Greetings From The New CIR Hello! My name is Erik Henry, and I am from Minnesota, U.S.A. Starting this summer, I will be one of the two new CIRs (Coordinator of International Relations) in Hamamatsu city.  I'll start off by saying a little bit about myself. I graduated from a small liberal arts college in Indiana called Earlham College last May, and about 3 months later found myself on a plane to Japan. This will be my fourth time in Japan, and my first time in Hamamatsu, so I am excited to have many new experiences here.  From elementary school to junior high, I attended a French Immersion school in my hometown of Edina, Minnesota. I also studied French in high school and a bit in college. I guess that after studying French for so long, I wanted to try studying something non-Latin based, so I started studying Japanese in high school. I've done a home stay in Osaka and studied abroad in Tokyo, so I guess living in Hamamatsu will be a bit different, but it still seems like a very lively city!  Also, I was excited to learn that Hamamatsu is also known as the "City of Music". Ever since I started studying Japanese, I have been really interested Japanese music, so I am looking forward to going to concerts and specialty music shops in Hamamatsu.  Hamamatsu city also has much more of an international feel than my hometown, so I'm looking forward to learning about many different cultures as well as teaching about my own culture and helping out with events.  Hello Hamamatsu! My name is Bonnie Choi and I'm from Sydney, Australia. I will be working as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) in Hamamatsu at both the City Hall and Multicultural Centre. I'm looking forward to meeting many of you during my time here!  Before coming to Hamamatsu, I heard many good things about the city, so I was very excited to come here and work. I have lived in other parts of Japan before, including Hakuba, Osaka and Gifu both for work and study. I started studying Japanese in high school, and after living with a home-stay family in Osaka for 4 months, I decided to further my Japanese studies at university. I graduated in 2006 from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) majoring in Tourism Management and International Studies which included one year studying Japanese at Gifu University. During this time, I had many opportunities to be involved in cultural exchange activities as a student, and meeting people from all over the world, sparked my interest in international relations.  Having only arrived in Hamamatsu for a short time, I feel that it is a very internationalized city with never a dull moment. Whether you live in the city center or in the inaka, I hope that you will join me in taking the opportunity to explore your surroundings and to share your culture and experiences with those around you. If you're ever at the city hall or Multicultural Centre, feel free to drop by for a chat!