Japanse Exchange Student Looking Forward to 'Throwing Her Hat' at OCHS Graduation

Moeko Yasui is enjoying her short school days at Ocean City High School.

The 17-year-old exchange student said one of the biggest changes in culture for her is at school. In her native Japan, Yasui usually had two hours of homework. She was allowed limited time watching television and she saw her friends only in school. Japanese students are required to clean the school after they are done with the day. Her previous school day started at 8 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m.

Yasui enjoyed fish, soy beans, rice, sushi and healthy food in Japan, and she usually purchased food at small markets with private vendors.

Now that Yasui is in the U.S., things have changed very much. School is only six hours. There are required classes, janitors clean the school and social networking is all the rage.

We have fast food chains in almost every city with greasy, salty, carbohydrate-loaded menus and supermarkets that could span two blocks. One food that Yasui was very surprised to see was a large pizza. Local businesses such as Three Brothers and Big Slice strive to make big pizzas to suit vacationers. However, this was an amazement to Yasui.  

"The food is so different here. There are so many options and it tastes so good, but it is bad for you," Yasui explains.

She recently returned home after a school trip to Disney World. She had the time of her life and was surprised to see many different things in one place. She also played violin in the pit orchestra for Blood Brothers, the high school's spring musical. 

With Yasui at Ocean City High School, is another exchange student, Simone Krough, who is also enjoying her time in the states. The exchange program is sponsored by the Rotary Exchange Club.

Each of the students is offered one or more host families. Yasui lived with the Bachichs for the first half of her time here. They are a family of five that lives in Upper Township, and they currently have two children enrolled at Ocean City and one at Cornell University.

Astrid and Joseph Bachich have had two other students they sponsored—one from Italy and one from France. The family visited Italy after having the exchange student and went to her home to meet her family. Later, the same family came to the United States and met up with the Bachichs. Their daughter Natalie was also an exchange student from the U.S. going to Europe.

"We choose to host students from other countries because we like to be with them," Astrid Bachich said. "We like to open our children to other children and show them that we are all practically the same. I think we have a pretty nice, normal, American family." 

Daughter Nicole used to drive her sister Nina and Yasui to school, so it really worked out for them. Moeko has now relocated to another family for the rest of the time here.

"I am very excited to graduate and throw my hat," Yasui proudly states. "In Japan, graduation is very different."

In Japan, students and principals give long speeches that are written on paper and folded like an accordion to avoid page flipping. After they are done it is placed in an envelope and left on the podium.

Yasui misses her sister and parents, but always finds time to chat with them via email or Skype. Her parents, of course, miss her very much, but they know she is in good hands.

Yasui said her parents are safe in their home a few hours drive from the Japanese towns devastated by the recent tsunami and nuclear accident.

"The program is fabulous and we love it. It is the best way to learn different cultures and languages. It really shows that all teens are the same," Astrid said.