An international student from the Dominican Republic stayed with a host family in Toon City from June 28 (Fri.) to 30 (Sun.), 2024. This homestay program is conducted annually by the Institute for International Relations to promote mutual exchange in the region and to give international students a deeper understanding of Ehime. In order to further strengthen exchange between international students and local people and communities, visits to local elementary schools are also made during the homestay.
First, on Friday, June 28, we visited Minami-Yoshii Elementary School in Toon City. During lunch break, we experienced handkerchief dropping with elementary school students, and during cleaning time, we cleaned the classroom with them. In the afternoon, he gave a PowerPoint presentation to 3rd and 4th graders about his home country, the Dominican Republic, in Japanese, and then answered various questions from the elementary school students. He also introduced rock-paper-scissors-scissors in Spanish to the elementary students.
When they met their host families after completing their school visit, they were nervous and greeted their host families in Japanese, but when they returned home two days later, they were sad to say goodbye to their “Japanese families. In Japanese class after the homestay, they wrote thank-you letters in Japanese for the first time and sent them to the elementary school and host families.
This is the 32nd time that the Institute for International Relations has held this event, each time in a different region of the prefecture. Each event has been held with the cooperation of local residents, and the content has been tailored to the unique characteristics of each region. The relationships established through these events are now expanding, and a network is being formed between Ehime University’s Institute for International Relations and each region. The Institute for International Relations hopes to continue this event in the future to further expand the circle of exchange.
Last but not least, we would like to thank the Toon City Hall, Toon City Board of Education, and Toon City Minami-Yoshii Elementary School for their great cooperation in all aspects of this homestay event. We would like to express our sincere appreciation.
＜International Relations Office＞