Fall 2012 Delegation Arrives!

After a trying evening of delays, missed flights, and an overnight in Chicago, Nanae’s 2012 Fall delegation made it safely to Concord yesterday! Tonight we will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of our sister city relationship. Watch our Flickr Photostream for photographs from the celebration and the dinner, and, Wi-Fi permitting, TUNE IN at 4:00PM Eastern Standard Time for a live video covering the Mayor’s presentation at the Concord Town House!

-Former CIR Ben Mirin

The Live Video:

Impressions of CCHS: Nanae HS English Club

By Ben Mirin, CIR, on ConcordNanae.org and via Qik Live video

Last Friday, I showed this movie (in Japanese) to this year’s English Club at Nanae High School.  Produced by Nanae student delegates who visited Concord in 2010, the movie documents Japanese middle- and high-school student observations about Concord-Carlisle High School, where the delegates spent a week attending classes, touring the campus, and experiencing American high school life.

After showing the movie I asked our English Club students to identify differences they noticed in the video between CCHS and their own NHS.

If you’re a Concord student and you’ve been to Nanae, post some of your reactions after reading in the comment section below, or post them on our Facebook Page ! What was different about Nanae High School from CCHS?

Here’s what the Nanae students said:

Takanori Abe (2nd-year student, Class 2, 2011 Band Delegate to Concord):

It’s interesting that the bell at CCHS marks the end of class.  I was very surprised.  In Japan, the bell marks the start of class.

Chinami Takada (1st-year student), Akira Kimura (1st-year student, Class 3), & Shiori Wada (3rd-year student):

There is a big cafeteria in CCHS, but we have no cafeteria in our high school.  Students in Concord also have no school uniform, just like university students in Japan.

Ayu Kosugi (3rd-year student):

Students in Concord can use computers freely at any time.  We cannot.

Generally, I think CCHS is bigger than Nanae High School.

Continue reading “Impressions of CCHS: Nanae HS English Club”

Sister Cities Ep.7: Community Concert w/ Katsuyuki Onodera

By Ben Mirin, CIR

It’s Golden Week in Japan, which means our posting schedule is a little irregular.  The cherry blossoms are finally emerging all over Nanae, and the weather accurately reflects the time of year.

Happy Spring!

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To submit suggestions for future content, please email concordnanae@gmail.com. Thank you for visiting ConcordNanae.org.

Sister Cities Ep 7 Sneak Peek

By Ben Mirin, CIR

September 25th, 2011: An interview shot during last year’s historic community concert between the Nanae and Concord-Carlisle High School bands. Featuring Susan Erickson and Robin Cicchetti

Stay tuned for the next episode, in which I’ll sit down with beloved Nanae Band Director, Katsuyuki Onodera-sensei. We’ll be talking about the concert, and enjoying a special backstage interview with CCHS Band Director, Al Dentino!

Sister Cities Ep 6: Dances and Barbecues

By Ben Mirin, CIR

For now, please enjoy the purely English version of this week’s episode.  We’re a little behind in the subtitles, and will upload the final version (with Japanese subs) as soon as possible.

I had a lot of fun making this.  Hope you have fun watching.
Interviewees: Sae Tamura, Hitomi Shihoya, and Riho Ahiko

Please consider leaving a comment on this post in the comment section below, or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

To submit suggestions for future content, please email concordnanae@gmail.com. Thank you for visiting ConcordNanae.org.

2011 – New Photographs on ConcordNanae.org: Nanae’s Latest Delegation Visit

By Ben Mirin, CIR

This posting is to announce the upload of the top 100 photographs taken during Nanae’s most recent delegation visit to Concord, Boston, and New York City.  The photographs, shot by the CIR (yours truly), document events from the week of September 23rd to 30th in Concord as well as in Boston and, from the following weekend, in New York City.

The 20 latest photographs from this collection are displayed on ConcordNanae.org’s Photo Gallery.  To view the complete collection in chronological order, visit the Nanae Delegation 2011 photo set in the CIR’s Flickr Photostream.

Happy viewing!

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