UW Colleges News
Rachel Zidon of Platteville with visiting Japanese student.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2007
For more information contact: Dorothy Thompson, (608) 647-6186, Ext. 231
At UW-Richland: Japanese & local teens learning culture from each other
What we do with our shoes. The style of our homes and furniture. The games we play with family on a Sunday afternoon. In everyday life, most of us pay little or no attention to such things. We just do what we do.
But bring home some friends from another part of the world and you may discover, as 18 southwest Wisconsin teens recently did, that these things and more are part of "American culture," a subject the local teens were teaching to teens from Japan.
From July 26 August 3, the University of Wisconsin-Richland campus was the place where 61 teens from Japan and 18 local teens came together to participate in a program to prepare the Japanese teens for a year in the U.S. as high school exchange students.
While a major focus of the program is on English as a Second Language (ESL) classes taught by certified instructors, another important aspect of the program is education in American high school life and culture, taught by experts in the fieldgenuine American teens. Local teens were teamed up with three or four Japanese students, to be study partners, roommates at UW-Richland's Campus View student housing, mentors and all-around-explainers of American culture.
The local teens learned a lot, too, not just about Japanese culture but about their own culture.
Home visits on Sunday, July 29, provided cultural learning opportunities.
"I was surprised that people keep their shoes on in the house," said Keisuke Haruyama, from Okinawa, of his visit to the home of Kevin Cisler, Mineral Point. During the visit, Haruyama learned to shoot pool and he's also played American football, both games that were new to him.
Haruyama said, "I joined the program to learn American culture, to improve my English, and to make new friends." While he has a year in the U.S. ahead of him, he made a good start with the help of Kevin Cisler.
Colby Breyfogle, from Spring Green, explained that he helps the Japanese students by engaging them in conversation, assisting them with homework, and with journals they keep. The journals are a summary of the day's activities and include comments on what they expected, how things went, and what they expect tomorrow. In turn, he said, "I've learned a lot about Japanese culture, a few Japanese words, and I've had a lot of fun."
Of the visit to his home by four Japanese students, Breyfogle said, "We take for granted a big yard and big house (compared to those in Japan)."
Emily Clare, from Platteville, got involved in the program because she plans a career as an interpreter and experiences gained through this program are helpful to her in achieving that goal. "I'm learning more about how to adapt, to re-phrase. The biggest challenge is not to offend by telling people things that they may know but still providing the information they need." An example, she said, was that restroom soap and towel dispensers here operate differently than in Japan, but other things work the same way.
Momoyo Miwata, from Chiba City, Japan, one of the students Clare works with, has enjoyed the exchange. During the visit to Clare's home, the first American home she's been in, she was amazed by the living room, especially the large, soft sofa.
As they practice English conversation, Clare and Miwata have shared their thoughts on school, games, and musicJapanese and American. While Clare's favorite band is Green Day, Miwata's is a group called B'z.
In addition to Cisler, Breyfogle, and Clare, area students involved in the program were:
- Robyn Fredericks, Blue River;
- Patrick Meuer, Cobb;
- Giselle Conde, Eau Claire;
- Chelsea Spurley, Linden;
- Melissa Acker, Lone Rock;
- Tasha Bodondein, Lone Rock;
- Jacob Marshall, Montfort;
- Molly Kruser, Platteville;
- Rachel Zidon, Platteville;
- Chelsey Crook, Reedsburg;
- Caitlin Fish, Reedsburg;
- Katie Bray, Richland Center;
- Miranda Way, Richland Center;
- Jacob Bram, Soldiers Grove; and
- Alison Wheeler, Viroqua.
"The local teens play a vital role," said Diane Treis Rusk, program coordinator. "Activities took the students into the community, too, where they experienced a warm welcome" She said that once the Japanese students have completed the orientation, they will travel to the towns and cities across the U.S. – including one who will be as close as Hillpoint – for their year as exchange students. For more information about the program, contact Treis Rusk by e-mail at diane.treisrusk@uwc.edu or by calling (608) 647-6186, Extension 227.
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