Two county students in Japan for 4-H exchange trip
Zia Gaines of Wellington and Grayson Pray of Bluff City have left for two months to Japan as part of 4-H foreign exchange program.
by Amber Schmitz, Sumner Newscow — In order to gain a cultural experience, Zia Gaines of Wellington, and Grayson Pray of Bluff City, are traveling to Japan for two months as part of a 4-H exchange trip.
The Japanese equivalency of the club, Labo, originally English Laboratory, helps Japanese youth learn English. In exchange, Gaines and Pray will learn to speak Japanese, and about the country’s culture.
In Japan, there are clubs in neighborhoods that begin teaching children English when they are as young as infants through songs, poems and finger plays. When they are older, they learn to peform skits in English. The learning becomes more advanced as they get older, and the teaching goes through early adulthood.
Gaines and Pray began the process last fall, which included them writing an essay, filling out a questionnaire stating why they want to visit Japan, what they expect to get out of the experience, and collecting references from people stating how they would adjust to different situations.
Once approved, they went through four different interviews at K-State in Manhattan, where they were asked questions about the political climate, the culture, to see if they are diplomatic, etc. about the country they are hoping to visit. There are 18 delegates from across the country attending, including four from Kansas.
Once approved at the state level, they are reviewed at the national level to determine if the candidate would be a good fit for the country they requested to visit. After filling out paperwork, making sure medical records are up-to-date, and getting a recommendation from a physician stating they are well enough to travel, getting insurance lined up, and obtaining a passport, they went on to three days of orientation meetings, plus a teleconference with other delegates attending, and the national coordinator in Seattle, Wash.
For the first four weeks, they will attend an intensive Japanese language school five days a week, which is the equivalent of a one year course. In the afternoon, they will go on cultural excursions, such as visiting museums, and learning about Japanese culture. While in Tokyo, they will stay with a host family, and travel by train to and from school and excursion trips.
During the second four weeks, they are assigned to a different host family in Osaka, where they will be emersed in the Japanese culture. School gets out July 20 in Japan, and they will interact with students in Labo camp and help them learn to speak English, as well as meeting other students who are visiting Japan.
Each student had to raise their own money to pay for the trip, including airfare, personal hygiene items, lunches, and their own rail pass for the train and subway system, which totals about $6,000. They also had to get business cards with their information printed to hand out to people that they meet and want to stay in contact with.
As gift giving is a custom in Japan, Gaines purchased items representing the United States and Kansas to give to her host families, their relatives, and friends. The Kansas Wheat Commission sent Gaines a box of items, such as pencils, that represent Kansas, for her to give as gifts as well.
By being accepted into the program, the students are required to give at least 10 presentations within the community about their cultural experience. At the state level to receive a scholarship, they have to agree to an additional 10 presentations.
Gaines is the daughter of Harold Gaines and Nancy Hoagland of Wellington, and Grayson Pray is the son of Todd and Linda Pray of Bluff City.
