Welcome a newly-arrived Japanese student to Tempe!
Hiraki Ochi is 18 years old. She arrived in Arizona late last night, from Japan. Hiraki will be staying here for 3 weeks studying at Arizona State University, studying English and learning about America and Arizona. She would love to meet Arizona neighbors and practice speaking English with you!
Here are photos of Hikari and the rest of the group of 21 students who arrives late on February 14, 2026:
https://potluckdinner.org/photos/2026Feb15_esl_student_welcome_dinner/
Preston and Kumiko participate in the OvECS Homestay program, which arranges host families for international students coming to the United States to study. The majority of these students come to study English, such as in ESL programs at Arizona State University.
Limited seating event. This dinner is planned for a relatively small group of people. Prior students who came here as part of this program looked forward to attending many neighborhood potluck events, large and small. But for this initial "welcome dinner" we keep the number of dinner guests relatively small, so as to not overwhelm the newly-arrived student.
Free event. Those who come to this event are asked to bring any kind of food, except for Japanese food. Main dish, salad, appetizer, etc. all welcome. (Drinks, utensils, plates, etc. will be provided by the hosts. No desserts, please.)
Items guests have signed up to bring:
C. B: ?
H. C: ?
P. H: ?
V. J: ?
Y. L: ?
Z. I: ?