A high school from Japan has made their return to B.C., this time choosing Surrey for the very first time.
Forty-five students from Joso Gakuin High School in Ibaraki, Japan spent part of spring break in Surrey — the school’s first time to B.C. since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The students were here from March 24 to April 1, volunteering, learning in classrooms, taking in the sights around the city and surrounding areas and squeezing in some Easter activities.
“The experience was truly enlightening for them and they are happy to be part of the community,” said Risa Shafi, a group supervisor from Muskoka Language International Homestay (MLI).
MLI provides services for international students, with Shafi’s department offering supports for students staying in Canada short-term, including setting them up in homes with host families. This particular group of students were interested in learning about leadership in Surrey, so their program was catered around that, Shafi added.
The students spent most of their days at Surrey Christian School, where they learned problem-solving skills, worked on communication and became informed on how to be “well-rounded global leaders.”
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The students also had a volunteer experience, spending a day at the Guru Nanak Food Bank in Surrey.
Students from Joso Gakuin would typically stay in North Vancouver, but Shafi said it’s become difficult to find enough host families for such a large group. The Surrey community stepped up, with a total of 23 families offering space in their homes.
“Home stay is harder to find now than ever before, because people started working from home … Bedrooms that were available before are not available now because they became a home office and things like that,” Shafi explained.
“They weren’t sure about the program because they had never been to Surrey before – they used to come to North Vancouver – so it was good that the host families from the community were very warm.”
Students had a chance to enjoy personal time, too, outside of the classroom — shopping or visiting parks and beaches with their host families and more.
“On the day they were departing, the host families were dropping them off, and a lot of the students were in tears having a hard time saying goodbye to the host families,” Shafi said.
A farewell party was thrown on March 28 before the last day, April 1, as a send-off to the Japanese school.
“The students really enjoyed their time in the community and are already planning to return in 2025, possibly with more students,” Shafi said.