Our Purpose in Japan

Our trip was a delegation from our hometown, Port Angeles, to its sister city, Mutsu City, in Japan. It was basically the Mayor's trip, and the rest of us were along for the ride. (We teased him a lot about that. :) Teachers and students from the high school and one of the middle schools made up most of our group. I was the only college student on the trip and was placed on the adult's schedule, which allowed me to do some interesting things. We would be homestaying with local Mutsu families, which made for a great cultural experience! We were excited about going and they were definitly excited about our coming. Besides Mutsu, we spent a few days in Tokyo and Narita as well. It was a short trip, 8 days, but packed with experiences and lasting memories.

The Members of the Delegation

This is to help you when you're reading my journals, because I mention a lot of these people, and it would be rather confusing without a guide.
Gary Braun, Mayor of Port Angeles
Geri Braun, the Mayor's wife
Scott Braun, the Mayor's son
Tad Price, president of PIRA (Peninsula International Relations Association)
Pete Northrop, secretary of PIRA
Courtney Myers (myself), student of Peninsula College

Hazel Gilley, Port Angeles High School teacher
Brenda Adolphson, PAHS student
Sarabeth Anderson, PAHS student
Lindsey Case, PAHS student
Nicole Heu, PAHS student
Mee-ja Sula, PAHS student
Daniel (? - sorry Dan!) PAHS student

Lucy Edwards, Stevens Middle School teacher
Rob Edwards, SMS teacher
Chuck Lisk, SMS principal
A bunch of SMS students (sorry guys :)
(I didn't spend much time with the middle school students, so I didn't get to know them too well.)


Other Important People

Our tour guide, Akiko Sato
Our interpreter, Senoe Torgerson (pronounced "Sah-noy")
My host family, Akira and Leiko Soga
Mayor Sugiyama of Mutsu City
The president of MIRA, Satoshi Tomioka
(There are a lot more important people, my apologies if you've been left out!!)

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