Sister Cities of Morgan Hill has a busy year coming up, with treks to three international cities in the works for 2020.
Local middle school students in July will travel to Mizuho, Morgan Hill’s sister city in Japan. The trip will coincide with the Olympic Games and the Olympic torch passing through the students’ host city, reads a press release from Sister Cities of Morgan Hill.
Morgan Hill’s sister city of Headford, Ireland, is excited to host visitors to the city’s annual arts, music and sports festival in late May. And the community is invited to join the local Sister Cities committee for a group tour through Turkey, focusing on vineyards, cities and historical sites.
Hed: Sign up to go to Turkey
Mission View Wines is currently developing a travelers’ interest list of Morgan Hill residents who want to explore Turkey on a guided group tour from Oct. 22 to Nov. 3. Anyone interested in more information and adding their name to the list can contact Emmie Turan by March 16, by calling (650) 678-8237 or emailing [email protected].
Highlights of the upcoming trip include multiple days in Istanbul, Ankara, Cappadocia, Izmir and Morgan Hill’s Turkish sister city, Seferihisar. There will be excursions to wineries in these cities and other regions.
Hed: Headfast promises fun and community
The city of Headford, Ireland’s annual arts, music and sports festival is known as Headfast. Located in County Galway, the town’s annual festival brings together the community and visitors the last weekend in May. More than 27 events are scheduled over the four-day festival. For more information, search for “Headfast” on Facebook.
Hed: Students to gain Olympic experience
A cornerstone of the Sister Cities of Morgan Hill activities is the Mizuho Morgan Hill Student Exchange program, according to the press release. The exchange program is a reciprocal, middle school student travel initiative that has operated since 2008.
The program alternates between Morgan Hill students staying with host families in Mizuho, Japan, and then hosting those same Japanese students in Morgan Hill the following year. The group is preparing to send a group of Morgan Hill students—already selected for the trip—to Mizuho from July 24 to Aug. 9.
This year’s exchange is significant because the summer Olympics are scheduled to begin in Tokyo during the same time as the students’ trip. The Olympic torch is scheduled to pass through Mizuho during the students’ travels.
Exchange organizers are preparing a number of fundraising opportunities to help students offset the high costs of airline tickets, according to Sister Cities of Morgan Hill.
For more information about how to support the Mizuho Morgan Hill Student Exchange Program, or to participate in a future program, contact [email protected] or visit mmhsep.org/.
