Imagine waking up on the other side of the world, a new city coming to life just outside your window. Soon, for many students in the world language programs, this dream may not be far from reality. A homestay exchange gives students the opportunity to live with a local family in another country. While learning a world language in the classroom is effective, a homestay experience allows students to be immersed in the culture while using the language to communicate, taking language learning to an even higher level. Dr. Ta, ‘Iolani School’s Director of Global and Language Initiatives, coordinates homestay exchanges for ‘Iolani’s World Language Department. Currently, there are travel programs offered to Japanese, Chinese, French and Latin students. Thanks to Dr. Ta’s efforts, ‘Iolani School is anticipating even more homestay opportunities for various languages and skill levels. Madame Stevens, an Upper School French teacher, says, “This is the most enjoyable thing as a language teacher to do with your students. To take them and offer them the experience of being able to immerse themselves in the culture and language.”
This year marks the first of ‘Iolani and Japanese school Keio Chutobu’s joint homestay exchange program. In June of 2023, Upper School Japanese language teachers, Ann Tomatani Sensei and Tomoko Akemoto Sensei took six Japanese Level 1B students to Japan. ‘Iolani students were partnered with a host brother or sister from Keio Chutobu. For one week, students shadowed their host siblings, attended classes and explored Tokyo on after school excursions. ‘Iolani School returned the hospitality in August, inviting Keio Chutobu students to Hawaii to experience American culture.
Rather than viewing Japan through the eyes of a tourist, participants of the homestay program were fully immersed in the country’s culture and lifestyle. They experienced the authentic day-to-day life of a Japanese teenager by living with a Japanese family and attending classes at Keio Chutobu. One of the participants of the exchange program, Aiden Kobashigawa ’27 says, “I’ve been to Japan a bunch of times but I think the homestay was definitely a totally new experience for me. . .[it] changed my perspective on Japan.” Being surrounded by the Japanese language encouraged students to practice speaking, reading and writing, and gave them an opportunity to use their language skills outside of the classroom. This allowed them to focus on improving language skills, rather than memorizing terms for a test.
In addition to the educational aspect of the exchange program, the unique bonds created between ‘Iolani and Keio students are tremendously valuable. Tomatani Sensei says, “Even though there are differences in your personalities or languages, you overcome that and go beyond to really connect from the heart.” The ‘Iolani and Keio Chutobu students, despite being from separate parts of the world, created a strong bond by sharing this memorable experience. Oliver Fujikake ’27 describes his homestay brother as like family to him. Dr. Ta says, “Understanding their culture, mannerisms and experiencing the local customs together will open up their hearts and build empathy by learning about different people’s perspectives. . .and that’s how you grow.”
