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| Pre-departure | On the Homestay |
The students were asked various questions, how much English do they study, why do they want to go on a homestay, what types of Japanese culture would like to present in the USA etc. The students are also asked random lifestyle and personnel questions, foods, moives, sports etc.. The questions aren't designed to trick or confuse the students. They allow the students to talk freely about themselves and hopefuly to utilise the breath of their vocabulary.
Each of the student sits before a panal of six people. Four teachers and two members of the homestay commitee. Each member of the panel asks question some in Japanese but mostly in English.
During the interview all the interviewers take notes. Once the interview processes is complete the panal sit down and discusses the relative strengths and weaknesses of each student. Being interested and willing to speak English is highly important but is my no means the sole criteria for selection. Everything from general attitude to willingness to preform Japanese cultural lessons is also very important.
After discussing all students the panel decides on 10 students. In 1997 of the ten selected
only seven were able to follow through and go on the homestay. Three students pulled out
due to a conflict with examination schedules.
Planning meetings
The earliest meetings only consisted of the homestay commitee and the
Chaperones. During
these meeting various things were decided. Presentations, responsiblites, etc.. The main focus
of these meeting was ensuring the sucess of the homestay. Contacting the Homestay
coordinator in Buena Vista with questions raised in these meetings was a regular occurance.
Presentation and language meetings
Each student was assigned a presentation
which they were solely or co-responsible for. There were thirteen meeting
during which the students checked, practiced and refined their presentations. Each
presentation was in English and had to be learned by heart. Everyone had an input into each presentation, students made suggestions
to their fellow students about how they could improve their presentation.
The students also had to do a lot of work preparing and practicing the play they wrote. It took some time to get everyone to learn their lines and help with their pronunciation. Once all the lines were learned the job of coreographying the play started. The students came up with most of the gestures and movements with some finishing touches added by the chaperones.
During most of the meetings the Chaperones and the students had practice conversations. They practiced situational role playing. The students even attended a party held by one of the Chaperones with a mixture of Japanese people and about 15 foreign people. It gave the student the chance to practice English and attend a somewhat foreign event while still in their own country.
Towards the departure time each student wrote an introduction letter to their respective homestay family in Virgina. In turn the homestay brother/sister in Buena Vista wrote a letter to the students. Even before they arrived the students were getting to know each other and practicing their English skills. In the future it is envisaged to use the Internet to first send e-mail and perhaps voice conference the students. Currently the facilities are not avaiable in Hizen Cho for this to work effectively
For most of the students this is their first time travelling outside of
Japan so an individual passport must be applied for by each student. Once
all the passports have been delivered they are held by the international group.
While in America all the passports are held by one of the chaperones to ensure
safe keeping.
Insurance, all the students are covered by a two week international
health insurance plan in case they are sick or hurt in the USA. In 1996
one of the students broke his arm and with out the extra medical insurance
this would have been a very costly episode. Luckily in 1997 no student was
hurt but having extra medical coverage while travelling to the USA is
vital. The Chaperones are also covered by various medical coverage. Either
personal insurance or work related insurance in the case of the
ALT.
Japan is a country that loves it's paper work. Numerous forms,
questionaires, booklets etc. were produced in conjunction with the
homestay. The main purpose of all the paper work is to let the
community be aware of what it's local area is doing in the international
field. It also lets future potential homestay students be aware of the
program and it's benifits. Each student creates a biography of their life
and family which is then sent to the Homestay organizer in the USA.
Prior to departure each student is given a diary booklet into which they
are asked to keep a diary of their thought and the events as the occur
in the USA on a day to day basis. English phrases, helpful advice,
address, phone numbers etc.. are included in this booklet. The information
the students record is used upon their return to create a new booklet.
After the homestay a booklet is produced which details the students
activites and their impresions of life and the homestay in the USA.
Cpoies of this booklet are then distributed to teachers and schools
throughout Hizen-Cho so as to promote interest in futire homestays.
Each student was allowed to bring whatever amount of money they
decided on. Japan is very much a cash society so it's not un-common
to carry hundred of dollars in cash around at a time. As part of the
preparation meeting the students were taught about safety in the USA
both personal and financial. The USA was not painted as a dangerous
country but it's not considered smart to carry large amounts of cash
on you in the USA. All the students bought Travellers cheques, the local
bank sent a representitive to one of the meeting so the students all could
buy travellers cheques together saving them the trouble of going
individually.
In Roanoke
The students and chaperones were met at the airport and taken to Parry McCluer High School
in Buena Vista. Each homestay family met their host student and they returned home together.
Students and Chaperones ate lunch in school, which is very different from
school lunch in Japan where students all eat the same meal in their
homeroom class together. Of course, their is a selection in
an American Cafeteria and students can eat with whom ever they want.
The Japanese students got to experience foods that young Americans like
to eat.
In the afternoon the students gathered together to do a final preparation
for their presentations and the play. The students also made a gift
presentation to Parry McCluer's principal.
In the evening all of the students and host families attended a party in
one of the host families homes. The event was a great success and the
students preformed the play for everyone to enjoy. Group social setting
are a unique part of speaking a foreign language and it's a rare opportunity
for the students to take advantage of. Multiple conversations, people joining
and leaving a conversation, random subject changes, are all difficult to
teach but in this setting it's the natural effect.
In the afternoon the students were given a tour of the Capitol building
by a memeber of the Virginia Representative's staff in DC. The tour
outlined the historical facts and present working of the Captiol. The
student were lucky enough to sit on the floor of the House of
Representatives in the capitol.
After visiting the Station, shopping, eating dinner and returning back
to the hotel
the students were quite exhausted. Everyone had been up since early in the
morning.
Since time was limited we only visited the Air and Space museum but for
young people it was the best choice. Inside you can see planes and rockets
from the history of flight and space exploration. Also on display is the
Enola Gay, which dropped the A-Bomb on Hiroshima. Japanese students learn
a lot about this event.
The chaperones didn't want the visit to DC to be all about sightseeing, they
wanted the students to learn somthing. The student then visted the Holocaust
museum, which has a detailed history of the crimes commited by the Nazi in
World War II against the jews in Europe and others. The English text and
video uses quite complicated English but the displays, models and pictures
got the message across to the students even with the language differences.
When asked the students said they were glad they visited it. They knew
it was important that they saw it.
The rest of the day was spent walking around the outdoor sights of DC. The
Washington, Vietnam, Korean and Lincoln Memorials. Visiting the Whitehouse
was not possible due to time limitations. After a good Italian meal everyone
went to bed in antisipation of the 5am start the next morning.
After arriving at the hotel everyone got straight on the town. We through
China town, by Lombard st. and onto Fishermans Wharf. Everyone went
shopping and then we took a crusie around the bay for a couple of hours. The
cruise took us under the bridge, along the bay , by Alcatraz and then back
to the Wharf. After some more shopping we took a cable car back to the
downtown area. In the evening we had dinner in the Hard Rock cafe.
The day in San Fran was not enough. But the time we did have was well spent
and we hit a lot of the highlights in a whirlwind manner.
We arrived back in Fukuoka in one piece minus several pieces of luggage.
Which eventually turned up.
Passports, insurance, paper work and money
All of the paper work for the Homestay is organized by the international
group in Hizen Cho. This is a very effective way of organzing this part
of the homestay process as all the documents, knowledge and procedures
are located in the town itself. The chaperones, ALT and USA co-ordinators
come and go so if they organize the paper work the knowledge leaves with
them when they move on In the USA
This section is a diary of sorts, it is only meant to give the reader an
idea of what happened on the homestay. And if you are planning a homestay
yourself perhaps it will give you some ideas.
Thursday, March 20th 1997
Karatsu Train station, 11am: Train to Fukuoka Airport.
Flights
Depart Fukuoka 1.55 pm,
Depart Osaka 6.25 pm
Depart L.A. 1.10 pm
Depart DC 10.00 pm
Arrive Osaka, Japan 2.55 pm
Arrive Los Angeles,CA 11.35 am
Arrive Washington DC 8.42 pm
Arrive Roanoke, VA 10.55 pm
Friday, March 21st
Some students and their host brother/sister went to school together. Others stayed home
and rested with their host families. This was a family day, the evening was spent
getting to know each other. Some students went shopping with their families.
The Chaperones went to school and then were taken on a quick tour of the
local town of Lexington.
Saturday, Sunday 22nd, 23rd
All the students and their host families spent the weekend together. They went shopping,
helped out at home, attended church and some went sightseeing. The students became
part of the families normal weekend doing whatever the family was doing that weekend.
Monday, March 24th
In the morning the students attended classes with their respectivly host
brother/sister. Some of the Chaperones also visited classes based on their
subject interests. Foreign language education and English class. The
students got the opportunity to be in a native speaking classroom while
learning about somthing other than English. Tuesday, March 25th
Morning classes and two elementary school visits, Japanese Toys, Origami.
Wednesday, March 26th
Sumo, Karate, food, Origami presentations.
Thursday, March 27th
Early in the morning some of the students and their hosts went for
a group breakfast. After this everyone met up for a tearful farewell
from Buena Vista. Some of the parents accompanied the students to
the airport in Roanoke.
Flights
Depart Roanoke 10.50 am
Arrive Washington DC 10.40 am
Friday, March 29th
Our hotel deal included breakfast, after this we walked to the ZOO which
was close by. The students live in a rural area of Japan so they
rarely see a Zoo, certainly not one as good as the DC Zoo.
After a few hours in the Zoo everyone took the subway (metro)
to the Smithsonian. Saturday, March 30th
The hellishly early flight was required so that everyone could have a
long day in San Francisco. Due to time limitations only one day could be
spent in San Francisco.
Flights
Depart DC 7.30 am
Arrive San Francisco 10.16am
Sunday, March 31st
Mini van from the hotel to San Francisco airport.
Flights
Depart SF 11.30 am
(1st) Depart Osaka 6.10 pm
Arrive Osaka, Japan 4.15 pm (1st)
Arrive Fukuoka 7.20 pm (1st)
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Questions?:
aquigley@cs.usyd.edu.au