Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 22, 1994 TAG: 9501070011
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KIMBERLY N. MARTIN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"Different?" asks visiting teacher Tomomi Nishio after showing the slides to Herman L. Horn Elementary School's fifth-grade class.
The class quickly nods its agreement.
To them, these things are more than different - they seem to be from another planet.
But to Nishio, they represent home.
Nishio, who is from Japan, is part of the International Internship Program. The program sends Japanese adults to America for a West-meets-East cultural exchange.
Despite what Nishio calls her "poor English," exchange hasn't been a problem.
Before she had unplugged the slide projector, students began firing questions at her: What's your favorite fast-food restaurant? How long do you sleep? What was the orange thing in the bathroom?
She answered all of their questions with good humor: Burger King, seven hours, and a basin to wash with. She even took the Pepsi challenge - she prefers it to Coke.
She doesn't mind the questions, in fact she welcomes them.
"I was afraid they'd be bored or not interested," Nishio says. "But they really enjoy learning about Japan."
That's the reaction Herman L. Horn Principal Mitchell Bowman was hoping for.
"Our children should be exposed to the whole world as much as possible. They need to understand that other cultures are a natural part of the world," Bowman says. "They're learning that there are differences, but we're all very much alike."
And Nishio's presence complements Roanoke County's international studies program - fifth-graders are beginning to study Japanese.
Still, Bowman admits the level of enthusiasm has surprised even him.
When Nishio's flight arrived in October, Bowman invited students and their parents to go with him and Nishio's host family to meet her flight. He expected four or five students with their parents. About 30 students showed up.
Then, a few days ago, a student came to him distraught because he had missed Nishio's class.
"He was very concerned," Bowman said. "I had to switch his schedule around so he could sit in on another class' session with her."
The lure may be what she's presenting.
She has 10 different lessons to share, and they all sound fun. There are slide shows of her home; origami classes, in which children learn to fold construction paper to make helmets, dogs and cubes; sumo wrestling videos to watch; Christmas cards with Japanese writing to make; and Japanese dances to learn, to name a few.
But Nishio isn't just teaching, she's also learning - during her slide show, a fifth-grader taught her the word ``faucet.''
"I knew teaching would force me to use English. ... I thought these would be good circumstances to improve," says Nishio, who was eager to put her 10 years of mandatory English training to use.
So, when she heard about the International Internship Program while she was in college, she was eager to join.
One problem: She couldn't afford the $7,000 price.
It took her a year and a half to save the money she needed, but to Nishio it was worth it.
"I wanted to have experience, actual experience, not only reading, to learn about American life," she says.
And that she's done.
She celebrated her first Thanksgiving, visited the Mill Mountain Star, and went to her first large sporting event: the UVa-Tech football game. And this week she'll decorate her first Christmas tree.
"I was surprised to see people get ready for it so soon. Thanksgiving was one day, and the next day people go shopping for Christmas," she says. "We celebrate Christmas, but not the same as here. Some people do have trees and exchange gifts, but mostly we eat Christmas cakes and people have parties."
There are other differences: elementary school children in Japan spend less time on art, they don't have a separate cafeteria for lunch, and they can't eat sweets at school or bring their own lunch, she says.
The people also are different.
"People are very friendly. They often ask 'How are you doing?' and 'How do you feel this morning?' Japanese don't ask so many questions, sometimes I'm at a loss how to answer," says the 24-year-old, who celebrated her birthday in November with her host family.
Some of those differences in custom have rubbed off on both sides.
Nishio now wears her shoes in the house, and she's fallen in love with the Disney Channel.
"I want the Disney Channel at home," she says.
And some of her students now say ``sayonara'' instead of ``goodbye.''
In January her tenure with Herman L. Horn will end. From there, she goes to W.E. Cundiff Elementary School, and in May she'll head to another U.S. school. She doesn't know where yet.
In July, it's back to Japan for Nishio and back to the realities of Japanese life, which she's learned aren't that different from American ones.
"I have to find a job," she says with a laugh.
by CNB