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Visit cultivates understanding of diverse cultures - The Frederick News-Post Online
Friendships were forged and e-mail addresses were shared when 66 hearing Japanese students visited the Maryland School for the Deaf on Tuesday as part of an exchange program designed to educate students about different cultures.
"They are not used to being so touchy and huggy," MSD special events coordinator Marsha Flowers said of the Japanese visitors. "But at the end of the day, they were hugging, too."
The students from Yokohama's Hayato High School are in the U.S. for about 2 1/2 weeks, said Stephanie Libonati, program director for Sakura Educational Exchange USA. The nonprofit organization helps facilitate such exchange programs.
The Japanese students are studying English through their school's international division and travel to the U.S. to learn about multiculturalism and how to communicate better with Americans.
Japan is not culturally diverse, and the students seemed surprised by the diversity at MSD, Flowers said.
"They have this perception of America and then they see how different it is from that perception," she said.
While the trip has academic goals, the students from both schools also got to enjoy learning about a different culture. Communicating was a challenge, with interpreters translating English to Japanese and vice versa, and American Sign Language interpreters translating for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and staff members.
But in the long run, the students didn't let the barriers prevent them from communicating; they students wrote notes back and forth. The Japanese students also learned some basic sign language before their trip.
After a morning assembly to welcome the visitors, the students broke down in smaller groups and visited individual classrooms. MSD students were able to rotate from group to group, learning how to use chopsticks, do origami -- the art of paper folding -- play Japanese games and to write their names in Japanese.
Flowers said she was intimidated by the idea at first. She couldn't imagine what she could do for 66 hearing students from Japan and why they would want to visit a school for deaf students.
"But it was wonderful," she said. "We are going to do this every year."
Flowers said she had her colleagues to thank for the seamless manner in which the event played out.
"It was so easy to set up," she said. "All the teachers, administrators, cafeteria workers, everyone -- whatever I needed, people came together to provide."
It was just a seven-hour visit with people perhaps the students will never see again. But the lesson was invaluable, Flowers said.
The students asked each other about culture and customs, family life and school.
"They learned how similar they are," she said. "They're more similar than they are different."
As the Japanese students were getting ready to leave, many students gathered to take photos.
Multiple pictures were taken of each group as camera after camera was handed over to take just one more.
After the final pictures were taken, promises were made to connect on Facebook and the last hugs were exchanged, the auditorium emptied out almost like magic.
Flowers said she was already thinking about next year.
"But I can't imagine topping this."
Friendships were forged and e-mail addresses were shared when 66 hearing Japanese students visited the Maryland School for the Deaf on Tuesday as part of an exchange program designed to educate students about different cultures.
"They are not used to being so touchy and huggy," MSD special events coordinator Marsha Flowers said of the Japanese visitors. "But at the end of the day, they were hugging, too."
The students from Yokohama's Hayato High School are in the U.S. for about 2 1/2 weeks, said Stephanie Libonati, program director for Sakura Educational Exchange USA. The nonprofit organization helps facilitate such exchange programs.
The Japanese students are studying English through their school's international division and travel to the U.S. to learn about multiculturalism and how to communicate better with Americans.
Japan is not culturally diverse, and the students seemed surprised by the diversity at MSD, Flowers said.
"They have this perception of America and then they see how different it is from that perception," she said.
While the trip has academic goals, the students from both schools also got to enjoy learning about a different culture. Communicating was a challenge, with interpreters translating English to Japanese and vice versa, and American Sign Language interpreters translating for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and staff members.
But in the long run, the students didn't let the barriers prevent them from communicating; they students wrote notes back and forth. The Japanese students also learned some basic sign language before their trip.
After a morning assembly to welcome the visitors, the students broke down in smaller groups and visited individual classrooms. MSD students were able to rotate from group to group, learning how to use chopsticks, do origami -- the art of paper folding -- play Japanese games and to write their names in Japanese.
Flowers said she was intimidated by the idea at first. She couldn't imagine what she could do for 66 hearing students from Japan and why they would want to visit a school for deaf students.
"But it was wonderful," she said. "We are going to do this every year."
Flowers said she had her colleagues to thank for the seamless manner in which the event played out.
"It was so easy to set up," she said. "All the teachers, administrators, cafeteria workers, everyone -- whatever I needed, people came together to provide."
It was just a seven-hour visit with people perhaps the students will never see again. But the lesson was invaluable, Flowers said.
The students asked each other about culture and customs, family life and school.
"They learned how similar they are," she said. "They're more similar than they are different."
As the Japanese students were getting ready to leave, many students gathered to take photos.
Multiple pictures were taken of each group as camera after camera was handed over to take just one more.
After the final pictures were taken, promises were made to connect on Facebook and the last hugs were exchanged, the auditorium emptied out almost like magic.
Flowers said she was already thinking about next year.
"But I can't imagine topping this."