Yohei Nagata Ken-do Anything!
July 2008

The Exchange Visitor Program is pleased to announce Yohei Nagata as July's Exchange Visitor of the Month. Each month, we select an exchange visitor who has made an effort to get involved in his/her community, explore American culture or share in his/her own culture.

Yohei Nagata, 28, of Kyoto, Japan, is not your average J-1 Exchange Visitor. Outside his engineer training in Kentucky, Nagata never misses a chance to explore the American landscape. Since Nagata arrived in January 2008, he has already visited Key West, Florida to watch the sunset and swim with dolphins; the Grand Canyon in Arizona to feel the power of nature; New York to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Cleveland Ohio to hear the Symphony Orchestra and Atlanta, Georgia to experience the Renaissance Festival. And that's just traveling! Nagata also plays golf and runs competitively. He has already completed a 10K race in Ohio as well as a marathon relay. If you're already exhausted by the mere mention of so many activities, you might want to skip this next one. Nagata is also a lifelong Kendo swordsman. "Kendo?" you ask. Yes, Kendo.

Kendo is the Japanese martial art of sword fighting. Literally meaning "the way of the sword," Kendo swordsmen traditionally fence with two bamboo swords (shinai) while wearing traditional Kendo armor (bogu). Embodying the essence of Japanese fighting arts, Kendo is a way to discipline the human character by applying the principles of the sword.

Nagata has been practicing Kendo for 20 years in Japan. Beginning at age 8, Nagata started practicing when his friends became involved. As he watched, he knew that he too wanted to learn.

Now, Nagata practices with local Kendo players at the University of Kentucky and with Japanese students at the Central Kentucky Japanese School.

"Shortly after I arrived in the U.S.," Nagata said, "I went to a few Kendo practices. I was invited to be the coach of the East Central U.S. Kendo Federation (ECUSKF). So, almost every weekend, I travel to several cities to train local Kendo players-such as Columbus, Louisville, Dayton, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Atlanta and Charleston."

Practicing on an average of three times a week and two to three hours on the weekend, Nagata competed in the 20th Annual Cleveland Tournament and won third place. He also coached a local ECUSKF team who won third place in the All U.S. Kendo Tournament in Las Vegas. Nagata's love of the art spans many aspects of his life.

"I enjoy playing Kendo for mainly four reasons," Nagata said. "1) Any age group, gender and nationality can enjoy playing Kendo 2) Kendo broadens my relationships with a wide variety of people 3) Kendo helps me stay healthy 4) Kendo deepens my understanding of Japanese and other cultures."

But most importantly, participating in Kendo has allowed this active J-1 to build relationships with his community members, make connections and learn more about American culture.

"Teaching Kendo skills and Japanese customs to local players in English has helped me to improve my English and learn about American culture," Nagata said. "For example, my Kendo friends have shown me that hugging is their way of greeting their friends. It's important for other J1s who maybe aren't yet involved in their communities to find a class, a club or a sports team that they are interested in like tennis, basketball, dancing, cooking or photography. They can meet interesting people, broaden their experience, learn new things and improve their English."

For more information on Kendo, visit www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendo.

Cecilia Chouhy Balbi Gets Out There and Wins!
June 2008

The Exchange Visitor Program is pleased to announce Cecilia Chouhy Balbi as June's Exchange Visitor of the Month. Each month, we select an exchange visitor who has made an effort to get involved in his/her community and explore American Culture.

Cecilia Chouhy Balbi, of Uruguay, works at an architectural, planning and development service firm in sunny Sacramento, CA as a J1 trainee. When she's not climbing hills in San Francisco or driving along Highway 1 to San Luis Obispo for a long weekend getaway, you might find her on a hike, at the beach, in an art gallery or at special street event enjoying the street performers. You might also find Balbi standing in right field with a softball glove just praying that the ball isn't hit in her direction.

Balbi was invited to play softball by her coworkers about a month ago and without knowing much about the game, jumped at the chance to participate.

"One of my coworkers was trying to get the office to play softball this year and they needed at least three more women to complete the team," Balbi said, "so I jumped in. It sounded like lots of fun and I wanted to try something new."

Although Balbi claims she's not much of an athlete-a few trips to the gym here and a little tennis there-her softball team has won two games out of four this season, or at least at the time this article was written.

And even though Balbi's company softball team plays "just for fun," participating in an American staple like baseball or softball can help you understand a lot more about American people and culture than you might actually think. For Balbi, playing softball with her coworkers has enriched her J1 experience and she has enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends.

"I enjoy having the opportunity to meeting all kinds of new people because each one shows me a different aspect of American culture," Balbi said. "I think that sports, especially baseball/softball, and teamwork are such strong characteristics of American Culture. I get the chance to bond with new people, and of course, laugh at my terrible mistakes during the game. Fortunately, we only play for fun and my team is really supportive."

Now that summer is finally here to stay, don't miss out on any opportunities to participate in an outdoor activity. Nice weather is the perfect excuse to invite a friend, coworker or community member to play a sport, go for a run or just enjoy being outside.

Heather Conn Explores the Art of Being an American through Cinema
May 2008

Heather Conn (British Columbia, Canada) says movies help people understand other nations and their cultures.

The Exchange Visitor Program is pleased to announce Heather Conn as May's Exchange Visitor of the Month. Each month, we select an exchange visitor who has made an effort to get involved in his/her community and explore American Culture.

If there's one person who has thoroughly explored American culture through cinema, it's Heather Conn.

Conn, a native of British Columbia, is a trainee at Sierra Magazine in San Francisco. A veteran movie buff, Conn has attended dozens of film festivals and has been a movie fan all her life. From Vancouver International film festivals, which she has faithfully attended for 20 years, to film festivals in Toronto, Conn knows the ins and outs of movie magic.

Here in the U.S., Conn has attended independent film festivals, the Asian film festival, Buddhist film festival, Tiburon film festival and the San Francisco International film festival. And she doesn't just screen films, she occasionally reviews. "Since being in San Francisco, I have reviewed the environmental DVD Garbage Warrior for the website of my host company, Sierra Magazine."

One of the wonderful things about movies is that its value, beauty and significance all lie in the eye of the beholder. For Conn, movies not only are made to be enjoyed, but also to be appreciated in a cultural context. Movies bring people together and help us understand certain cultural nuances and values of the country in which they were filmed.

"I think that the kinship of movie fans and filmmakers overrides nationality," Conn said. "Watching U.S. films-documentaries, in particular-enables me to see how Americans view their nation, culture, and leaders. It enriches my viewpoint on issues from the Iraqi war to presidential candidates. I have met lots of interesting people at film festivals and have enjoyed hearing the U.S. filmmakers speak at screenings. I particularly enjoyed the San Francisco film festival screening of the documentary 1,000 Journals. A San Francisco graphic designer sent blank journals around the world and invited people to write, draw, and add whatever they liked within them, then return them to him. The designer spoke after the screening and invited the audience to leaf through two of the original journals that had been in many countries. I really enjoyed that and the sharing of creativity."

Much like food, art speaks its own universal language through sound, action and imagery. And although watching a movie may be an independent activity, talking about the movie afterward is not. Conn connects to her community through the cinema. If you have a hobby or passion, share it with your coworkers and ask them to participate. You might be surprised by the friends you make along the way and the people who share your interests.

John Patrick Leyba Can Now Call Himself a Cowboy
April 2008

John Leyba (Hamburg, Germany) saddles up on a horse deep in the heart of Texas and learns the ropes the hard way.

The Exchange Visitor Program is pleased to announce John Patrick Leyba as April’s Exchange Visitor of the Month. Each month, we select an exchange visitor who has made an effort to get involved in his/her community and explore American Culture.

How many cowboys do you know? How many people do you know who are tough enough to ride horses for seven hours a day, rope and float free range cattle and sleep on the hard ground? No, this isn’t the wild wild west of American Western movies, it’s present day Texas. Enter J-1 trainee John Patrick Leyba, 30, of Hamburg, Germany, who lives and works deep in the heart of Texas.

The president of John’s host company encouraged him to participate in a four day cattle trail to learn more about the history of ranching and of cowboys. A self-described “greenhorn,” John took bi-weekly riding lessons to familiarize himself with the horse.

“It is difficult to keep your body in the same relaxed position and have the horse determine the way you are moving instead of you. I was scared like hell when I saw this very tall horse at the beginning of my training. It was necessary to read the horse’s feelings and keep an eye on the horse’s body language and behavior. Controlling the direction wasn’t as big a problem as learning different speeds and keeping your body in the saddle.”

It was on the actual trip that John’s real life and America’s Hollywood take on being a cowboy collide. John certainly “roughed it” like a real American cowboy on the trail.

“It was great fun but at the same time it was also hard work,” John said. “Sitting in a saddle for seven hours a day can be very painful if you’re not used to it. Sleeping outside next to the fire wasn’t too difficult, mostly because we usually had always a few drinks together with the cowboys. The biggest challenge was first to find and then to float the free living cows together in the Palo Duro Canyon.”

All in all, John found that taking a risk, hanging out with his coworkers and participating in the community opened up his world.

“I learned the unlikely way of life for the ranching lifestyle. I met a lot of new people on that trail and was invited to another gathering in July in Colorado as well as a trip in Dallas.