So Happy to See my Parents!

Hello everyone!  It was a wonderful weekend spent with my parents.  We met on Friday evening and ate supper at a sushi conveyor belt restaurant before we headed to our hotel in Yokohama.  Saturday morning we checked out 5:30AM to the station where our bullet train left.  It was about a 3.5 hour ride to reach Hiroshima.  After arriving, we spent a little more time on the train, and then walked to a ferry, which took us across the water to the Miyajima island.  Here we viewed the floating tori gate, and explored the island.  After browsing for a while, we boarded the ferry and headed back to the mainland, where we then stopped at our hotel to drop off our bags and then headed to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Musuem.  This was a very moving experience, although it included a significant amount of reading.  We spent a few hours learning more about the atomic bomb that was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and the efforts for peace that have stemmed from this city ever since.  After we went through the museum, we visited a few of the different monuments in the Peace Memorial Park, but it was windy and rainy, so we didn’t spend too much time here.  We ate supper on our way back to our hotel, and went to bed early.

 

Sunday morning we returned to the Peace Memorial Park, which we were glad we did because we missed quite a few things there on Saturday.  Then we walked to the Hiroshima Castle, which my mom and I walked around to take pictures of.  Then we walked through the Shukkeien Garden before grabbing some lunch and hopping on the bullet train to head back.  After arriving back in Yokosuka, we ate lunch at one of my many favorite restaurants near base called Pepper Lunch, before my parents dropped me off on base and headed back to Tokyo.  I was so blessed to be able to spend a weekend with them, and to have them visit Japan while I’m here!  I really enjoyed this time with them, and hope that they enjoy the rest of their time exploring different parts of Japan before they fly back home on Thursday.  Saying goodbye this time wasn’t nearly as hard as it was before I left home, knowing that 2 weeks from this goodbye I will be home again.

 

Oh and on a side note, I was creamed for the third time on Friday during Cream the Counselor.  Do you think I will get creamed again this week?  I’m guessing that all of the counselors will get creamed on the very last day of camp, so I will get to be creamed at least 4 times, but I’m hoping not 5!  It was suggested to us that we do all of our “lasts” this week, as next week will be incredibly busy, so the days are winding down quickly, and becoming more and more packed with last minute things, like eating at our favorite restaurants, writing papers, and working  on packing.  We have to be at least 60% packed by this coming Friday.  Not sure how much more you’ll hear from me between now and my return home, but I will do my best to keep logging these last few weeks, not only for you to read, but also as a memoir for me to have forever! (I’ve been much better about writing blog posts than I have been about writing in my journal, so this will be the best way for me to look back on my time here as the years go by)

Also, if you are planning to come to the Labor Day/Welcome Home Party on Friday, August 29^th starting at 6:30PM at HCNP, please RSVP via this link so that we have a better idea of how much meat and drinks to have!  I want to make sure we have plenty of pork loin for everyone (here’s your motivation!) :)

Have a wonderful week!

- Becky