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Please help support our recent 50th Anniversary events & the three high school students we are sending to Japan in June.
Spokane-Nishinomiya Sister City Society
Celebrating Fifty Years of Friendship!
Kyndra Mote
I have always been fascinated with Japan’s language and culture. More than anything, I wanted to experience it for myself. When I was given the opportunity to go to Japan through the Spokane-Nishinomiya Sister City Society, I was so happy I could hardly stand myself.
When I arrived in Japan, I was humbled. The people there were so kind and so friendly. They were more than happy to help you with anything, whether it was finding your way or asking about the best things to do and see. The level of hospitality and generosity shocked me, especially because Japan is such a fast-paced society.
My host family was absolutely amazing! My host mother was an exceptional cook; I enjoyed a lot of the food that she made. They took great lengths to include me in their daily routines, along with family games and activities. I eventually felt very at home, despite language barriers (my host sister was the only one who could communicate with me in English; her brother was just beginning to learn English, and her parent’s did not know any English).
My host family took me many places. While I was in Japan I was able to visit Kyoto; which has many historic Temples and Shrines, and is one of the oldest cities in Japan; Osaka, which is known for its food and size; Kobe, which is known for its beef and a museum on the nearby mountains; and Nara, which is famous for Shika Deer and a Buddhist Temple over 1,500 years old.
Japan has so far been the most impactful experience in my life. At first I was a little apprehensive because of the language barriers. I learned that we may live differently and speak differently, and we may even look differently, but that wasn’t the purpose of a trip like this, to only know the obvious. We as humans still want the best for each other. We may not always show it, because wars and other conflicts often blind the truth, but we all still laugh over the same things and cry over the same things. Everything that truly matters about us is essentially the same in all of us. We may not understand what another person is saying, but we share a special bond through simply being human.
I feel so thankful for having had this experience, and for giving my host sister the same kind of experience when she came to Spokane. My family and I miss her so much, and are looking forward to hopefully crossing paths again in the near future. I believe that everyone should have an experience like this in their lives; if only that were possible…then it would be easier to understand why we’re so different and yet so similar in many ways, and why that is such a beautiful fact of humanity.
Below are some pictures of my exchange.
I have always been fascinated with Japan’s language and culture. More than anything, I wanted to experience it for myself. When I was given the opportunity to go to Japan through the Spokane-Nishinomiya Sister City Society, I was so happy I could hardly stand myself.
When I arrived in Japan, I was humbled. The people there were so kind and so friendly. They were more than happy to help you with anything, whether it was finding your way or asking about the best things to do and see. The level of hospitality and generosity shocked me, especially because Japan is such a fast-paced society.
My host family was absolutely amazing! My host mother was an exceptional cook; I enjoyed a lot of the food that she made. They took great lengths to include me in their daily routines, along with family games and activities. I eventually felt very at home, despite language barriers (my host sister was the only one who could communicate with me in English; her brother was just beginning to learn English, and her parent’s did not know any English).
My host family took me many places. While I was in Japan I was able to visit Kyoto; which has many historic Temples and Shrines, and is one of the oldest cities in Japan; Osaka, which is known for its food and size; Kobe, which is known for its beef and a museum on the nearby mountains; and Nara, which is famous for Shika Deer and a Buddhist Temple over 1,500 years old.
Japan has so far been the most impactful experience in my life. At first I was a little apprehensive because of the language barriers. I learned that we may live differently and speak differently, and we may even look differently, but that wasn’t the purpose of a trip like this, to only know the obvious. We as humans still want the best for each other. We may not always show it, because wars and other conflicts often blind the truth, but we all still laugh over the same things and cry over the same things. Everything that truly matters about us is essentially the same in all of us. We may not understand what another person is saying, but we share a special bond through simply being human.
I feel so thankful for having had this experience, and for giving my host sister the same kind of experience when she came to Spokane. My family and I miss her so much, and are looking forward to hopefully crossing paths again in the near future. I believe that everyone should have an experience like this in their lives; if only that were possible…then it would be easier to understand why we’re so different and yet so similar in many ways, and why that is such a beautiful fact of humanity.
Below are some pictures of my exchange.