Fifteen students from Fukuoka, Japan, participants of the Asian-Pacific Children’s Convention (APCC), met up with their host families at the Ipoh City Council building in Ipoh recently.
APCC is a collaborative programme of the city councils of Ipoh and Fukuoka, with the objective of strengthening ties of the two councils. According to Ipoh Council Secretary, Dato’ Hj Abdul Rahim bin Md Ariff, the students, aged from 10 to 18 years, would stay with their foster families for five days and would have the opportunity to learn about the local culture.
Rahim said these students would get to check out Ipoh and visit two selected schools, for a chance to experience the Malaysian school environment. “This is our second programme; last year, we sent a group of Ipoh students to Fukuoka,” he added after officiating at the opening of the programme.
According to one of the participants, Moi Yamazaki, 18, said she wanted to try the delicious food of Ipoh. “Before coming to Ipoh, I did a little research on the city as well as on Malaysia. Besides the food, I also wish to learn about the history of Malaysia.” Expressing sadness over the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, she hoped that the plane would be found soon.
Another participant, Chichiro Mikuriya, 10, was very happy to have safely arrived in Malaysia and being warmly welcomed by people here. “This is my first time in Malaysia. I am excited to see the development of your country and can’t wait to learn about the culture here,” she exclaimed.
Luqman
