----------- Welcome to the ------------ --------- Friends of Lawrence - Friends of Hiratsuka --------- ----------- mailing list! ------------
The purpose of this list is to provide a place for people in both Hiratsuka and Lawrence to exchange information and cultivate/nurture/create/enhance the perfect Sister City relationship.
Sister City relationships can develop through three phases. First, formal city-to-city official contacts and exchanges (publicly financed). Second, city official led, partially financed yet primary responsibility and planning for events (and costs) delegated to private organizations (FOL, FOH, individuals). The final stage is a blossoming into direct citizen-to-citizen contacts/exchanges. We are now beginning the second phase (organizational linkages) and starting to move beyond, towards direct people-to-people exchanges.
How can this list help? One challenge is a lack of easily available information about either city; or more specifically, who can act as a contact person for your important exchange project? This list will help provide an inexpensive means of sharing information and help in making personal contacts (and friendships) between cities.
One source of Hiratsuka information in English is our FOL web site (motto: constantly seeking structure!):
What shall we talk about? It's early to predict, but here are some possible topics: who should I contact to find out ____?; I work in a school, please tell me about pre/elem/jr/hs student activities / festivals; how can I reach my host family / homestay student?; what events are happening in H/L this month?; Penpals needed for HS students; Got any good recipes?; What kind of fishing can you do near ____?; Retired men/women in Hiratsuka/Lawrence do _XXX_ for a hobby, how about over there?; New Year's/birthday/holidays traditions?; I have a great idea to promote our next event!; Let's talk about Shinto/Buddhist/Christian religious ceremonies; Let's NOT talk about religious ceremonies, the gulf is too wide to understand!; Help, business translation needed!; Want to buy Americana / Japonica decorations for restaurant/shop; Need 4 more homestay families for July; Photo club wishes to trade pictures; members wanted for joint H-L quilting group, meet there in 3yrs?; etc.
A sister-city relationship is a field ripe with possibility. This list should be seen as a receptive spot to plant some seeds of ideas for future mutually beneficial exchanges; everyone please feel free to be creative in proposing ideas, you might create resonance on the other side. No harm in mentioning a plan and the proposed benefits, is there?
Concerning the official language of this list, it is first
and foremost COMMUNICATION, and thus officially BOTH Japanese and
English. Gambarimasu! (Carry on, persevere, don't quit! Mush!
Onward!)
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ADMINISTRIVIA
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Enjoy!
June 1, 1997
C. 1997, Kevin Sullivan, csr-kts@gol.com
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