I will try and cover my last three days' events in my blog entry this evening, but have you ever had an experience that is difficult to capture in words? Even these photos cannot express the unbelieveable time that all of us are having.

Friday found us at the newest elementary school in Chiga saki. The builidng is six years old and quite beautiful. The children were so excited to have us as their guests and went out of their ways to include us in their activities. I watched children at recess ride unicycles and perform authentic Hawaiian hulas dances. I learn how to do calligraphy and write my first kanji character. I observed children change their shoes many times through out the day as they entered the building, as they went into a bathroom, and when they went into a gym. I watched a fourth grade class do an ancient Japanese dance. I joined in with a music class as they sang "It's a Small World After All."

Perhaps the most amazing part of the day was lunch. Precisely at 11:45 a.m. a cart appears with the most wholesome school lunch I have ever seen. It consisted of rice, salmon, mizu soup, and milk. The teacher and four students quickly donned special caps, masks, and white lab coats and efficiently served lunch to about 30 classmates in about 10 minutes time. The children used sheets of seaweed and made rice balls as part of their meal. And, yes, I made and ate one too! After lunch the children cleaned up their lunches, swept the floors, and washed windows. Amazing!

(Hey Northview kids...what do you think? Seaweed for lunch and then cleaning the school as part of your daily curriculum?)