Sunday, 2:55 AM EST — We made it home last night around 7:30-ish. The parents greeted their weary kids (and chaperones) with hugs and smiles, and everyone scattered.
Ruth was a sight for sore eyes. I really missed her! Once home, I got showered and bourbonized, both of which felt fantastic. Avi had a hard time unwinding but he finally passed out.
Right now it’s 2:55 AM EST — 3:55 PM in Saitama — and I’m wide awake after about 4 hours of sleep. This same thing happened to me in Saitama the first 4 or 5 nights, which gave me a chance to blog in the mornings. I had a lot more time to blog than I had anticipated! It figures that once my body adjusted to Tokyo Time, it was time to come home. The blog took on a life of its own but I’m hoping I accomplished my goals of keeping those Stateside in the loop and also making a record that Avi and I can share for many years.
I already miss my new Japanese friends. I will miss running around being silly with 23 awesome and wide-eyed kids who love baseball and adventure. I will miss spending time with my fellow chaperones who threw themselves into Japanese culture wholeheartedly and unabashedly. I loved being part of this team that took these kids to Japan.
Going back to work will be rude, I’m sure. Brian Shepard and I were talking on the bus from Dulles and we both feel like everything at our work is under control. It will take time to dig out, which is expected. It’s the stuff we don’t know about (yet) that happened while we were gone that makes us nervous!
Before I sign off, I want to give huge props to Brian Shepard, our fearless leader, for organizing this trip and for committing the time and energy to make it work.
Thanks also to Deborah Knighton for taking care of travel atrangements and for all the other stuff she did behind the scenes that none of us knows about. There are others to thank, as many contributed to the success of this trip, but Brian and Deborah were instrumental.
And thank you to Akiko, Shimizu, and all of the wonderful people in Japan that showed us great time. Staying in Akiko’s home, I saw firsthand the organization, time, communication skills, and energy needed on a daily basis to run one of these visits. It’s a LOT of work. I hope they slept in this morning.
So that’s a wrap. Thus endeth the trip and this blog. If anyone has any questions about this trip, future trips, or the exchange program in general, please send them my way. It will give me a chance to talk about this amazing experience.
Sayonara and Kampai!
Brian
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