Two international students from Ehime University (from Malaysia and Thailand) participated in a homestay program in Seiyo City from Friday, June 26, Reiwa 8, through Sunday, June 28.
This homestay program is organized annually by the Institute for International Relations with the aim of promoting mutual exchange within the community and helping international students gain a deeper understanding of Ehime. In addition, to further strengthen interactions between international students and local residents and the community, participants also visit a local elementary school during their homestay.
First, on Friday, June 26, we visited Seiyo Municipal Minata Elementary School. In the morning, the international students participated in the elementary students’ foreign language classes, where—in addition to interacting in English—they introduced how to say numbers in Malay and Thai.Afterward, the international students participated in the school lunch program and cleaning duties, and were surprised by the elementary school system, which differed from that in their home countries. In the afternoon, they gave presentations in Japanese using PowerPoint about their home countries, Japan and Thailand, and then answered various questions from the elementary school students.
After the school visit, when she met her host family, she greeted them in Japanese with a nervous look on her face. However, by the time she returned to Matsuyama two days later, she was already sad to say goodbye to her “Japan family.” In her Japanese class after the homestay ended, she wrote a thank-you email in Japanese and sent it to her host family right away.
This event, organized by the Institute for International Relations, is held in a different region of the prefecture each time, and this marks its 35th iteration. Each event has been conducted with the cooperation of local residents, featuring programs that highlight the unique characteristics of each region. Today, the relationships forged through this event are expanding, and a network is taking shape between the Institute for International Relations at Ehime University and various local communities.The Institute for International Relations plans to continue holding this event on an ongoing basis and hopes to further expand this circle of exchange.
Mop Race
＜Institute for International Relations＞