Jim Roberts
The now-forming Rotary Club of Goodyear PebbleCreek hosted a send-off breakfast for Rotary exchange student Esparanza (Hope) Shoemaker as she leaves on her student exchange trip to Japan. Once qualified, Hope hopes to help Japanese students learn English.
A native Arizonian, Hope is the daughter of Gregory and Vivian Shoemaker who are very proud. Hope would normally be going into her Junior year, but she has already finished high school on-line. She will be considering on-line college when she returns.
Here are some of her own words: “From a young age, I’ve been interested in other countries and their cultures. This thirst to learn more led me to apply for a Rotary Youth Exchange. I will be staying in Japan from August to late July/early August of 2018 and living with three different host families. I’m very eager to learn a new language and culture, build friendships with young people from around the world, as well as being a student ambassador for Rotary and the United States. I will be completing my exchange year in the Ishikawa Prefecture in Kanazawa.” Kanazawa is across the island of Honshu about 160 miles from Tokyo and is famous for its pottery and well-preserved Edo-era villages.
We hope Hope will meet with our Rotary Club upon her return and give us a full report on her year in Japan. We also hope that while she is there, she will become a tourist and see some of the wonderful sights. We have recommended going to Tokyo by Bullet Train and seeing the Ginza, Tokyo Tower, Mount Fuji, take a boat tour of Lake Ashi and do the Hakone Cable Car.
Hope is an extraordinary young lady. In honor of Hope and her upcoming venture, I have written the following poem entitled There is Hope for Japan.