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Photo by Ed Murphy

Exchange Student, Ethan spent close to a year in Hokaido, Japan where he was hosted by the Sapporo East Rotary Club.  He was very nervous about attending a Japanese school but was immediately put at ease by the welcome he received on his first day attending school.  “I stepped into the gym and everyone was clapping and cheering,” Ethan recalled with a smile.

Ethan was hosted by nine different families during his exchange, some for as little as two weeks and others for up to three months.  His families treated him to ski trips “to the mountain.”  The local Rotary Club even purchased skis for him!  He also travelled to various cultural sites, including some of Japan’s famous temples.  One of his host families was particularly interested in arts and crafts.  Others were more comfortable in the outdoors.  He got to attend a baseball game at Sapporo Stadium with his club counselor, and a tea ceremony with another one of his host families.  One of the things he enjoyed the most was the food, especially spicy ramen, and the large family dinners spent with host families and Rotarians.

During a school trip, Ethan was able to visit Tokyo, Nara, and Kyoto with its beautiful Kinkaku-ji Temple bathed in real gold.  He also visited Disney Sea which is similar to Disney World in the US.  Ethan remarked that the temples, although very old, were in excellent condition.

At first, Ethan spent a lot of time taking photographs and making videologues.  Later-on he realized he needed to spend less time writing about life in Japan and more time living it.  One of his favorite memories was receiving a “birthday watermelon” decorated with candles and carved with congratulatory sentiments.  He also got to attend RYLA and sat in on a Rotary meeting where he learned about the inner workings of Rotary.

“Before I went on exchange, I didn’t feel that I appreciated things enough, especially teachers,” Ethan remarked with a bit of sadness.  “You end up with a lot of free time during exchange and, if you use it wisely, you learn a lot about yourself.”  Ethan said that he gained a lot of confidence while in Japan.  “Thank you for supporting me and my dreams.”

In honor of Ethan’s presentation, the book Barking with the Big Dogs by Natalie Babbatt, has been placed in the Tigard Public Library.