Macon Kurobe Student Exchange Brings 20 Japanese Students to Bibb
MACON, Georgia – Twenty students from Kurobe, Japan, spent six days with Macon host families from Friday, November 6, through Wednesday, November 11, in the latest round of the Macon Kurobe student exchange, Macon-Bibb County said.
Junior high and high school students from each city take turns visiting the other for a week. They tour historical sites, sit in on classes, learn about each other’s culture and live with a local family. This year was Kurobe’s turn to send students to Macon.
The exchange grew out of a business tie. YKK opened its first American manufacturing plant in Macon in 1974, and Kurobe became Macon’s Sister City in May 1977. Since then, more than 1,000 people have traveled between the two cities. Kurobe has given Macon more than 3,400 lanterns and 60,000 tulips.
Host families show students the city and state
Each of the 20 students stayed with a local family. The families took them around Macon and the state over the weekend.
Stops included Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, Dausett Trails, Downtown restaurants, the Hay House, Bond Swamp, the Georgia Aquarium, the Coliseum and Christmas Made in the South.
Dinner, demonstrations and classrooms
At the end of the weekend, the students, host families and Kurobe educators met for dinner at the Hutchings College & Career Academy to talk about their experiences.
The Kurobe students shared parts of their culture through group demonstrations on using chopsticks, the history of Kurobe and the significance of origami. The guests then split into groups so the families could try each activity.
The next day, the group toured the YKK facility that first linked the two cities. The students then spent several days in local classrooms and noted how education differs between Japan and Georgia.
At a special lunch presentation, Macon-Bibb Executive Director of Community Affairs Dr. Henry Ficklin welcomed the students.
“One of the things we want you to enjoy while here is to have the understanding that you’re one of us,” he told them. “We want you to feel like a Maconite.”
