About 20 high school students from Gilroy’s sister city in Japan
will visit here in early January, and they need places to stay.
Gilroy – About 20 high school students from Gilroy’s sister city in Japan will visit here in early January, and they need places to stay.
The students, from the small town of Takko-Machi, are looking for host families for the nights of Jan. 5 through the night of Jan 9.
Students will spend time with their host family the weekend they are in Gilroy and will depart for Los Angeles the following Monday. Most of the students are female.
The home stays are being coordinated by Jill Trekell, coordinator of international relations between Gilroy and Takko-Machi.
Trekell, a 2000 Gilroy High School graduate, was hired by the city of Takko-Machi to teach English to preschoolers and elementary school students as well as build relations between the two cities. Trekell arrived in Japan in mid-October and will stay for one year.
Barbara Trekell, Jill Trekell’s mother, said serving as a host family can be an enlightening experience for parents and children who want to learn more about how people in other parts of the world live. The Trekell family served as regular hosts for students visiting from Japan since 1995, when Jill Trekell was in middle school. That “planted the seed” in her daughter to become more involved in international relations, Barbara Trekell said.
“To actually have kids in your home, staying here and eating with the family and becoming a family member, its an amazing experience,” she said.
So far, Gilroy residents have responded positively to hosting students from their sister city, Barbara Trekell said.
“New families who have only been here in Gilroy for a couple of years have really stepped up,” she said. “They saw the need and loved the idea. They want that experience of spending time with other people and inviting them into their homes.”
Similarities abound between Gilroy and Takko-Machi, and residents of the Japanese town love visiting Gilroy, Barbara Trekell said. Takko-Machi, population 7,000, even has its own Garlic Center, with pictures of previous Gilroy Garlic Festival princesses hanging inside.
For more information or to volunteer to host students, send an e-mail to ki****@*******ne.jp or call 842-8444.
