Hudsonhubtimes.com - Tess Patterns: Former exchange student visits host family after 13 years

by Tess Wolfe, reporter

As I spoke with Stow residents Bob and Sandi Hansen, they smiled frequently at their visitor from Japan, Mayuko Kimura. The three intermittently broke into laughter at shared understandings.

"I'm from Tokyo," Kimura, 31, said. "I came here when I was an exchange student at Stow-Munroe Falls High School."

Kimura graduated from high school in 1995 in Tokyo, after which she entered Wasaba University in Tokyo, where she studied economics. Now, she works as a recruiter in the admissions office of another Japanese university.

She came back to visit with her host family Aug. 16, staying the weekend in the home where she had lived during her senior year of high school.

"When she was here, we considered her as one of our family," Bob Hansen said. "She's always welcome here."

Erika Hansen, their daughter, studied four years of Spanish while in high school. She had been a junior at the same high school during Kimura's senior year, and the two became friends. Erika now lives in Cleveland, her mother said.

"Tomorrow, they're going bridal shopping, because Erika is getting married next year," said Sandi.

Kimura's student exchange year had been arranged through Janelle Wargo, who still teaches Japanese at the high school, Sandi said.

The conversation describing Kimura's original arrival in the U.S. bounced from one person to another, peppered with laughter, as they excitedly finished each other's sentences.

"We picked Mayuko up at the Cleveland airport, at midnight," Sandi said, smiling. She held her hands up to model holding the sign they'd used to help Kimura find them. "We had a little sign."

"The day before Thanksgiving," said Bob.

Arriving in Stow at 1 a.m., the Hansens asked Kimura if she would like to attend a celebration the next day at Sandi's sister's -- in Erie, Pa., -- allowing Kimura very little sleep after her trip before heading out on the road. Bright and early the next morning, the whole crew drove to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving dinner.

"We just kind of threw her into the whole holiday thing," said Sandi.

Mayuko said she enjoyed her time as an exchange student.

"Erika is very nice, and introduced me to a lot of her friends," Kimura said.

Students from the Japanese class at the high school took an interest in Kimura and befriended her, she said.

"I learned a lot about the culture," said Kimura. "I learned I can make friends, and am a nice person."

Bob said the full course load Kimura had taken at the high school had been difficult and time-consuming for her.

"She would do her homework, and she would translate it all into Japanese, then translate it back into English," said Bob.

Kimura admitted it was "very hard," especially studying American History, for which she had little context.

She said she likes Ohio, although seeing so much snow during the winter of her senior year was a bit of a shock.

"It was such a surprise," said Kimura. "We don't have a lot of snow in Tokyo."

Bob recalled that his daughter and Kimura had run through the back yard in snowshoes, which still are displayed on the outside of the garage.

"The funniest part is when she was leaving," he said. "She had bought so much stuff, she couldn't get it packed."

Although Kimura had been homesick, she said, it was bittersweet to leave her host family, with whom she had shared so much laughter and built so many memories.

"I didn't want to leave," Kimura said.

E-mail: twolfe@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-686-3916