SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — In July, a group of students from Sheboygan's sister city, Tsubame, Japan, were supposed to come and stay with host families for about a week.
Two teachers from Masako Kobayashi and Fumiko Yokoyama, planned to accompany their students but received disappointing news that the trip had been canceled.
"We were shocked that Sheboygan could not accept the delegation anymore," said Yokoyama. "That was a little disappointing."
"To just cancel it at the last minute and leave them scrambling, said Lisa Salgado, a former member of the Mayor's International Committee.
She was responsible for planning the trip until her resignation. "I turned over the entire itinerary, which was pretty much completed, and a list of the host families," she explained.
The experience of staying with host families is pivotal, according to another former committee member, Minami Baudry.
"It changed everything, and that's why I'm very disappointed. They didn't think about their students' feelings either." Baudry had previously benefited from a host family experience that strongly influenced her decision to live in the States today.
Last year marked the first time a delegation had visited Sheboygan in 13 years, an effort to revitalize the sister city relationship. Sheboygan had agreed to host again in 2025. "And we committed to this at the end of last year," Salgado noted.
However, when contacted for a comment regarding the cancelation, the mayor cited a lack of "capacity" to confirm host family background checks and organize transportation as the reason.
Watch: Tsubame, Japan delegation trip to Sheboygan cancelled, then shortened
"I guess I was really sad for the students because they had entered a competition to be in the delegation," Salgado said.
Facing the difficult decision of informing their students about the cancellation, Yokoyama and Kobayashi opted instead to first reach an agreement with the mayor for a two-day visit to Sheboygan. "A lot shorter than the original one," they acknowledged.
As a result of the host family arrangement being off the table, the Tsubame group will need to shoulder hotel expenses for their stay.
Regardless of the amended trip, Yokoyama insists, "Students are looking forward to visiting Sheboygan."
The group of 15 is scheduled to arrive on July 30.
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