Gilroy
– The time has whirled down to these last few days before the
Gilroy High School Chamber Choir boards the plane to Japan. It’s
hard to believe that we are face to face with what we have planned
since last summer. Our hard work and preparation is finally going
to pay off.
By William Hoshida Special to the Dispatch
Gilroy – The time has whirled down to these last few days before the Gilroy High School Chamber Choir boards the plane to Japan. It’s hard to believe that we are face to face with what we have planned since last summer. Our hard work and preparation is finally going to pay off. I’ve not even boarded the plane and I can feel the impact that is soon to come. It is hard to believe that we are finally here and ready to fly across the Pacific Ocean.
Since last summer, Gilroy High School Chamber Choir has been working hard to raise the money to send us on our trip. Our first fundraiser was the 2006 Garlic Festival where the hours we worked raised money for our precious accounts.
In addition, our accounts were filled with the money earned through See’s Candy sales, advertisements for our concert programs, caroling, and of course the traditional Spaghetti Dinner. Although the fundraisers were work, they seemed more like fun.
This past January my family hosted a student from Takko-machi, Japan. Takko-machi is Gilroy’s sister city and the town that the choir will be living in for half the trip. It was a great experience to host our visitor, Daiki, for the five days he was here. Despite the language barrier, things weren’t awkward at all. It was like having another brother in the house. Daiki ate with the family. We watched television together. My brother and I even took him to the lanes for a couple games of bowling with some friends. It didn’t seem like he was a foreign student living with us. It felt more like a friend living with us. Daiki was up for anything, whether it was an activity or food. He was incredibly easygoing and really friendly, which made it so easy to get along with him. He was a normal high school student. You could especially tell when he was with the other students from Japan. This also made things comfortable.
I learned a lot through the experience as well. Living with Daiki gave me insight into the Japanese culture and lifestyle. At night, after Daiki came back from activities with the Takko-machi group, we would relax in the family room after having something to eat. We would talk to Daiki about what he did that day or how he was enjoying Gilroy. A lot of times we would talk about Japan. He told us about his school, his family, what he liked to do, and how it was different from America. It was really interesting to hear about the different culture and it was reassuring to get a heads up on what I could expect from our trip.
I imagine the families in Takko and Asukura that will be hosting Gilroy students have been spending many an hour in preparation for our visit. The children and parents alike are perhaps cleaning, shopping and organizing fun excursions for their American visitors. They, like us, are probably filled with a variety of emotions.
As I think about the trip, nerves, excitement and angst form a knot in my stomach. Traveling out of Gilroy, let alone the country, will be a whole new experience for me. All year I’ve been ready to just hop on the plane and make my way out of California. However, now that the time is here, I’m feeling all kinds of different emotions. I still don’t know exactly what to expect. The thought of leaving Gilroy is intimidating, but the thought of arriving in Japan is exciting.
The Chamber Choir leaves small town Gilroy to visit a whole new continent, country and city. Nearly every thought that goes through my head connects to this trip. I hardly have the faintest idea of what to expect, yet the excitement is unbearable. It’s hard to imagine how difficult it will be to say goodbye to my friends and family. Regardless, I look forward to the families I will meet in Japan.
The next 10 days will be an opportunity that most teenagers my age can only dream of. Having said goodbye to Daiki, I know it will be very difficult to say goodbye to the families and culture I will experience during our visit.
