Japan Exchange, outgoing, post # 10

Hi,
        I hope people are getting the emails sent to Alex M's Mom and posted on the closed parent Facebook page as well as these blog posts.
        Today is our last full day in Noshiro, and there are many things to do.  This morning I met Mia and her host family at Kuro Neko delivery service.  We are all sending our big pieces of luggage directly to the hostel in Tokyo rather than shlepping them through the train system from Haneda Airport to the hostel.  The service is very reliable and comparatively inexpensive.  Kuro Neko means "black cat" and I sometimes wonder if it's a reference to the character in the Miyazaki Hayao animated film, "Kiki's Delivery Service."
         This change meeting gave me the chance to thank Mia's host mother for all her kindness and care to Mia.  In return, her mother told me about how the whole family, including the grandparents, have enjoyed getting to know her.  The softball team wants Mia to stay in Noshiro!  And everyone has also noticed Mia's intelligence and talent in speaking in Japanese.  Mia said she wants to stay, and of course, I want to, too.
           This afternoon we will all go to the sayonara party, in a beautiful building that reflects Japan's architectural past.  It stands near the Hachiman Shrine, a shrine that hosts a kindergarten where Harata Sensei's younger brother is a teacher.  Host parents will bring food, as we did at the sayonara party in Oak Park.  There will be speeches.  There will be tears of sadness that we have to leave, but the tears will also be happy because we have shared wonderful experiences.