July 20, 2004

The Alicia R. Chacon group visited one of Japan's National heritage sites in Kyoto, at Shimogamo Shirine.

Students felt the river at the Shimogamo Shrine. It's tsumetai! (Cool!)

While the Alicia group visited the shrine, a Japanese traditional wedding was held. The bride wore a very traditional wedding kimono and head covering called a wataboushi.

On the way from Shimogamo Shrine to the bus stop, Miller-sensei found a cicada's coccoon and he gtave a brief science lecture.

Let's have a seat while waiting for the traffic signal.

Much Can Happen in 2 Weeks

Our program is called New Perspectives: Japan. On our publication materials, our logo at one time showed a beam of light passing through a prism and, as the light traveled through the prism, it was transformed from one color of light into a multi-hued rainbow.

Four our NP:J students, we hope they have undergone somewhat of a transformation. Like the beam of light, they have traveled through the prism of Japan. They came here two weeks ago with a certain idea (even a vague idea!) of what Japan would be like. Now, as they leave they very likely have new perspectives—about japan, about themselves, about how their way of life in America compares with that of their neighbors in Japan.

Perhaps the new perspectives will be subtle and a bit difficult to immediately notice. For example, students who came to Japan might have immediately judged Japanese food "worse" than American food, or perhaps they observed that the japanese drive on the "wrong" side of the road. Now, those same students have modified their perceptions to say the food in Japan is sometimes different form American food, or the Japanese drive on the other (not wrong) side of the road. Subtle changes.

Other less subtle changes have also taken place. Many students came to Japan with anxieties about meeting strangers (American and japanese), about communicating in a second language, about dealing with culture shock. Well, to summarize how they met these challenges—they succeeded! Strangers became friends, students worked through all the various communication obstacles they faced, they learned a great deal about Japanese culture—and they survived!

With that success comes a growing self-confidence that will serve them well in the future. We also hope their positive international study abroad experience will encourage them to continue exploring the world, learning more about the culture of the United States and the culture of the "other." Perhaps many of the NP:J students have taken a step in the direction of developing a frame of mind that strives to understand the unknown.and respect the value of culturally diverse people and values.

As for the past two days, both Sunday and Monday were filled with activity! When we last "spoke" with you via the July 17th newsletter, the students had arrived and were beginning to learn about Kyoto. as the "time clock" on Np:J wound down, everyone filled their daily schedules to the brim.

Here are a few of the highlights of each group's experiences:

The students from Alicia R. Chacon took a day trip to the Peace Museum in Nagasaki and they were deeply moved by that historic site, which is dedicated to world peace and nuclear non-proliferation. The students from Charlotte enjoyed many of Kyoto's sites, but feeding the deer in Nara was very special to them—Nara's impressive statue of Buddha was also impressive!. The Marina High School group strolled the traditional district of Gion on Saturday, but several students were in awe of the bright gold-plated shrine Kinkaku-ji. Lastly the students from Wissahickon enjoyed their trip to Kiyomizudera. With its commanding view of the the Kyoto skyline, Kiyomizudera is always a favorite Kyoto destination. The students from Wissahickon also recommend the trip to the Arashiyama Monkey Park!

As you can see—there's plenty to do and see in Kyoto!

Tuesday morning was the day to say sayonara to Japan. The staff of The Laurasian Institution personally escorted students and teachers to the airport and assisted them with the check-in process. By the time many of you read this article, the students will have arrived safely home!

Please allow us to conclude with personal words of gratitude. Thank you for supporting your children, friends and family, both before and during NP:J. Without your generosity and kindness, this trip would not have been possible. On behalf of The Laurasian Institution, please accept our sincere thanks—to all supporters and teacher/chaperones—who made so many sacrifices for NP:J. And thank you for checking on our progress as you accessed our newsletters!

Domo arigato gozaimashita!