“I hope they learned not only about Japanese culture and way of life, but how we can also imitate its positive qualities in our own lives here,” she said.
The 11 students from different schools on Saipan arrived Thursday after a week in Japan for the 2010 KSKK Student Cultural Exchange Program.
Seman said the students visited Sensouji Temple, the old traditional shopping street, Sony Corp., the observatory of the Tokyo metropolitan government building and Tokyo Disneyland.
“The students learned that the Japanese have a very deep sense of respect for each other and their environment,” Seman said.
The students spent two days with their host families.
These families want to visit Saipan soon, Seman addd.
She said the Saipan student were able to try different dishes including delicious Japanese pastries.
The KSKK Student Cultural Exchange Program has been in place for over 25 years now, and participating families and students continue to keep in touch, she added.
During their “sayonara party,” the Saipan group performed a cultural dance, played the ukulele, sang the CNMI Anthem and presented a slide show and montage of Saipan to their host families, Seman said.
The participating Saipan students were Jane Rhee, Evonnie Santos Camacho, Niki Villagomez, Alexis Deleon Guerrero, So Hyo Lee, Audrey Ada, Beatrice Santos Cruz, Yu Jung Lee, Francisco Babauta, and Se Youn Yim.
The students gave their host families Saipanda backpacks, purse packs, stickers and a map of Saipan from the Marianas Visitors Authority.
Seman said the students also brought their own gifts such as chocolates, shell leis, dried mango and others local products.
The mayor’s office thanked MVA and the parents of the students for giving their children an opportunity to join the program, she said.
