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Speech
for Lions Club Meeting
Dear Lions club members and Bob Kelley,
President and representatives of Youth Exchange Lions Club. First
of all I would like to take this opportunity to show my thanks for being
here and share part of my experience in youth exchange of Lions Club
with you.
My name is Claudia Akemi Wakabayashi
Saima. The people who know me usually call me by my Japanese name
“Akemi”. I come from Peru and my hometown is Lima. I am 18
years old and I represent the third generation of Japanese people from
my family in Peru.
There are four members in my family.
My father, my mother, my younger brother and me. My father’s name
is Jose Luis and he works in marketing for different companies and
teaches marketing and sales in a master degree’s college. My
mother’s name is Elizabeth, she is a painter and a cosmetic line seller.
Also have a brother that is sixteen years old called Kaoru that is going
to finish high school this year.
Finally me, last year I finished high
school. This year I begin college in March. My major is
advertisement and marketing. I know how to speak four languages:
Spanish is my first language, English is my second best language and
finally I know little bit of Japanese and French.
I really enjoy meeting other people,
making trips constantly, drinking too much coffee and learning from
other cultures. This had been my third time traveling with Lions
Club. My District is H-3 San Antonio of Peru. Thanks to my
chairman, Mrs. Lily Hammerde, I am able to make this trip. This
great institution gave the opportunity to visit other places like:
Japan, Wisconsin, Canada and Seattle.
For me each of the trips had been very
inspiring, not only because it represents a big challenge, but also it
becomes a life experience. Exchanges allow me to become more
independent, socialize with other people and learn from other cultures.
Why do I believe exchange programmes are
important? I think that today’s young people are not well informed
and same time have a wrong idea of other countries. I believe and
I can tell you this because I learned from my own experience that taking
part of a cultural exchange make us more open minded individuals and
allows us to learn and share cultures with each other.
I also think that sometimes we don’t
appreciate things that surround us. I think we should change our
daily activities helping other people, especially young people to value
what they have. Exchange programmes are also important, because it
allows people to b e involved in a community.
My host American family, Lola and Don,
have made me feel like a member of the family and I want to tell them
that I will always keep them in my heart. I am very thankful for
all the good things they have done for me. I hope that my
experience will be shared with other people and help to make people want
to participate in exchange programmes.
Thanks again to the Lions Club members
and to Mr. Bob Kelley for giving me the chance of being here. I
hope to apply all the new things I learned here in my daily life and in
the future.
~ Claudia Akemi Wakabayashi,
Youth Exchange Visitor from Lima Peru
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