Guest Speaker: Gracia Watson
Gracia Watson says the year she spent in Japan not only made her better appreciate the country's culture and customs, but may have sparked an interest in working abroad when it's time to leave school behind.
Gracia spent a year as a Rotary exchange student, living in the Tokyo area with three different families. The trip there was long and arduous; she spent 14 hours in flight, with a five-hour layover; then, she wandered through the terminal trying to find her bearings...when she found her first host family -- and most of her sponsoring Rotary Club -- in the terminal, ready to greet her.
From there, it was a whirlwind year for her; her first host family included a Canadian father, who was able to help her bridge the language gap in the early days...and she spent plenty of time in school, trying to learn in Japanese while dealing with the notoriously heavy workload. She also spent time in the school's band; unlike in America, this is strictly a club activity...and students give up their after-school time to practice and rehearse for shows.
Gracia got to visit other parts of Japan during class trips, and the one which affected her most was a visit to Hiroshima. She says it's very different to see grainy, black-and-white historical footage...than it is to be in the place where it all happened, and experience the feeling of not wanting it to ever occur again.
She spent time with three different host families, made a host of friends and then said some reluctant farewells before coming home to Sycamore. Gracia says while it's good to be back, she has the feeling that she's a bit more grown-up than the friends who stayed here -- and that the experience will likely shape her life for years to come.