International School To School Experience (ISSE)

ISSE was a program I first encountered during my final appointment within the Victorian Education Department. Delegations of 11 year olds from schools around the Pacific would be exchanged between schools. These exchanges usually occurred over a month or so. Trish and I took 6 children to a school in New Delhi in India. It was not only an incredible experience for the kids, but for their adult chaperones as well.

Whilst I was at the school, we hosted delegations from USA, India, Malaysia and Japan. The Japanese children were a bit more of a challenge as the difference in languages played a greater role. However the squeals of glee when a Japanese student discovered a fleck of gold at Sovereign Hill sounded exactly the same as the squeals of glee of an Australian student when they found gold!.

These kids are now all young adults. Daniel, seen here relaxing poolside in Dubai where he works as an engineer was one of the delegates Trish and I took to India.

Yumi was one of the delegates who came to visit the school from Tokoname in Japan. She maintained some email contact with me over the last 8+ years but this contact died away recently as time began to take its toll. When I recently sent out emails notifying people of our change of email address, I added Yumi's name to the list .... just in case!

Yesterday I received an email from her with this delightful photograph of her, her new son Ryusei Yamashita and her husband. You will need to click on the photos for a larger view.

The last full day I spent in the school as school principal began as usual about 8 a.m. but did not finish till after 10 p.m. We had two Parents' Meetings after school that day. The first meeting was to go over arrangements with parents who were hosting a delegation of students coming from overseas. The later meeting was again with parents, but this time the parents of delegates who were travelling overseas later in the year.

I loved being involved with ISSE. I remember driving home that last night filled with enthusiasm for the program and wondering how I could do something I loved so much and still get paid for it!

I cannot describe how fantastic I felt when Yumi's email and photograph arrived yesterday.