GILROY
– Gilroy and her garlic sister city of Takko-Machi, Japan, are
searching for a new international relations liaison.
GILROY – Gilroy and her garlic sister city of Takko-Machi, Japan, are searching for a new international relations liaison.
Takko-Machi has hosted the two cities’ Coordinator of International Relations for the past 13 years and hopes to fill the year-long position with a Gilroy-area resident by July.
Gilroyan Wendy Conrotto is the current coordinator in Takko-Machi – a small, rural town in Northern Japan that is the country’s self-proclaimed garlic capital. She is searching to find a 2004-05 coordinator who will live in Takko-Machi for one year, teaching English and American culture classes, organizing special events and international excursions and strengthening sister city relations.
“To do well and be happy here, the (coordinator) needs to be someone with an open mind and desire to learn as you go – someone who can spend a lot of time ‘going with the flow’,” Conrotto said. “Along with flexibility, the job requires the ability to take the initiative, be persistent, independent, and work well with others. It’s a lot about connecting with people both here and in Gilroy.”
The international relations coordinator hosts the Garlic Queen and Gilroy Garlic Festival president on their annual Takko-Machi visit. He or she will also guide Takko-Machi residents and high school students on trips to Gilroy.
“The great thing about the position is that it’s very open to how the (coordinator) wants to build international relations,” Conrotto said. “It can fit to your personality and what you’re interested in.”
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and be from Gilroy, San Martin or Morgan Hill.
The new coordinator will take over the post in September.
The position offers a good salary, including medical benefits, a furnished apartment and even a free ski or snowboarding pass to nearby slopes, Conrotto said.
Conrotto said she actually enjoyed her time in Takko-Machi so much she considered taking on a second year as coordinator.
“It’s really challenging to live in a place where you obviously look like a foreigner: looking different from everyone else, not knowing the language, culture, customs, etc., but I couldn’t have asked for a better place to have that experience.”
For more information, contact Wendy Conrotto at ki****@*******ne.jp.
