Physical Education (P.E.) class.

“We found out we have similar music tastes and dance styles. I especially enjoyed it when I had dance P.E. with her and she decided to join in and dance with the rest of the class,” Lasig said.

Common interests also stood out in Juneau and her delegate’s friendship. Reflecting on her experience hosting a Japanese delegate last year compared to this year, Juneau highlights the difference having similar interests can make when trying to connect with someone from a different culture.

“The delegate I hosted this year was more similar than [my previous delegate] last year. I think that made it a lot easier to bond at the start when there’s this language barrier but I still enjoyed both experiences,” Juneau said.

While the Japanese delegates will be missed, Ada reflects on the impactful experience this offered students. Hosting students coming from a drastically different background offered a challenge in communicating with a language barrier. However, Ada believes BVH students were successful in forming new bonds despite this.

“It’s always a good idea to be exposed to other cultures because it reminds us of how great differences in cultures can be,” Ada said. “When there’s a language barrier, you have to do your best to communicate and make other people feel included. I think our BVH students did an amazing job of that and there were some new friendships made.”