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Japanese and Valley students learn a lot in summer exchange program
By Denise Dick
Austintown
Kosuke Sekihara, 13, is a boy of few words — English words, anyway.
But that hasn’t stopped him and the three Bogen boys from Canfield from getting along.
“We both like video games, Legos and go-carts,” said Matthew Bogen, 14.
When Kosuke faces the Bogen boys — Matthew, Ben, 17, or Daniel, 16, — in a video game, he wins, Matthew said.
Kosuke is one of seven students and one tutor staying in Mahoning, Trumbull, Portage and Stark counties until Aug. 21 through the Labo International Exchange Foundation. They arrived July 26.
Labo aims to improve students’ English through the stays with families.
This is the second year that Jill and Gregg Bogen and their three sons have hosted a Japanese student. The 4-H International Exchange coordinates with Labo for the student visits.
It’s not necessary to be involved in 4-H to host a student, said Gary Reel, one of the program coordinators, but participating families must include a student of the same gender and roughly the same age.
“There’s value in having kids with other kids,” he said.
Mitsuko Sunouchi, a tutor with the Labo program, is staying with Reel and his wife, Sandie.
Sunouchi has been with Labo 21 years.
She believes it’s a positive experience for students to spend time away from home, immersed in a different culture.
“They grow up much mentally,” Sunouchi said.
English is required in Japanese junior and senior high schools, but the teaching focuses on grammar, according to a Labo brochure.
Labo “promotes foreign language and communication skills’ acquisition through rich ‘wholistic’ programs...,” it says.
The Bogens got involved with the exchange program because of Ben’s interest in all things Japanese.
He says it started with anime, but he hopes to visit Japan some day and he’s trying to teach himself Japanese.
After spending time with native speakers, he says his Japanese isn’t so good.
The families each have phrase books to try to overcome the language barrier.
“There’s also some pointing and grunting,” Jill Bogen joked.
The family tried using a language application on their phones, but it didn’t work very well, she said.
Kosuke spent most of the first week ill and jet lagged, but the Bogens plan trips to Kennywood, Cedar Point and the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland.
American food has taken some getting used to for Kosuke too, but he has a favorite. “Hamburger,” he said.
He’s been eating a lot of them, the Bogens said.
“Kosuke, do you want a taco?’” Matthew said, relaying a previous conversation. “‘Hamburger.’”
Mexican food was too spicy for him.
The McDonald’s menu in Japan mostly mirrors that in the United States with one exception.
“He said, ‘McDonald’s hamburger very big,’” Matthew said.