Months ago, I got an email from CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange) that advertised a celebratory 50th anniversary event in Tokyo when we were going to be there. I studied abroad with CIEE in Chile as an undergraduate and then Sean and I did Teach Abroad with CIEE in China. We had a really good experience with the organization - the largest non-profit study/teach/work abroad in the world - and have kept in contact with many of the program coordinators there.
This weekend we attended the event at the Japan-American Center in downtown Tokyo and had a great time. There were about eighty people there to celebrate fifty years of United States and Japan study abroad programming with CIEE. We had the most fun being able to meet and talk with such a variety of people especially since we don't know anyone in Tokyo yet. The main bonus of the night, however, was the fancy free drinks and Japanese seafood spread for dinner.
The evening started with opening remarks by one of CIEE's global directors, Adam Rubin. There were a few short speeches by professors and program directors at various universities in Tokyo and a conclusion by a representative of the State Department, Deputy Director for Cultural Affairs, Jeff Adler. Once again, I was happy to have Sean in Tokyo with me as he is much better at these kinds of events than I am. He can easily talk with anyone and is really good at being social and making people feel comfortable. I'm trying to get better at this and through "networking" we went home with a pocketful of business cards. Happy 50 years, CIEE!
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