Japanese Students Visit USN

Betty White
一期一会 [Ichi-go Ichi-e]
“Only once in a lifetime do we have the opportunity for this kind of meeting with you in this place,” Hayashi said to the assembly of high schoolers last Wednesday. 
The senior from Kwansei Gakuin High School represented the twelve Japanese students and their faculty who were spending the week in homes of their USN guests. “We must make the most of this opportunity, cherish the time we have together because we only get one chance to meet you like this.”

The high schoolers sat spellbound as Rebecca Clark greeted our guests in flawless Japanese, snickered when an awkward bow and handshake greeting collided, laughed aloud at Hayashi-kun’s joke as he displayed the jersey alumna Chloe Kibble had sent, and sat mesmerized when Yuya Tsurushita gave a kendo demonstration. The experience was a once-in-a-lifetime meeting, that union of two cultures so dissimilar, yet with people who have so much in common.

This visit held special significance as KGHS joined USN in celebrating the Centennial while KGHS celebrates its 125th year anniversary this year. USN was also honored with the presence of Principal Ishimori, who missed the opening ceremony of his school—KGHS opened last Wednesday—in order to pay tribute to USN. (Note: he had asked the chancellor of the university to give his welcoming speech, and she had agreed, re-affirming her support of our exchange program.)

The week began with an informal picnic at the River Campus, where host families greeted their guests around a traditional Labor Day meal of barbeque. Following lunch, the students enjoyed playing assorted games and touring the wetlands as they became acquainted. Although the Japanese guests line-danced at the Wildhorse Saloon, toured the Country Music Hall of Fame, ran up the Parthenon steps, and toured Vanderbilt's campus, their favorite times were those spent with their host brothers and sisters.

USN/KGHS celebrates its 26th year of partnership this year, strengthened by this visit and the USN visit to Japan last summer. In a few weeks, the ninth graders will once again receive letters and gifts from their Japanese pen pals with whom they will exchange correspondence, an experience now in its ninth year. Simply by learning just a little of their culture and their language, we gain a better understanding of others and ourselves.
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University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.