Sister Cities Bonus Episode feat. Koji Teraya (Big T)

With this final video, I am pleased to pass administration of this website to the new Coordinator of International Relations, Mr. Nick Ferbert.  Check back in a couple weeks and say “Hi!” to Nick by visting and Liking the new Meet the CIR Page, and make sure to comment on his articles!

I am grateful to Nick and to all the members of the Concord-Nanae community for their continued investment in this website and their demonstrated interest in its content.  I hope it will serve all of you as a valuable tool for communication between our sister cities for many years to come.

For links to my information, please visit the Previous CIRs Page.  To keep up with my new adventures, visit my personal website, benmirin.com, or follow me on Twitter @benmirin.

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 9: Looking Back (Part 1)

Produced by Nanae International Relations and Domestic Affairs
Directed by the CIR

This is part 1 of the final interview for the Sister City Series, with Azuma Miyata, Chief of Nanae Town’s General Affairs Section and the leader of the largest delegation ever to visit Concord. Enjoy, and stay tuned for part 2 next week!

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.

Sister Cities Ep. 6 Full Translation

Produced by Nanae International Relations and Domestic Affairs
Directed by the CIR

Here, for now, is the final version of Episode 6, with Japanese translation. Please enjoy revisiting the highlights of this episode while we continue working through the glitches currently delaying the production of Episode 8!

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.

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!

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.

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!