2007 Exchange Program/Survey

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After the 2007 Exchange Program we conducted anonymous surveys of both Ikata and Red Wing participants to gather feedback and improve the program. Here is a summary of the results.

Note: Because of the focus on "things we could improve in the future," this report may sound overly negative. Keep in mind that all participants said they overall had a great time, and consider the experience to be quite worthwhile.

Ikata

Ikata students' visit to Red Wing

• All respondents (6/6) thought the length of the trip was good.

• Most respondents (4/6) thought the timing of the trip (early- to mid-August) was good.

• All respondents thought the number of orientations (one in May and one in July) was good.

• All respondents thought the number of English lessons (6 from May to July) was too many.

• "The lesson about using and understanding American money was particularly helpful."
• "It would be nice if there was a similar program for parents held at the same time."

• Respondents were split on the issue of how many students should be placed together at a homestay

• 3 of 5 respondents prefer two students per homestay
• 2 of 5 respondents prefer one student per homestay

• Students had some trouble with American food and mealtimes

• "There wasn't anything I couldn't eat, but the portions were too big."
• "I couldn't eat pickles." (see also: Food ideas)
• "Some food I bought was poorly wrapped, and I had to throw it out."

• Students were surprised by some facets of American life

• "We slept in late. (My host family) stayed up too late at night."
• "They shower in the morning." (see also: Bathing)
• "The toilet and the shower were in the same room."
• "The day (from sunrise to sunset) was too long, and I lost sense of time."
• "They use seat belts in the back seat."

• Students had some difficulty with differing daily schedules

• "There was no rule about bedtime or wakeup time."
• "They only did laundry once in a while, so I ran out of clothes."
• "Breakfast time was unpredictable, or it was skipped altogether."
• "Dinner was usually at 6pm, but we still had activities afterward so some went to bed hungry."
• "Dinner time wasn't set at any particular time. I often couldn't tell if we were having a real meal or just a snack."

• Students kept in touch with their families back home by email and the IkataWiki.

• Students and host families particularly enjoyed these kinds of activities

• "They were interested when I thought up kanji for their names."
• "They liked when I made Japanese food."
• "We had a lot of fun playing card games." (see also: Activity ideas)
• "They liked the presents I brought them." (see also: Gift ideas)

• Students did these activities during down time

• Card games, video games, watching movies, cooking
• "We hardly had any down time."

• Most (5/6) respondents thought the number of activities while in Red Wing was good.

• Students particularly enjoyed these outings

• Driving along the Mississippi, cruises, county fairs, River City Days, pottery making, farm visits, progressive dinner
• "River City Days was very lively and interesting. It was the first time I had seen a live parade."
• "The progressive dinner was fun. We all got to know each other better."

• Students had trouble with communicating in English

• "I couldn't respond when the conversation came my way."
• "Their pronunciation was very different from what I learned in school."
• "I couldn't understand anything the young children said."
• "I never managed to explain that I needed to do laundry, so I ended up taking all my dirty clothes back to Japan."

• Most (4/5) respondents thought that stopping at Hawaii on the way home was good.

• "There were lots of places to buy souvenirs."
• "Swimming at Waikiki Beach and seeing the statue of Kamehameha the Great was fun."
• "It was nice to be able to speak Japanese again."

• Students had some complaints about traveling

• "It was cold on the airplane."
• "The meals on the airplane weren't very good."
• "The customs agent was so unfriendly it made me nervous."

• Hawaii had some drawbacks

• "Vendors were very aggressive, and had to be repeatedly turned down before they'd leave us alone."
• "The scammer with the parrot we heard about from previous participants was there."
• "We wanted to see Pearl Harbor and the Ehime Maru memorial, but there wasn't enough time."
• "It seemed all we did was go to the ABC Store. I wish we had seen more different things."

• Parents had some comments about the program

• "I wasn't sure what to send along as a gift."
• "The English preparation sessions were so far away, it was a big strain on the family to make the trip there and back twice every week."
• "It was nice that we were able to get emails from abroad, but I had to get help writing English for the replies." (Host families: help prevent this issue)
• "It was reassuring to get advice from previous host families in Ikata."
• "Our child went to Red Wing and we hosted a student as well, so we were extremely busy. We were able to get advice about gifts and packing from the Red Wing family, though, so it all worked out well."
• "We gave our child $500 but he only spent $200."
• "We still haven't been able to change our dollars back to yen."

• Chaperones had comments as well

• "The RWSCC took great care of us and showed us a wonderful time. We were so busy every day, though, that it would have been nice to have a free day to just relax. The hotel was in a convenient area so I thin we could get by for a day on our own."

Ikata families host Red Wing students

• Most (4/6) respondents thought the length of the homestays was good.

• Most (4/6) respondents thought the timing of the homestays (starting July 23) was good.

• Most (5/6) respondents thought the number of info sessions was good.

• Parents had comments about the info sessions:

• "It would have been nice if we could have been taught how to ask certain questions (about likes, dislikes, etc.) in English beforehand so we could ask our visitor by email before they arrived."
• "There was no opportunity to express our opinions before or during the program."
• "I wish we could have heard more from families who had previous hosting experience."

• Most (5/6) respondents thought that the number of events and activities during the stay was good.

• Parents had comments about the Welcome Party:

• "The overnight stay was especially good."
• "It would have been nice if there was a group activity or game we could all participate in."
• "It was good that high school students were there, but I think everyone would have interacted more if they had had a chance to meet beforehand."

• Parents had comments about the Farewell Party:

• "It was nice to have a chance for the host families to get together."
• "It would have been nice if the Red Wing and Ikata students had mingled more."

• Parents had comments about logistics and transportation:

• "It was helpful to have the IIEA handle some of the transportation."
• "The way events were scheduled and located, only self-employed families were able to attend easily. I think you should come up with a way to provide more help with transportation."
• "Not everyone was clear on how the kids were getting from point A to point B."
• "Our family and a nearby host family were able to split the burden of pickups and dropoffs, which was very helpful."

• Parents had comments about the program in general:

• "To some degree it's unavoidable since the program is centered on the kids' schedule, but it's unfortunate that fathers can't participate more due to work obligations."

• Red Wing students had trouble with the following foods:

• fish, shellfish (turban shell), octopus, sea urchin, eel, sashimi, tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled vegetables, vinegared rice, mayonnaise, sweet bean paste, seaweed, miso soup, half-boiled eggs

• Parents were surprised that Red Wing students preferred to shower in the morning (as opposed to bathe at night).

• Red Wing students adjusted their waking and sleeping times to match those of their families.

• Red Wing students spent their free time doing the following:

• Reading books they brought from home, writing postcards, going shopping or traveling with their families, using the internet, watching DVDs, playing guitar, playing cards and video games, swimming, catching insects

• Parents had comments about how the Red Wing students interacted with their families:

• "He listened and followed directions."
• "He did his best to fit in, even though he couldn't understand what we said."
• "We had fun. He did his best to answer our questions, and got along with our (younger) children very well."
• "He seemed homesick for the first 3 or 4 days, but he seemed to get over it within a week."
• "He seemed to be trying very hard to be flexible and accommodating."

• Red Wing students got involved in the community:

• "We had a big barbecue (35 guests), and the neighbors enjoyed meeting him. Many people went up to talk to him at the beach."
• "He joined volleyball practice in the evening."
• "He went running with the elementary school's track and field club."

• Parents had comments about the difficulties they faced:

• "Our English wasn't good enough."
• "Our children was busy with summer classes, high school visits, and other activities, so it was hard to adjust things so our guest wasn't all alone for too long."
• "I tried to introduce our guest to Japanese food, but he didn't seem to like it at all."
• "It was so hot, I was worried he'd overdo it and get sick."

• Parents had comments about the positive aspects of the program:

• "We were able to get to know other host families."
• "We were able to introduce our guests to rural Japanese life."
• "We rediscovered our own culture, and got to experience foreign culture at the same time."
• "I was worried about my poor English, but we somehow managed to communicate. This experience made me more interested in learning English."

• Parents had suggestions for improving the program:

• "It would be nice to have more interaction among host families before the program begins."
• "It would be nice if the events and activities were more open and accessible to people outside of the program."
• "I'd like to know more about Red Wing and the students' school in Red Wing ahead of time."

• Parents had thought that these aspects of the program were particularly good:

• "The schedule and events were good. Especially the Farewell Party."
• "I hope you will continue engaging the community, especially with the junior high and high school visits."
• "I hope future participants will be exposed to calligraphy, tea ceremony, fireworks, and other cultural activities."