Group: FSM

Daily Diary

Acknowledgement

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in this Kizuna Project.

Special thanks to:

Our Otosan and Okasan on Oshima Island

People of Oshima Island

People of Japan

JOCA

JICE

Kizuna Committee Members, USP

Mr Yasuhiro Takahashi San

Prof Kazutaka Mitobe San

Ms Erina Noda San

Mr Kanichiro Sohma San

Mr Tami Izumitani San

Mr James Redona San

Mr Atsushi Takahashi San

Ms Ato San

Ms Maulani San

Mr Inoue san

And finally the Students of FSM o Mori-m Mori o Ivy Gean Penias o Kevin Jr. Kiyoshi Ihara o Tamae Waguk o Mary George o Chelsea Marie Nena o Hart William o Donalyn Waguk o Maybelline Mari Ihara o Rensaaron Sigrah o Shania David o John Inston Notte o Berlin Alokoa o Lina Santos o Amelda Kusto o Josephine Joel o Zoya Goodwin o Nicolette Elanzo o Leah Teressa Danis o James Keston o Maverick Frank Skilling

o Franky Kustin Pritesh Chandra, 2012

2012-09-19

Our wake up alarm went off at 6am and everyone was expected to head down to the hotel Sunroute’s

restaurant at level 2 for their buffet breakfast. There was a variety of different food and FSM students

had a good meal before they got ready and we all walked across to the orientation venue. Prior to the

orientation, I collected the passport of most of the students while the rest will hand it to me after they

got to the hotel.

All the group A countries were seated together. Our orientation begun by the MC, Mr. Ryo San. He

gave everyone a brief introduction and the purpose of the Kizuna project. The head of JOCA gave a

short speech and welcomed everyone. Later another JOCA staff informed everyone about the simple

rules to follow when visiting the home family and disaster areas. Mr. Kubo San gave a lecture on the

impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake. There was a question and answer session. The students got

into their teams and prepared their question for Mr. Kubo San.

After which lunch was served. It was a Lunch Box.

Later students headed back to the hotel and from there we were transported to the Central Breakwater

Landfill site. At the time, all the passports have been collected. CBL turned out to be a very informative

and educational tour of the day. The students were shown a 20 minute video and later a tour of the CBL

facilities. Student learned the problem Japan had with rubbish and tons of waste generated by Tokyo

itself with 23 districts.

CBL over the years have worked towards recycling as much as possible and how they have built

buildings, parks, golf range on previously filled landfills. The students were taught the importance of 3

R’s. Refuse/Refill, Reuse, and Recycle. After the tour, the students were taken to the hotel where they

rested and packed their bags for the train ride to Akita. At 5.30pm, everyone met at the hotel lobby and

loaded on a bus to the Carne Station for dinner through the Narita City.

Everyone was excited by the lights, the cars, the big buildings and the movement of the Narita people.

The students also found this to be the opponent time to rehash their national anthem and song through

to our destination.

Students had a good time at dinner. After dinner and back to the hotel lobby, Ms. Maulani San

instructed the students to bring their 1 big bag/suitcase down to the lobby at 8.30pm. The bags will be

transported to Akita overnight and is expected to arrive at our hotel before us. I let Ms. Maulani San

talk to the students in her way while I decided to step back since I got the impression that I was a bit

hard/strict on the students in terms of instructing them. At 8.00pm, I got a call for a staff meeting and

went down to the meeting room with my bag. Everyone from JOCA and Group A supervisors were

there. The FSM Team (me, Mr. Takahashi San and Ms. Maulani San) gave a brief verbal report that “No

Main Issues” have been reported and that everything went well for the day.

END LOG

2012-09-20

Day 3 started in the most unexpected way. Early in the morning, I heard some noise and thought

someone next room was watching TV very loudly. It was only after Mori Mori knocked on my door

asking me for Franky’s passport, that I felt something was not right. When I asked why the passport was

needed, Mori said it is best that I come out and go to Franky’s room.

Had to skip breakfast. I informed the students about the current situation and that Franky is not joining

them. On the bus, a stern warning was given and students were to understand that they will be sent

home if found to be breaking any rules. At the train station, Mr. Takahashi San bought me a chicken

sandwich and an orange juice. One of the students Tamea got sick while waiting to board the train. She

was escorted to a sick bay where she could sleep and get some rest. We took turns to check on her

condition and get another student, her friend Mary, to be with her. After a 3 hour bullet train ride, we

arrived at our destination, Akita. By this time Tamea was feeling better but still a bit weak. We got on a

bus and taken to our lunch venue. We had a nice Japanese style lunch at the Tazawa Lake Resthouse,

Murakko Product Center and students moved around to sightsee the place.

After lunch, we went with the Marshalls students on a boat ride while Tamea rested on the bus. We

took a boat tour of Lake Tazawa, which is the deepest lake in Japan at a depth of 423.4M. During the

boat ride, students were told the legend of Tatsuko. We passed the Goza no Ishi (Red Gate) Shrine and

the golden statue of Tatsuko. We were told that the Red Gate is where young people go to pray for

good life partners. This got most students interested also. Pity they couldn’t go to the Shrine as a

stopover due to strict timelines.

After the boat ride, we again passed the 2 on the bus and taken to the paper making and tea ceremony

venue. We first visited a small temple then went for the tea ceremony. The host family were very nice

and gave us come traditional Japanese tea and also showed us how to handle the drinking cup and drink

from it. This was a very nice experience and we were also told how Japanese made tea in a traditional

way back in the days.

After the tea, we thanked our host family and went for the paper making experience. This was a fun

activity for the students. Just before the start of the activity, Ms. Maulani San joined us. She had stayed

back at the hotel to make arrangement to get Franky sent to FSM. Students were glad to have our

translator back since we had difficulties with our language without her. Every student got a chance to

make their own paper. Later, we headed to our hotel where our luggage was waiting for us. We were

invited to a traditional Japanese feast dinner and Ms. Yolanda and I were the guest of honor. Mr.

Takahashi San gave a toast to start the feast.

After the meal, I called for everyone’s attention and reminded them about the importance of the Kizuna

Programme and the responsibilities of the students. If anyone is found to disobey the rules, we will take

strict action. Mr. Takahashi also reminded the students to be within their limits. Later the students

were shown how to put on a kimono and this was a very joyous event as the students enjoyed the dress

up. The day came to an end and we all retreated to our room for some rest. Our room was a traditional

style house with different shoes and tatami mat on the floor. We didn’t have a bed and a Japanese bed

maker made our traditional Japanese bed. It was very comfortable to sleep in. This is one experience

not to forget.

END LOG

2012-09-21

Today is Farm Visit. The students were excited since most of them have done some sort of farming at

home. After breakfast, we were handed our boots and gloves. Students of FSM and Marshalls were

divided into groups of 4 and dropped off at different locations away from each other. I was grouped

with Tamea, Donalyn and Zoya(t). Zoya was our group leader. We were picked up by the host family

and taken to their farm. It was a cloudy and a little rainy day since the morning. So we put on our rain

coat and boots. We were introduced to Mr. Takahashi San the farmer, whose name was the same as

our Coordinator (JOCA). When we arrived at the farm, the girls went wow by the farms green and

colorful surrounding. In the house, it was full of fine handicraft and art. We were delighted to be inside

an actual Japanese house. After a brief look around, we got our boots and went to the farm to get our

hands dirty. We all harvested lemon grass and collected them at the farm house. Mr. Takahashi San

showed us how to chop the lemon grass and we got to work on them. We then washed and dried the

pieces and went inside the farm house. It had many flowers hanging from the ceiling to dry. While Mr.

Takahashi San prepared the lemon grass tea, we explored the farm house. There were many interesting

artwork and flowers around. We gathered to have tea. It was a very refreshing experience since the tea

without any additives was very nice. Just lemon grass and water. We had a cheese cookie and tried our

hands on speaking Japanese’s. Mr. Takahashi San had a cute gray little dog that depend being very

small, was angry when we tried to get close to him/her (We don’t know if it was a male or female).

After tea, we went to the house and we were taught how to make a rice roast. First we pounded the

rice to make them into a door. We placed 100ml of the rice in a plastic wrap and formed it like a small

tennis ball. We shoved a stick in the center of the rice ball and further shaped the rice into a popsicle

shape. It was then grilled on an open fire. After it was well grilled, Mr. Takahashi San applied some

paste on the rice and gave each of us for a taste. It was very nice and tasty. We ate what we made

ourselves (Well partial we made). Then lunch was served. The meal was prepared and served warm to

us. At last, a home-made food where the ingredients were from the farm. The girls helped clear the

table and we again went down to the farm house to learn how to make a Japanese craft. Mr. Takahashi

San showed us how to weave 2 straps of tree bark into an art form. The girls were very good and made

an almost perfect craft. While I think I didn’t follow the instructions clearly and made an art form

different from the rest. When Mr. Takahashi San saw my art, it was evident that he was confused on

how in the world I managed to come up with a different art form. Even Mrs. Takahashi San came to see

my creation and asked how I did it. I showed my process that I followed. We all had a good laugh. We

finished our art form and it was all ours to keep. I hand mine on the CK bracelet for good luck. It was

time for another tea, a hibiscus tea. It was red [pink according to the girls ;)] and again, all natural and

refreshing. I had 2 cups. After that, the girls song their national anthem and we exchanged gifts. I gave

a packet of Bongo. We were then transported to the Rest house where we had lunch yesterday. We

thanked Mr. Takahashi San and boarded our bus to pick the rest of the students. After dinner, we

returned to our hotel for some rest. I was supposed to go for a massage but the masseur was on holiday

so I made an appointment for tomorrow so that he can be here.

END LOG

2012-09-22

Today we had to take a 3 hour drive through Akita City to get the Akita University. The students were

instructed to wear semi-formal clothing. We get there a bit early so we just drove around the city until

it was time to enter the University Premiums. Since it was summer break, the campus was empty. We

were taken to the presentation room where Marshalls joined us. We met with Mr. Takahashi San, the

Director of the International affairs division and Crisis-Management and Mr. Mitobe San, Associate

Professor at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. After a brief introduction and

acknowledgment, the Marshalls went to the Mineral Museum while FSM had a session with the Visual

Reality.

They used special equipment with sensors to create a visual reality environment. Student had fun and

they got to experience something that is not available in any of the PIC’s. Even I tried one of them and

was very impressed. During the time, Tamea again fell weak and she was given a room to rest. I had a

good chat with the director and profession and shared with them about our USP. Then we headed to

the Mineral Museum. It was very big and full of different stones and minerals. I went through each

stone since I was so amazed by them. I noticed the students also liked the display but didn’t really take

time to read the information on the display.

A guide seeing how interested I was with the stone came and gave me a tour and details of each stone.

Unfortunately, the time run out and I didn’t get to go to 2 floors. But before we left, I run up to see the

display on how the samurai swords were made. It was the best display since I was so wanted to know

how it was made. Towards the end, William also fainted. Tamea and William were escorted in Mr.

Takahashi San car. Then we witnessed a special performance by the Kanto group doing a festive dance.

It was a trilling experience. The drum beats, the flute and the Kanto performance was a wonderful

combination. It was performed by the Akita University Staff. The student also got a chance to beat the

drum and balance the latent. After the performance, the student went for lunch while Mr. Takahashi

San, Ms. Maulani San and I were looking after Tamea and William. They were taken to the hospital

while I went to my other students. After lunch, FSM students performed their national anthem for the

Japanese students. It was a beautiful sight since the student’s song their hearts out. After lunch, we

picked Mr. Takahashi San on the way to the Daigaeri Valley. It was a bit chilly and the students found it

cold but when their crossed the red bridge, and went down to the river, most of them had a good time

just relaxing.

Soon it was time for dinner. We had a nice dinner at Tazawako Beer Restaurant and everyone had a

great meal. Afterwards, we got to the hotel and we had a short meeting. Then I went for my massage.

It was the best massage I ever had. The masseur was Japanese man with a certificate in this area. In

between, I knocked out completely and when it was over, I felt so relaxed. It was the best. When I got

to the lobby, Ms. Maulani San was there. We talked about Tamea and William’s condition. According to

the doctors, the students didn’t get enough rest and were dehydrated. They needed rest. These

students don’t realize the importance of getting enough sleep and water. They can’t walk even a short

distance and I always am late to ensure none of them are left behind. I sat a curfew at 10pm. So

everyone is to be in their bed and try to sleep after 10.

END LOG

2012-09-23

In the morning, we brought our 1 suitcase down to the lobby since it will be transported to Tokyo while

we headed to Kesennuma Oshima Disaster Area. We packed only clothes for 3 days and after breakfast,

we headed to Oshima Island. It was a day of long ride in the bus, making a decision to send Tamea to

Tokyo instead of travelling with us, and the confusion of changing bus and all this on a rainy wet day.

Since Ms. Maulani tool Tamea to Tokyo on a bullet train, a new translator joined us. She was Ms. Ito

San. While all students slept in the bus, I was awake to admire the beautiful greener of Japan. We

changed bus with the Niue and later arrived at the Ferry that took us to Oshima. The ferry ride was nice

as students got to feed the sea gills. When we arrived at the island, our father was waiting for us. He

took us to his home which was a traditional Japanese home inn. Boys had to share one bathroom and

one toilet and the same case for girls.

Students were not very excited about taking bath in the common bathroom together. The room was all

laid with tamati. Before we entered the house, we took our shoes off and wore home shoe. When we

visited the toilet, we had to switch shoes to a blue colored one. And we left the home shoe outside the

room since shoes on tamati were not allowed. The day ended with a big seafood feast. There was so

much food. Unfortunately after dinner, there was a lot of food wasted too since the students didn’t

really get the liking to the taste. Mr. Takahashi San and I made the most of the food. While he grabbed

the leftover crabs, I went for the Japanese grape fruits. After dinner, we decided to wake up early so

that we can have our shower and then we wake the students. This way, we will not have to wait and we

can push the kids to have their shower. Also since there was no wakeup call service, we had to be the

wake up alarm for the students. This is going to be a very interesting stay.

END LOG

2012-09-24

Knock Knock. It was Mr. Takahashi San at my door. Time 6am. He went down to have his shower so I

joined him after 5 minutes. The weather was cold. I went upstairs and woke up all the students. Lina

and Gean were already up so they had their shower first. It took some time to get the boys out of bed.

Since it was cold, mostly weren’t ready to wake up just yet. After everyone was done with the shower,

their temperate was taken. This came about after Tamae got sick and never told anyone that she was

not feeling well. So we have decided not to take any chance with the students since they are NOT very

honest about their health. Anyway, we had a nice breakfast and then boarded the bus for a 5 minute

drive to a location where a local lady was to tell us her experience on the day of the earthquake and

tsunami. When we got to the location, the student were asked to sit on the tables on the first column

and to take up the front tables. Now some students were just too lazy to follow instructions. I told the

boys to move front and went to tell the boys at the back when I heard Mr. Takahashi San strictly instruct

the boys to move it. I think the students got to his nervous (finally). Normally Mr. Takahashi San is a

very calm person. He has patience while on the other hand; I have no more patience with the students

since they don’t improve. The entire Group A students arrived and then the event started. The lady (I

forgot her name) told her how she felt the ground move and within 20 minutes, the water rushed in.

Her story was very touching and made us all realize how real this event is. She told everyone that she

didn’t see or know anything about her young son for 5 days and for 7 days she didn’t know if her elder

son was ok or not. Her story got the attention of most of the students. We were told that she will also

help give the students a tour of the Kameyama Mountain and that she will also be present at the T-Shirt

painting activity

.

After this we got on the bus and were taken to the tsunami evacuation area, Kameyama Mountain. The

walk was long and difficult for some students as it was evident they were not very fit. While some lead

in front, I had to be behind those who were slow in catching up. Mostly the girls were the ones at the

back. It was an uphill walk. But the view from the top was amazing. We got to see where the tsunami

waters rushed in and divided the island into 2 pieces. Mr. Takahashi San requested that I nominate 2

students who can give an interview to a cameraman who had been following on our visit to Oshima.

Mori Mori and Maybelline was selected. We visited a shrine at the mountain and it was amazing to note

that the fire didn’t touch the shrine while the trees close to it burned down. Students got a chance to

pray and then we headed down to where our bus was. From there, we headed for lunch. Everyone was

hungry including me. But before we left, Kevin thanked our tour guide and we will be seeing her again

at night since she will be playing the flute for us at the performance.

Lunch was great. We had some fun and most of the students finished all their food. The soup was

great. After lunch, we walked to our hotel and almost got lost. But good thing Kevin remembered the

path. I was running since my clothes were on the line to dry and it was about to rain and I didn’t want

my clothes to get wet again. After lunch, we went to the Oshima Development Centre to make our own

T-Shirt. Everyone got straight to action mode. Even I got in on the act. Everyone painted on their T-

shirt and let them dry out. After the event, everyone thanked each other and we returned home for

dinner. Before dinner was served, we had time so the students took the opportunity to rehash on their

singing and dancing while I sat and relaxed to their singing. I found that singing after the end of a day

was very relaxing. Dinner was served at about 6pm. A variety of seafood was on the table. I think the

singing most the students hungry also or maybe the smell of food while they were singing. After dinner,

we headed to Oshima Elementary School where the students had prepared a traditional performance

for us. Here we get the exchange some singing and dancing. The kids played drums while our tour

guide was present there also and she was on the flute. The drum performance was amazing. I was

taken away by the drum beats. Then a dragon appeared and this got the crowd even more excited. The

dragon dance was the icing on the cake.

Finally the students got a chance to try their hands on the drums. Lina, Mori and John were the first

from the FSM group to take on the drums. Later Berlin, William, Jojo, Kevin, Leah, James, Maybeline,

Donalyn picked up the courage to beat the drums. Maverick and Rens didn’t even try their hands on the

drums. Maybe they were too shy. Finally to end the day, all the group A countries showcased their

performance and this out the crowd on pumped up. While other countries danced, FSM song a song

that calmed the crowd after the trilling dances. I found very proud of my students. They song their

hearts out. Chelsea gave a vote of thanks on behalf of all the countries. In fact, Zoya was supposed to

give the closing speech to thank everyone, but she had an allergic reaction and she wasn’t herself. From

what I saw, it was like as if she was weak and not able to stay focused. So we quickly wrapped up the

evening and headed home. Zoya was sent to bed after her temperature was given. Everyone was very

tired since today was mixture of different emotional events.

END LOG

2012-09-25

The morning started as usual. Only this time, I was awake early. The girls was on track but the boys

were still in bed and moving in a snail pace. We had a usual breakfast and headed to Oshima Junior High

School for some interaction between Group A students and the high school students. The high school

student reps gave a speech in English and the principal also gave a warm welcome to all. Everyone got

into groups of 4 and was joined by the high school students where our students were taught on the art

of Origami by the Japanese students. Everyone seems to be concentering hard into their art work; I

managed to have a little chat with Joanna. After a long time we managed to catch up to some chit chat.

We both agreed that the visit to Oshima was the best part of this Kizuna Project. Finally the students

were interacting and able to share and exchange their ideas and experience. Afterwards, all the

students got together and sing a nice song “We are the world, we are the children”. It was a beautiful

sight to see Japanese and Pacific Islands students’ side by side singing. Then a big group picture was

taken and Group A countries were presented their Origami creature. Then it was time for lunch. We

headed to the same place where we had the speeches yesterday morning. I requested that the student

be free to sit anywhere they like and mingle with the other students. I took permission from other

supervisor and after their approval, I informed the students that they are free to move around and

mingle. Our lunch was being prepared and some students got in and helped the locals cook the food.

Lunch was great. It was raining outside so we all had to stay in to avoid getting wet. But we were ready

to get wet for fishing. I was looking forward to going fishing. I energized my boys and no rain should

stop us from fishing. After lunch, we waited for the fisherman to return so that they could take us

fishing. Because of the rough sea, we didn’t actually got on the boat but we just reeled the fishing net to

the beach. The adrenalin was kicking in. We reeled with told and we stopped when told. It was very

exciting for the student as everyone was waiting to pull the net in to see what was caught. It was a

great team effort. When we were on the beach, nobody cared if they were getting wet, or their shoes

or clothes were getting dirty. Everyone was just too excited to worry about such things. Then everyone

rushed in to see what’s at the end of the net. At first, it was all sea weeds. Then finally, FISH FISH. Yes

we had fish in the net. Wow. It was like as if everyone has just won a great battle and the trophy was

the fish. So much fish. The student collected them in their baskets and we took them to the shelter.

We took our share of the fish back to our home inn and the father would cook them for us. Kevin

helped clean the fish. Since most of us were wet and dirty, we were cleaning ourselves and shoe. After

a short break, we headed for our final activity of the day, Flower planting. The students helped clear

rubble and grass. There was even a tractor. A small cute red one. The student got to work. They

cleared, ploughed and planted flowers on a small plot of land dedicated to FSM student. The other

countries did the same. I requested Lina to do an artwork for the FSM garden which will be posted in

the flower garden. Oh and I also got a chance to drive that tractor. Going forward was easy.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t told where or how to apply the brakes. LOL. A student ran to tell me how to

stop the tractor. Thank god I managed to stop it in time or else some ones garden would have been

destroyed. The day ended with another nice seafood dinner. We had fish we caught during the day.

After dinner, the students song for our Otosan and Okasan to thank them for accepting us into their

home. Then we all retried for some rest.

END LOG

2012-09-26

Today is the last day for us at Oshima. After breakfast, we again thanked our Otosan and Okasan. Then

we headed to the marine to board our ferry to the main land. We were warmly fare welled in the

Japanese traditional way with ribbons held from both ends. When we got to the main land, we boarded

our bus and were taken on the road where the tsunami had destroyed everything in its path. The

disaster area was all but vacant plot of land. There was a ship in the middle of the land and we realized

how forceful the tsunami really was. We had a long ride to the train station where we had to get on one

bullet train and then exchange to another train in a span of 10 minutes. The students were warned to

be very active and not to be left behind on the first train. Good to see that all of them were pretty

active and we all got on the second train without any issues. We had our lunch on the train. After we

got to Tokyo, we boarded another bus and taken to the Imperial Palace. There I changed to formal

clothing since after this; we were meeting the delegates of MOFA. The students were asked to behave

with meeting the MOFA. No headset, earpiece, chewing gun, mobiles were allowed. Good thing the

students followed our rules. We heard speeches and presentations and praise on this day. Afterwards,

we had a big photo session and then we went for dinner. We regrouped at the Sunroute Hotel in Tokyo.

Our bags were waiting for us at the lobby. Mr. Takahashi San and I had planned to visit Tamea at the

hospital but we didn’t have enough time since visiting hour was over by the time we got to the hotel.

Instead we took a walk around and returned to hotel in 30 minutes. We had a short meeting and went

for our rest.

END LOG

2012-09-27

Today was going to be a busy day. We had 4 places to visit. First we visited the Tokyo Tower. It was

very high up. The view was spectacular. We went from the one observation level to another higher up.

After that we went to the Senso-ji temple. The students were free to move around but were asked to

return at a specific time. Its here I got what I had been looking for, the samurai sword. I didn’t have

enough yen so Mr. Takahashi San got my US exchanged so that I can buy the sword. I got a very bad

exchange rate but I didn’t care. I got my sword. Now I don’t know if I can bring it to Fiji since it’s

classified as a weapon. The temple was very nice. I prayed and had some good luck. We had a nice

lunch and then went to visit the Edo-Tokyo Museum. This was the best visit of the day. We got to know

the history of Tokyo and Japan also. We learned about the Edo time, and the shoguns. During the tour,

some students got tired and rested while the rest continued with the tour. This museum was amazing.

It had a lot of history. From there, we went to our last stop, the Pacific Island Centre. There, the

director gave us a short speech. Only a few students come for this visit since most of them were very

tired and were resting in the bus. I think only 10 of the students come to the PI Centre. It was a short

visit and we thanked Mr. Sohma San for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet us. From there,

we went for dinner. After dinner, we went to our hotel and meet up with Tamea since she has been

released from the hospital. Everyone was happy to see her. She was given some medicine and she

should be good to travel with us from tomorrow.

END LOG

2012-09-28

Today we were supposed to visit the Ueno Zoo but plans got changed. Instead, we were taken to

another museum. It was the Science and Technology museum and it housed a lot of advanced

technological equipment’s. I know the students were looking forward to the Zoo but this was good also.

I enjoyed this museum. Coming from a technology background, this was one of my best places to visit.

After that, we went for lunch. Basically we cooked our own lunch and ate it. It was nice. Something

different. After lunch, we went to the Akihabara market for a tour and a chance to do some shopping. I

found the Japanese women dressed in French Maid outfit a bit strange. What were they supposed to

do? Mr. Takahashi San explained that they were trying to get customers to buy stuff from their shops.

Maybe it’s a good marketing strategy. We were not allowed to take their pictures. So after the tour,

everyone got a chance to shop around. I couldn’t find anything for myself so I didn’t buy anything. But

even I was tired today. Maybe because I know it’s my second last day in Japan and then we fly to Guam.

In the evening, we had a farewell party organized for us at the hotel. I meet up with Ms. Maulani San

there. She gave me some gifts for me and my wife. I promised to meet her after the event since I had

something for her too. At the party, I was asked to give a short speech since all the lady supervisors

cornered me. The party was a nice relaxing one. Each country did some performance and everyone had

a nice time. Since this was the last night, I told the students to behave and are free to move around.

But tomorrow, we are all leaving for Guam and be present at the lobby in time. I went to my room to

pack up and get some sleep.

END LOG

2012-09-29

Time to head for Guam. Everything went well. We got to the airport, checked in and said our final Sa Ya

Na Ra to everyone and to the people of Japan.

END LOG

My Experience

This has been a very educating experience for me. I have gotten the chance to see Japan from many

different perceptions. But the most important thing was the friendliness and kindness of the Japanese

people. Their care and warm welcomes will forever remain engraved in my heart.

Thank you.