PII (Princeton In Ishikawa) International Exchange Program

 Second-year SG course students joined a special international exchange program called PII, and interacted with foreign students. 　PII－Princeton In Ishikawa－is a two-month training program for students learning Japanese language or Japanese culture at universities in America, like Princeton University.  The PII students are mainly from Princeton University.

After icebreakers, the participants had two activities.  The first one was exchanging their opinions about “abundance and community”－which was the main theme of the high school students’ research－with PII students in Japanese.  Some PII students made a speech about good points of Kanazawa City and Ishikawa Prefecture, and differences between their cultures and Japanese cultures by using pictures, presentation software and so on.

In the next activity, students discussed the research themes of the SG course students from a global point of view in English.  Many students actively communicated with PII students in English.  They might get novel opinions from PII students.  They will make good use of today’s presentations in their research and their fieldwork in the US.

[the participants’ comments]

＊When I asked a PII student a question about the history of the U.S., she answered so quickly.  I was surprised and I asked her why she knew so much about the U.S.  She answered, “It’s because I am American.”  Although I am Japanese, I don’t know about Japan in such detail.  I made up my mind to study more about Japan. 

＊Based on my experience of making a short speech, I admire the PII students very much because they made a speech without difficulty.  Also, the PII students had their own opinions, researched Ishikawa beforehand, answered each of my questions, and were so kind to me.  Thanks to them, I had a valuable experience.

＊It was difficult to explain our project and things peculiar in Japan.  However, PII students worked hard to understand us and told us their experiences from their hometown, so I will apply what I learned today to our research.