Photograph by Dori Fontaine
The group of Japanese students in the Homestay program meet with some of the members of Sunnyvale Public Safety. (Top row, from left) Public Safety Officer David Falletta, Public Safety Officer Regan Williams, Chief Irwin Bakin. (Bottom row, from left) Noriko Muraoka, Aiko Hayashi, Hitomi Tsukamato, Shiho Akiyama, Azusa Yoshinobu, Shiho Taniai.
Exchange students go behind closed doors
Members of exchange program learn about living in the U.S.
By Karen Kabiling
A group of Japanese students was taken to the police station Aug. 16. Fingerprints were taken and recorded, and the group was placed in a holding cell.
They weren't arrested, but they were taught a few lessons about the functions of an American police station at the Sunnyvale Public Safety Office. Public safety officer Dave Falletta and Community Service Officer Dori Fontaine gave a tour of the police station, including a tour of the Crime Scene Investigations department and the canine unit. The students took a brief pause to take pictures of each other on the police motorcycles and in a police car.
Talking face to face with the police officers and touring a police station was exciting and different for the students, who don't get the opportunity to do so in Japan.
Japanese police are much different than American police, Fontaine said. The public is not allowed into the station, and the police do not carry guns.
The students' presence in Sunnyvale was made possible by a program formed under the Homestay Education and Cultural Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides a year-round program with the ultimate goal of giving foreign students a taste of life in American culture.
According to Jon Gruschka, vice president of the Homestay organization, through various sessions that last from one week to one year, foreign students live with host families in their homes. They also get to learn about American culture through school, institutions and entertainment.
Gruschka said the program the corporation sets up is different because, unlike students simply going to a school and staying in a dormitory, they experience one-on-one contact with an American family.
There is specific preparation for each group that participates in the program
"In Japan, the thing right now is volunteerism; it's starting to take hold now," Gruschka said. "We kind of show them different things in America."
Photograph by Dori Fontaine
Shiho Tanai, right, prepares to give a police motorcycle a test run, while Public Safety Officer Darren Pang looks on.
One of the Homestay groups this summer was made up of five first- and second-year child-welfare majors from Sanyo University in Japan, and their three-week session included activities related to their major.
Through special language programs at De Anza College and tours of local organizations, including El Camino Hospital and the public safety office, the group learned the value of volunteering, food banks and childcare.
Public service wasn't the only thing they learned. Gruschka said the students had very minimal English-speaking skills, and the program helps them improve their vocabulary.
Japanese education is geared more toward reading and writing of the English language, not speaking, he said. "Their English has improved tremendously," he added
Understanding the language was the easy part, but trying to put a whole sentence together was a little difficult for them.
When their advisor, Noriko Muraoka, a home economics professor at Sanyo University, asked them if they enjoyed the public safety office tour, they answered with an excited "Yes!"
Muraoka has visited the United States eight times and said she has learned something new with every visit.
"I have lots of interests in international work and communication work," she said. "Every time I come, I have new knowledge and get an international understanding of how [Americans] live."
According to Gruschka, the real key to success for the Homestay program is the host family.
"That's the most important thing," he said. "The students learn how we live in America."
The Homestay foundation is always seeking families to help broaden the experience for foreign students. To volunteer or for more information, call 650.964.1502.
Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
