On July 22, we had a chance to meet UH students, which was a great opportunity for us to know about Hawaiian or Japanese cultures. After the arrival of UH students, we started to enjoy our dinner together and talk to each other.

Though we did not know very well about the person we were talking to, we had a great time. In order to get UH students and us much closer, the student leaders prepared some games for us. One is looking for partner by writing some hobbies, and the other one is a make-it-a-circle game.

These two games helped us know more about each other through getting along with other students. This language exchange does not only give us a chance to know more Hawaiian and Japanese cultures, but also help us spread Chinese culture.

We truly believe that this language exchange and this trip to Hawaiian will become one of our precious memories in our lives.

The July 24th is a great day for we had a BBQ in Ala Moana Beach Park. Nothing can be compared with the brilliant sunshine, the friendly atmosphere, the closeness to nature. And the icing on the cake is that we enhanced our feelings with each other by playing games by groups and enjoyed the fantastic food and beverage. Till that day did I understand the old vivid saying: If you carefully listen to the voices of flowers, are everywhere harmonious life movement. The “voices of flowers” here means just to open minds for new friends.

The most impressive part of the party is group games, not only because of the pleasure of the games, but the hospitality of the Japanese students. Though we had some communication problems at first, we overcame the language barriers finally and got acquaintances with each other happily.

To put it in a nutshell, I am deeply convinced that the BBQ on that day will become a golden memory in the rest of our lives.

Hawaii Tokai International College proudly announces the establishment of the Beta Sigma Omicron Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. The society was established in 1918 to “recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students and provide opportunities for individual growth and development through honors, leadership and service programming." The society was recognized in 1929 by the American Association of Community Colleges as the official honor society for junior colleges.

With more than two million members and 1,200 chapters nationally and internationally, Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in American higher education.

Faculty advisors for the Beta Sigma Omicron Chapter are Dr. Toake Endoh and Ms. Seleena Harkness. HTIC student Sonomi Imagawa was the catalyst for HTIC’s establishment of the society and with Satsuki Akiyama, Douglas Haas, Ken Hamanaka, Junichi Hashimoto, Hui Li, Kazuto Miyajima, Yaeko Okano, Kazuma Okubo, Mao Satoh, and Narumi Sugimura, will be a founding member of the chapter.

A special chartering and induction ceremony was held on Friday, June 19 at 3:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Regional Phi Theta Kappa headquarters representative, Mr. Lance Uyeda, attended the ceremony.

Spring term’s Student Presentation Day gave us the opportunity to observe nine very different presentations. Jeffrey Mead’s Speech 151 students presented a series of “news” announcements about events that included the recent signing ceremony for a proclamation by Honolulu’s mayor declaring March 5, 2010, to be the official 150th Anniversary of the First Japanese Embassy arrival in Honolulu; the Moonlight Party for HTIC students, which featured dancing and games; information about the services available from Student Services, including introduction of our new staff members, Masami Konrai and Shannon Mark; an interview with Loraine Koenig about the new CP reading lab, which takes place in the library; and an introduction to Mongolia by Monsy, our new student from Mongolia.

The newscast was followed by the thirteen students enrolled in David Odhiambo’s Creative Writing course, who read original and highly evocative poems they had written for the class under his guidance. Toake Endoh’s thirteen Political Science students made presentations about “hard power” and “soft power” in international relations. Sonomi Imagawa told us about her experience as a volunteer at the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council while enrolled in the Service Learning course, IS 192, and Matthew Ogawa demonstrated his mastery of Japanese in a short presentation about his experience studying for one term in Japan as part of the Discover Japan Program.

Deanna Madden’s World Literature I students gave presentations about some of the literature covered in their class from Ancient Greece, China, India, and Europe in the Middle Ages. Orlando Garcia-Santiago’s Sociology students made two presentations, one on binge drinking among college students in the U.S. and another on Corporate Tourism and the Degradation of Hawaiian Culture. Robert Holliday’s Psychology of Adjustment class presented a combination of PowerPoint and short skits to explain eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol and substance abuse, and suicide. Freshman Experience students in Seleena Harkness’s Humanities 100 concluded the event with presentations on two literary works read for their class, Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club and the Mideastern story of two star-crossed lovers, Layla and Majnun.

The International Programs’ Department of HTIC will be hosting its second annual China study program this summer, July 19 – August 16, 2010. This 4-week intensive study program is customized for Chinese college students interested in an American College experience.

In addition to receiving the opportunity to improve English reading, writing, and oral communication skills at an accredited American College, Chinese student participants will join language exchanges with local college students, experience the beauty and history of the Hawaiian host culture by going on organized field trips on O’ahu and Maui, learn Hawaiian dance (hula) and other Polynesian dances and music, and finally, for those who so choose, be given the opportunity to live with a local family as a part of a short home stay experience (additional fees apply).

The deadline to apply for this program is May 31, 2010. The cost is $3000.00 per person, which includes tuition, airport and field trip transportations, meals, dorm room accommodation, and admission to organized field trips.

For more information, please contact Lydia Shepherd at lshepher@tokai.edu.