GILROY
– A 15-year-old international exchange program between
”
garlic town, U.S.A.
”
and
”
garlic town, Japan
”
is in the midst of its search for a new international relations
coordinator.
GILROY – A 15-year-old international exchange program between “garlic town, U.S.A.” and “garlic town, Japan” is in the midst of its search for a new international relations coordinator.
Gilroyan John Barbara, the program’s current coordinator, will be leaving his post in August to begin flight training school locally. Nearing the end of his one-year contract that saw him coordinate the exchange of dozens of student, business and community leaders from the United States and Japan, Barbara is now actively working to recruit his replacement.
“We’d like to get someone hired as soon as possible so we can arrange housing and complete the visa paperwork over the next couple of months,” Barbara explained from his office in Japan during a recent telephone interview.
Barbara said two people have responded to ads taken out in The Dispatch, but one of the applicants has not yet completed their four-year college degree – a requirement of the job. The other applicant doesn’t meet the other requirement, he is not a resident of Gilroy, San Martin or Morgan Hill.
“The applicant is from Hollister, so it needs to be determined if the person has enough of an understanding of the (South Valley) area,” Barbara said.
The program’s International Relations Coordinator is responsible for organizing several exchanges between Gilroy and its garlic-producing counterpart, the town of Takko-Machi, Japan. Takko-Machi is in the southeast portion of Aomori, the northernmost Prefecture on the main island of Japan. Its population is 7,200 and it is located less than five hours from Tokyo via the famed bullet train.
Each year the queen and president of the Gilroy Garlic Festival make a trip to Takko-Machi. About every third year, the Gilroy High School choir also visits the town. The international relations coordinator acts as a guide and organizer of these exchanges.
Similarly, the coordinator organizes the twice-yearly trip groups of Takko-Machi residents and high school students take to Gilroy and other parts of California.
In addition to their role as exchange organizer, coordinators teach conversation English at five different schools in and around Takko-Machi.
“It’s an experience that will last a lifetime to say the least,” Barbara said. “But people who apply for the position should be outgoing and come with an open mind. It also helps if you enjoy skiing and snow boarding because winters can get harsh here.”
Coordinators receive a free ski/snow boarding pass to nearby slopes, Barbara said. In addition to a “healthy salary and full health benefits,” coordinators are given a rent-free, furnished apartment and get the majority of their travel expenses covered by the city of Takko-Machi.
For more information, e-mail John Barbara at ki****@*******ne.jp or visit www.hi-net.ne.jp/~kikaku/index.htm online.
