It’s better here than in New York City, according to several members of a group of 16 students from Japan during a week-long visit to Clarkston.
The students spent a week in the area after touring the Big Apple, seeing the Statue of Liberty, attending a musical, and speaking to students in New York schools.
Their visit in Michigan was filled with learning as much as they could about American culture and communicating with kids throughout the district during trips to different schools around the community.
‘We went to New York. It is so big ? I prefer Clarkston. It is so open,? said Yusuke Orikasa.
A fellow classmate of Yusuke agreed.
‘I went to the Empire State Building. There are many, many people in New York. People here are kinder than in New York,? Yui Oda smiled.
Many of the exchange students expressed sentiments Clarkston was open, spacious and very beautiful.
Teaching and learning filled students? days. Each day, the students gave three-hour presentations about Japanese culture to different schools throughout the district.
Springfield Plains Elementary students were intrigued when interacting with exchange students and learning origami, a Japanese paper art form during the group’s trip to the school.
Faye Valtadoros teaches Japanese to students in Clarkston High School, Clarkston Junior High School and Sashabaw Middle School. She explained every other year, 8-14 students go to Japan for two weeks in the summer to visit the sister school.
Eriko Yamada, the Japanese exchange students’ teacher, said the entire trip to the United States has been a great experience.
‘Clarkston has been so generous. Teachers and students are very friendly. Everyone is so happy to make conversation with us and happy to have us,? she added.
Valtadoros and Yamada met one summer and discovered Yamada and students would be traveling to Michigan. Yamada stayed with Valtadoros during the trip to Clarkston.
‘This exchange program is a great way for kids to meet other students and experience one another’s culture,? Valtadoros said. ‘It’s been a great experience for Clarkston students, too.”