The Syonara Party

Last night was K's last night with our family. Her school puts on a thank you and goodbye party for all of the host families and teachers. Here are some shots.

This morning we just had to say goodbye to K as she heads out to go to the final part of her trip. She and I both cried as I sent her out the door with Dave and the boys. She has been a wonderful guest in our home and I will miss her terribly. The girls did a dance. Here is a video:

and here's another:

This is K and I and a sad Monkey. He realizes she will soon be leaving.
A little happier, we told him he could have some Japanese snacks.
Yummy snacks.
K and her best friend on stage.

Here is a picture of K, Monkey, Big C and Dave upon dropping her off at the bus. K was very sad to be leaving us. We told her that we would send postcards often and she said that she will do the same. I told her that she was like a big sister to the boys, and a daughter to us. After a tearful goodbye she got on the bus and waved to us her final goodbye before her adventure to Naigara Falls, Toronto and then home.

Anata ga inakute samishi i.

DPoD August 6th - More activities with K

Here are some recent photos of K with our family. She's having a great time and really enjoying Canada. Here are some photos that we've taken over the past few days. We hope that you enjoy them.
Here she is at Saje's parents house. Monkey is getting ready to play in the pool in their backyard.

Here she is giving Monkey a gift - when you blow air though one end it unravels a roll of paper. I don't think he's taken it out of his mouth except to eat in 3 days!
Big C loves his too! He even plays with it in the carK gave us both beautiful fans. We like them very much. We have put them above the mantle in our home for all of our guests to see. They are very beautiful.

K also showed us many pictures of Japan and explained much of the culture. We were happy to learn so much about Japanese traditions.

K also brings the sunshine with her wherever she goes. The clouds have stayed away from our home when she is here. Really.

Here is a picture from yesterday where the storms passed by our house:
But here is was warm and sunny! This is me literally turning around after the above picture was taken and then shooting in the other direction. Amazing

A wonderful supper from our guest K

Saturday evening we were treated to dinner being prepared by our guest K. We went to the grocery store to pick up carrots, an onion and some very nice pork. She spent much of the day filling our home with wonderful smells and working very hard to prepare the meal. All of us were very excited as supper time approached. We set the table with several small bowls for the sticky rice, meso soup and boiled pork.

I asked K if we needed spoons or forks to eat the meal. She replied that we could use chopsticks. We had some from restaurants, however she said that she had chopsticks for us. After we sat at our food at the table, K presented us with gifts! They were very beautiful chopsticks. A black set for Dave and a red set for Saje. We were very happy to receive her generous gifts.

The meal was very delicious. The soya sauce and mustard was delightful with the boiled pork. It was very flavourful. The rice was very different from the rice in Canada and was easy to pick up with the chopsticks. K complimented us in that we were quite good at using chopsticks. The soup was also very good. The vegetables in soya sauce were something that Saje and I had never tried, but was delicious.

After the main course we had a dessert that K brought. It was made from beans, but tasted like a pudding. It was very good also. At the end of the meal we were very full and very happy.

After dinner K shared with us some pictures from Japan. Saje and I were delighted to hear about Japan and its culture!

Saturday afternoon at the Museum of Science and Technology

K, our guest from Japan really likes science. The museum of science and technology was not on their itinerary for their visit to Ottawa. The boys, ever the great hosts, volunteered to bring her to see the museum. We went and looked at all sorts of stuff.

In this picture she is sitting in a fabricated canoe. Aunt Heather is happy that it has life jackets. These are an essential life saving tool. It wont protect you when it is just sitting in the boat like these ones are. You need to be wearing it! Here the boys are experimenting with the tippiness of the canoe.
A little fresh air for Heather and the boys.
K in the locomotive.

K and Monkey in the locomotive.
K figuring out which objects conduct electricioty the best. If you look closely, she has the light turned on!
Here I am swinging Big C around a little bit.
After the museum K and I went shopping. She needed to pick up a couple of things to bring home : )

I am looking forward to tonight's supper. K is cooking!

A wonderful dinner out

Tonight we brought K to experience our favourite restaurant, the Lone Star Texas Grill. She was very willing to try and enjoyed her qeso dip and fajita very much. We forgot the camera at home, so you will have to trust me. K on the other hand did have her camera and took several pictures of the meal.

Once we got home we gave K a gift from our family. It is a very large towel with the Canadian flag on it. I took this picture:

Monkey took this one. K likes it very much and even asked if she could start using it right away.She is tired from having a very busy trip so far, but is enjoying herself immensely. Today they walked around the by ward market and tomorrow they will visit Gatineau Park. Apparently the Museum of Science and Technology is not on the agenda. K loves science and Monkey really doesn't understand how someone could come to Ottawa and not see his favorite place! We have assured both K and Monkey that we will be sure to take her before she leaves. Would anyone like to join us?