I believe people should be open-minded in order to understand other cultures. As a daughter of a diplomat, I have moved to different parts of the world. From Manhattan, to Buenos Aires, from Washington DC, to Tokyo; I have made friends from around the globe, such as India, Sweden, England, Oman, and many more. However, my experience in the States and in Argentina was contrary to my encounter in Japan.

In Manhattan and Washington DC, I went to an all-American elementary school, where it was uncommon to meet students who were not fluent in English. Most of the children attending the school were Americans who had never even set foot on an airplane. In the United States, my friends didn’t even know where Argentina was located on the map. When I moved to Argentina, after I had lived in the states for seven years, I went to a typical Argentine private school, which was bilingual. In the morning all of the classes were in Spanish, after lunch all of the classes were in English. Whenever I spoke English in school, my friends would innocently tease me, and say I was too “American.” Therefore, I would fake a slight Spanish accent so my classmates wouldn’t make fun of me for being too yankee or gringo, (Spanish slang terms for American.) In both of these schools, I got to know people who were prejudiced towards other nationalities, or who were simply culturally ignorant.

When I moved to Tokyo and attended my first day of school at Sacred Heart, I was surprised at the variety of distinct cultures the school had. My first day of school was a big blur, since the whole international school environment was so new to me. Everyone was friendly to the new students. Everyone respected each other’s cultures. No one laughed at anyone’s accent. No one discriminated against anyone based on nationality or religious beliefs. During lunchtime, people wouldn’t make fun of what you ate, even if in their culture it would be seen as offensive. For example, whenever I bring beef for lunch, my Indian friends, who are vegetarian don’t look at my food in disgust. Even though, at first some girls may wonder, “What is she wearing on her head?” If you are Muslim, girls won’t tease you for wearing a hijab. When I decided to take the Confirmation class, some of my friends, who are not Catholic didn’t question my decision or make fun of me. Everyone tolerated each other’s beliefs and customs.

Attending Sacred Heart has taught me that the only way to amplify our knowledge about the world is to become aware of other countries and not denigrate their beliefs if they do not coincide with our own. At Sacred Heart you see girls from Taiwan and China eating together in the common room despite their country’s conflicts with one another. You see girls from Russia and the United States laughing down the corridor, while going to their next class. You see a blonde, all-American girl eating gyoza, instead of the typical American lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You see a group of girls in homeroom from various nationalities, Ireland, Japan, Germany, and Thailand, talking about global issues. You see girls from Japan and India near their lockers gossiping about the hottest J-Pop stars. Girls from unique backgrounds, who have divergent mindsets, are united in this school. It’s something many people have never seen before. If everyone followed this model of an international community, then everyone would be more tolerant and open to other cultures.
(Former ISSH student)

ISSH loves to learn
On November 30, 2009, the ISSH Science department hosted twelve guests from the Japanese Sacred Heart schools. The visitors observed how Science is taught in the Middle and High School and had the following to say about what they saw:
"... [we] were very much impressed by the classes [we] observed"
"... it was an inspiring experience for teachers..."
".... the teachers and staff had prepared everything with such generosity and warmth"
"... the students have learned 'to love to learn' and seemed to attend each class with good motivation to learn and enjoy it. [We] were sure that it was because teachers know how to make the students involved in whatever they are learning."

ISSH warmly welcomes visitors from other Sacred Heart schools in Japan. After a visit by Grade 12 students, their chaperone had the following to say:
"Once again thank you very much for inviting us to the school and making us feel so welcome. The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and it gave them an excellent opportunity to experience learning and education in a very different environment and culture.I hope we can continue further exchanges in the future."
(Chaperone, January 27, 2009)

Moving on from ISSH is difficult:
"Thank you so much for everything. It is very hard to move. I will always keep the good memories from Sacred Heart."
(Former ISSH Parent, June 2009)