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GCA hosts Japanese exchange students
Grace Christian Academy hosted several Japanese students at their campus on Navy Hill last Tuesday. The exchange students were paired with GCA students and were made to participate in certain events throughout the day.
Steven Kim, a senior at Grace Christian Academy and a member of the photojournalism team of 2016 to 2017, said the exchange “was a wonderful event.
“We had a lot of activities and even held an exchange gift session with our buddies. However, it was kind of disappointing that the event took only one day and I wished there was more time to get to know the exchange students better,” said Kim.
The exchange program has been going on at GCA for many years. It usually consists of juniors from Japan, usually 16 to 17 years of age, who are paired up with GCA students, usually ones from either sophomore, junior, or senior classes.
There was volleyball, basketball, cooking, and several indoor activities, to name a few. Kim said the GCA students were given activities based on the hobbies of the Japanese students.
Kim said his most memorable experience was “when we exchanged gifts with our buddies. I think it was really beautiful that although we didn’t know each other very well, we can still share gifts with one another.”
Roby Pamintuan, youth pastor for GCA, said the exchange program “was good. They [exchange students] have actually been coming here for as long as I could remember and it’s always a fun time. The students, both from Japan and GCA, can all experience great food, fun activities, and learn different cultures and that is why I really love this program.”
