Sister City applications due Friday

Miyoshi City, located on the island of Shikoku in southeast Japan, is more like The Dalles than most would expect: both cities have mild climates but tall mountains that bring wind and a bit of snow in the winter, both are nestled on scenic riverbanks, and both are connected to cherries, The Dalles through the cherry industry, and cherry blossoms are highly valued in Japanese culture.

While Sister Cities typically sends delegations of 10 or so students with a couple of chaperones every year, adult delegations have gone over on special occasions, such as this past fall when Miyoshi City was set to host the World Rafting Championship.

“All these different countries were represented and we got to be a part of it,” said Amber Tilton, a member of the group that went to Miyoshi City in early October.

The delegation partook in some sightseeing and tourist activities like learning how to make udon noodles, attending a floral arrangement demonstration and viewing traditional Japanese dance; but none of these were the point of the trip, Tilton said. “The point of the program is for people to learn that diversity also means ‘the same’, what we do have in common,” she said.

Staying with host families and experiencing their everyday life, while also learning about Japanese culture, government and politics, is a more intimate experience than traveling as a tourist, Tilton said.

The idea behind sister cities, also called twin cities, is to forge cultural and business connections between cities of vastly different cultures to promote peace, trade and tourism.

The practice first started when Toledo, Idaho, paired with Toledo, Spain, in 1931. President Eisenhower later established Sister Cities International in 1956, with the goal to repair relationships between the nations after WWII. The program is heavily supported by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR), a Japanese organization established in 1988 with a similar goal to support international collaboration.

The Dalles has annually sent delegations to the Japanese city and hosted visiting delegates since establishing a relationship with the city nearly 30 years ago. The original relationship was forged with Ikeda, Japan, which merged with five other surrounding towns and cities to become Miyoshi City.

“It’s a lifechanging

experience,” said Katie Paul, a member of the association’s board of directors.

The program is especially impactful to both American and Japanese students, Paul said, as many participants have never been out of their respective countries before.

This past November, 3 students from Miyoshi City stayed in The Dalles for an entire month, living with host families and attending classes at The Dalles High School. Near the end of the month, an additional 12 students came over to tour the area.

The launch of that program last year was a great success, Paul said. “Every year we learn and continue to grow,” she added.

Tilton had been hosting students from Miyoshi City in her The Dalles home for six or so years before making the journey to Miyoshi City herself. One of the most rewarding aspects of the trip, she said, was being able to see the students she had hosted and meet their families. “I felt like I was at home,” she said.

The delegation programs offer a chance to make “long lasting friendships and a great opportunity for people to get out of the country,” Paul said, adding that many past delegates from The Dalles will go back to Miyoshi City to visit, go to school, or even to live.

When asked if she would consider going back, Tilton said it wasn’t even a question for her. “I’m going to see the friends that I made because they’re almost like family,” she said. “At the end of the day, I’m going back to see my family.”

The Dalles Sister Cities Association invites students to apply for a trip to Miyoshi City next year, where they will stay with host families and visit local schools and historic sites. The application deadline is Jan. 19, with interviews to follow in the first week of February.

Tilton encourages anyone interested to apply, even students who are homeschooled or out in The Dalles’ outlying rural communities.

The application is available in the front offices of most local schools and can be turned into the City Clerk’s office.

The Dalles Sister Cities Association will also host a paint night fundraiser at Wahtonka from 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. on March 9. Entry costs $45 and participants will paint a picture of a cherry blossom with a bridge, meant to represent both The Dalles and Miyoshi City.

For more information about the application, Miyoshi City, or other ways to get involved in the association, visit the Sister Cities’ Facebook page or their website at www.thedallessistercities.org.