Exchange gives Japanese students a taste of Saskatchewan life, culture
Taking selfies and putting wheat sheaves and flax flowers in their hair, 25 Japanese exchange students and their 25 Canadian hosts were getting along famously in their 39th hour together, visiting a farm south of Regina on Friday morning.
Translator Ken Prokopetz was nearby to address the language barrier.
“We use charades a lot and lots of pointing and Google Translate is a lifesaver a lot of the time,” said 14-year-old Willow Skagos, one of 25 Canadian students participating in the Regina-Fujioka student exchange program.
For the past 26 years, Regina students in grades 7 through 9 have hosted students from Fujioka, a central Japanese city about 100 kilometres northwest of Tokyo.
The Japanese students arrived in Regina on Wednesday evening for their nine-day stay. Next summer, the Regina students will fly to Fujioka.
By then, they should be better equipped to converse.
While the Regina students start their Japanese lessons in September, likewise English is new to some of the Japanese students.
“They can’t really communicate with the students very well, because some of them have only been studying English for about four months, so they’re still very, very nervous,” said Prokopetz, translating for Masaru Shinagawa, a teacher-chaperone from Fujioka.
By way of apology, a smiling Shinagawa said, “I’m a science teacher, I cannot speak English.”
This is Shinagawa’s first trip to Canada and Prokopetz’s fourth time supervising the exchange.
The Regina expat has lived in Japan for the past nine years, after studying Japanese at the University of Regina.
Although it “honestly starts off a little rocky, just because of the cultural and language differences,” Prokopetz said the exchange is a “really good experience” for students from both countries.
“Both Regina and pretty much everywhere in Japan, they’re very isolated from other cultures compared to places like Vancouver or Toronto,” Prokopetz said, “so I think this (exchange) … is a very important thing.”
Victoria Walter has always wanted to travel and is “super pumped” for her trip to Japan next year.
In the meantime, she is introducing her new friend and house guest Sakiho Miki to life in Canada — playing Mario Kart and trying new foods like waffles and pizza.
“We’ve been improvising as we go, just depending on your student,” said Walter.
For Skagos’s exchange student, Aiko Kanezawa, family pets have been a perk.
“They don’t have many indoor animals in Japan, so she has really enjoyed being with the animals,” said Skagos, who has a dog and four cats.
During their visit, the students have a packed schedule, including tours of local museums, lots of outdoor activities, and trips to Weyburn and Regina Beach.
On Thursday evening, they raised a teepee and ate soup and bannock for supper.
The students and their parents have been busy fundraising since January, when they were told they’d be participating in the program.
That has included hotdog sales, bottle drives, a steak night, a dance and chocolate sales.
All the work has been worth it for Walter, who encourages other students to consider the program.
“The Japanese dignitaries, they’re awesome. The staff board is awesome and just learning and being around all the students is just so much fun.”
They don’t have many indoor animals in Japan, so she has really enjoyed being with the animals.