By Amy Maginnis-Honey
Maldon Longren watched in awe at a table of students eating lunch Thursday afternoon at Fairfield High School.
The six youth, five girls, one boy, who were the focus of his attention were at the school for a day of immersion into American culture. The seventh- and eighth-graders are visitors from two middle schools in Nirasaki, Japan, Fairfield’s sister city.
Longren found the courage to give the group a brief greeting. Then, he retreated, almost apologetically.
“I’m trying to learn Japanese,” he said, adding he felt he was fighting an uphill battle on that front.