These past three days have been nothing short of a hurricane of activity. The very long day in getting here, followed by a non-stop day of sightseeing, walking, on and off busses, shopping, and more shopping, then more sightseeing and more shopping. Your kids have been real troopers through it all. There were virtually no "When are we going to get there?" or "How much farther?" Honestly, though, it was very nice to get on the train for the three and a half-hour ride to Nanao. Our weather has been near perfect: mid-70s with clear blues skies and low humidity.
We were heartily, and tearfully, welcomed by all the Nanao students at the train station with the main contingent waiting for us at Fisherman's Wharf. Once off the bus, we were lined up on one side of a small open space with the families on the other. Each of our Nanao partners then escorted us one-by-one to the center of the plaza where were met with hugs by the families. It was a very warm, gracious, and emotional meeting for all of us. Your children are in very good hands.
The Welcome Party itself was a boisterous, yet organized affair with many short speeches of welcome. Daniel did a great job as student representative, his partner, Masaya, was the Nanao student representative. Once the party was over, we collected our suitcases and went to our respective homes. The chaperones were taken to our hotel and then to dinner. Afterward, we all gathered at Miharu Nakagawa's home (Nina's family) for another big feast. Our girls had given Miharu the paper doll of Nina which she pasted on a big banner welcoming all of us to her home. You can see from the photos that it was quite a spread!
Do you all remember the dragon dance the boys did at the Monterey Welcome Party? That dance told a story of a dragon that would come down from the mountains to wreak havoc on local farms and of the farmers doing battle with it to save their harvest. While the story is the same, each of the local neighborhoods here tell it slightly differently in their dance. Miharu's neighborhood held their festival last night and we are all treated to the sight. It had the relaxed, informal atmosphere of a backyard BBQ with all the locals seemingly to be thoroughly enjoying themselves and welcoming us to join them.
Today the students will all be doing their own thing with their families while the chaperones spend the day with the Nanao chaperones walking about the downtown area. It is going to be another fun day.
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