” This has been the best thing, event, or something that I have ever experienced. I have loved every second of this trip, and I think it has changed my entire life in a way that I never knew was possible. I would like to thank you for all of that. It was a blast and I hope you stay safe in your travels.”
From June 14th to June 22nd, we assisted the Niu Valley Middle School Japan Study Tour through event coordination and language interpretation.
We traveled with four of their students to their sister schools, Fukuoka prefecture Sera town (Kouzan) Junior High School and Fukuoka City Momochi Junior High School. It was a good opportunity to learn the importance of real-life experiences.
In Sera Town we saw the rice fields gracefully swaying in the wind, prayed for peace in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, and enjoyed delicious Ramen and beautiful Hakata traditional craftworks in Fukuoka. To top off our 8-day trip, we paid a courtesy visit to the Fukuoka International Exchange Foundation.
The four students from Niu Valley Middle School were very open and outgoing, quickly blending in with the Japanese students with ease. As members of HGEF, it was a very fulfilling time to watch the students make full use of their language skills and do their best to interact with each other.
When we read the message from one of the students (quoted at the beginning of this article), it filled all of our hearts with energy and determination to continue full heartedly support the endeavors of international exchange.