Why Am I Here



Exchange Group - 2010



For those of you who have just started following the blog or maybe came across it through another network, I thought I would provide some background on why I am in Japan and what I am doing this summer.

In Japan there is a youth organization called Labo. Labo is open to all children starting at a very young age (around the age of 2) right up to college students. The mission of the organization is to allow Japanese children to improve their English-language ability as well as to learn about other cultures. They do this through bilingual songs, plays and stories from around the world. Children involved in Labo generally meet weekly at a Labo Party and in the summer time are able to attend one of the five Labo Camps found throughout Japan (camp is very different here than in Canada). Women (often mothers) are Labo tutors and run the Labo Party from their homes. One component to the Labo program is exchange. Each year, hundred of children from across Japan travel to Canada, American, Australia and New Zealand for a home-stay program. This year there are 700 students heading overseas in a few weeks.

Labo offers the opportunity for students from around the world to come and experience Japanese culture through a similar summer program. In Canada, many of the provinces run the Canadian component of the exchange program through their provincial 4-H office. Students going on the exchange however to not have to be involved in 4-H or 4-H members. Many times Canadian students become involved in the exchange due to hosting Japanese student a previous summer and then head to Japan to stay with their host sister or brother the next year.

Each year, students from across Canada between the ages of 12 and 18 can travel to Japan for up to two months. If students come to Japan in June, the stay in Tokyo for the first month attending language school while on home-stay with a family in the Tokyo area. If students come in July, they participate in just the home-stay portion of the program and can be hosted anywhere in Japan. Students have the option in participating in one or both programs.

This year I was chosen as the Canadian chaperon for those students traveling to Japan this summer. Prior to the trip I assisted with the planning, answering any questions and preparing the students (and their families) for the exchange. I then get the opportunity to travel with the students to Japan, check up on them during the home-stay portion of their program and finally see them safely back to Canada and on their flights home. This year, planning for the program was already in place prior to the earthquake and tsunami hitting. As a result of the events in March, a number of families were not comfortable sending their children to Japan. Students involved in the program this year is a little less then previous years with a total of 14 students from Ontario and Alberta currently in Japan with me. For the five weeks of their program they are immersed in Japanese culture and language.

It is a wonderful opportunity to explore and discover this ancient culture, rich in traditions, ceremonies and history. Although during the exchange they may have days when they wonder why they are here, it will truly be a once-in-a-life-time opportunity.