“The hosting families have been very happy to…spend…quality time with each of [the visiting students] during their short stay at their homes,” Flores said.
The mayor sent a letter to Ito to express his continued support for the cultural exchange program and to “build a stronger relationship” with Ito’s town.
He told Ito that the Saipan mayor’s office is also very pleased to have “very energetic and well-behaved” students from Japan visiting the island.
“We hope that their visit to our island has been both enjoyable and educational for I am certain it has been for all of us here. It is always rewarding for any of us to spend time with friends from abroad such as these new friends we have gotten to know over the last six days,” Flores said.
Last Aug., 19 students from an elementary school in Itoda met their local counterparts and visited various tourist and historical spots on Saipan.
They were accompanied by their chaperones Mitsutoshi Ozaki, Hiroshi Taninobu, Emi Morimoto, and Connie Nakamura whom the Saipan mayor personally thanked in his letter.
Yoshikatsu has also communicated with Flores, saying the Japanese children met new friends during their stay on Saipan.
The mayor said he is hoping Itoda can send more students to Saipan for the cultural exchange program.
He said the chaperones helped the children understand what was going on and how to communicate with the local families and the mayor’s office staff.
