Over the past week, two groups of students from Hanamaki, Japan, have been in town getting a taste of not just Hot Springs, but also the American way of life.
The students, 27 in total, are from Hanamaki Higashi, a high school in Hanamaki, Hot Springs' Sister City. One group consists of college prep students and the other is the school's baseball team. Mary Zunick, executive director of the Sister City Program, said that Higashi college prep students have been visiting Hot Springs for the last eight years, but this was the first time that the baseball team has visited.
"It's a life-changing experience for all of them," Zunick said Friday.
Both groups of students arrived in Little Rock on Sunday. Zunick said that the 27 students spent a day in Little Rock where they got to meet Gov. Asa Hutchinson and visit with him in his office.
The Higashi students have been studying the integration of Central High School, and Zunick said they also got to tour the school.
The baseball team also visited Miracle League of Little Rock, an organization that gives children with disabilities the chance to play baseball, and interacted with its players.
Part of the specialized equipment includes baseballs that beep for visually impaired players. Zunick said the Japanese players took turns trying to hit the ball.
"They were able to close their eyes and swing (at a) beeping ball," she said.
Once in Hot Springs, the two groups split up. The college prep students each went to a different host family and have spent the week experiencing American culture with their hosts. Zunick said that the baseball team has spent much of the past week practicing baseball with Lakeside baseball players, as well as a few players from other local schools.
The team visited Henderson State University in Arkadelphia and the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. The other students visited Mid-America Science Museum and the Coca-Cola Bottling plant. All of the students went to Garvan Woodland Gardens.
Zunick said that the idea behind both groups coming to Hot Springs is to show these youngsters that, despite all of their obvious differences and that they are from a "different part of the world," they have "so much in common ... they are just kids."
The visiting students have enjoyed their time in America, Zunick said, noting that the baseball team has particularly enjoyed eating the local cuisine, including Jose's Mexican Grill, SQZBX and Will's Cinnamon Shop. Zunick said that volunteer Betsy Cox cooked the team some homemade lasagna that proved to be very popular.
"Betsy said that (the baseball team) had never had lasagna ... it got wiped out pretty quickly," Zunick said.
The idea of the Higashi baseball team visiting Hot Springs started over a year ago, when the school's vice principal visited Hot Springs and saw the baseball history here and decided that the team should visit. The visit, Zunick said, has "surpassed all expectations."
The college prep students' visit has also been a success, Zunick said. They have gotten a more intimate view into the American culture by staying with host families.
"These kids will talk about this when they are old," Zunick said.
After seeing how well the Higashi team's visit went, Zunick said she would love to be able to reverse it and send Hot Springs ballplayers to Hanamaki.
"It's a great goal to work toward," she said, since several years of planning and fundraising would be needed to make the trip happen.
Today at 1 p.m. at Lakeside, the two teams will face off in a friendly game that is free to the public. Zunick said that the game will likely attract a large crowd, so she recommended arriving early and bringing lawn chairs.
Local on 12/07/2019