The trip to Minami Alps City in the prefecture of Yamanashi, Japan was provided by Sister Cities of Marshalltown. Exchange Director Kris Alman said the journey is enriching to students.

“It is a two-year program. During year one, students from Minami Alps City visit Marshalltown for 10 days. They stay with a host family with a child who is 12 or 13 years old,” Alman said. “We plan activities that have a mixture of art, history, culture and fun. In year two, Marshalltown students visit Minami Alps City. The mission is to build bridges between cultures and build leadership skills in participants.”

Where the students go is somewhat determined by their host families, but all the experiences build the Iowa students’ knowledge of Japanese culture.

Examples include visiting a tourist area near the legendary Mt. Fuji, checking out a high-speed train, learning calligraphy and more.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Local students stand in front of a Mt. Fuji visitor station. Pictured, from left: Ian Meyer, Brooke DeJong, Tarryn Bell, Kaisa Stanley and Maeve Janssen.

“On the family weekend we went to Toyko. I enjoyed visiting the fire station and seeing the differences in Japanese fire trucks and ambulances compared to the ones in America,” said West Marshall freshman Brooke Doug. “This was my first time to a foreign country. Everyone is so nice I’m surprised how many speak English. I would love to learn Japanese.”

Kaisa Stanley, a Marshalltown High School freshman, said learning calligraphy was fun. She was also struck by the similarities between her culture and that of Minami Alps City.

“At first I thought the Japanese culture was a lot different than ours. We have many things in common,” Kaisa said.

Food is a huge part of any culture. Many of the local students said food was a highlight of the trip.

“My favorite part of the trip has been cooking with my host family. We made homemade Udon and dumplings,” said MHS freshman Tarryn Bell. “Japan has been different from Iowa. It has been an awesome experience.”

Fellow MHS student Maeve Janssen said she enjoyed trying oysters and octopus for the first time. Ian Meyer of Marshalltown Christian School said he especially liked trying sushi.

Alman said more than 120 Marshalltown area teens have had a chance to explore Japanese culture through the exchange program. Social media makes it easy for the two sets of students to stay in touch with each other, despite being thousands of miles apart.

Alman said such trips offer not only fun experiences, but important education and life lessons.

“Most importantly, they are learning and practicing tolerance and understanding another culture,” she said.

The exchange program has plenty of local support, including the Morning Optimists, Structural Engineers PC and Emerson.

For more information on the program, contact Alman at kris.alman@yahoo.com