So Far And Yet So Close Hercules, CA and Tsushima, Japan; sister cities for over 30 years By Matt Larson In 1956 President Eisenhower created an organization called Sister Cities International. It was meant to connect cities across the United States with other cultures and communities around the world as a way of building foreign relations between the citizens, rather than just political leaders. Today, over 500 U.S. communities have established partnerships in nearly 2,000 cities in more than 140 different countries. Chances are your town has a sister city of its own. If you live in Hercules, you may already be familiar with its sister city: Tsushima, Japan. “The official affiliation date is November 5, 1981,” said Lynn Fissell, President and Treasurer of the Hercules Sister City Association. And she ought to know as, being Mayor at the time, she signed the official document. “I’ve had a long history with this particular relationship,” she said. She’s made the trip to Tsushima 6 times over the years and has seen the camaraderie develop from the very beginning. “It’s quite a community to watch forming and being maintained so well.” Groups of citizens and delegates from both cities have been paying each other regular visits over the years. Since 2010 they decided to alternate visiting years—Herculeans going there in the odd-numbered years and Tsushimans coming here in the even-numbered years—this year is Hercules’ turn to go. These groups are comprised of adults that are citizens of Hercules and/or parents of one of the “youth ambassadors” on the trip. “Every delegation we send over from Hercules has students in it,” said Fissell. “The students that go always say when they come back that they want to go again.” Not just anyone can go, however. The students have to apply and interview to be selected. One of the only stipulations is that the students have to be in the 8th or 9th grade when they apply. The next application process for students doesn’t begin until December 1, 2016 for their 2017 visit, but, you might want to mark your calendars now so you don’t forget as it is quite the experience. The trip is about two weeks long. Generally half of it is spent in Tsushima and the other half is spent traveling to other areas of Japan, such as Kyoto, Hiroshima and Tokyo. “When you fly that far, you want to see more of Japan than just Tsushima,” said Fissell. But the students get to collectively choose to do some extra traveling or not. Many of them develop lasting relationships while they’re there and have some incredible experiences along the way. 28 MARKETPLACEcontrac osta .com APRIL 2015
Contra Costa Marketplace - April 2015
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