Chamber Singers say sayonara to host families before heading to
Tokyo
Chamber Singers say sayonara to host families before heading to Tokyo
By Kaitlin Joven Special to the Dispatch
Takko, Japan – Goodbye is the hardest thing to say. That is why when we left Takko-machi Tuesday morning we said sayonara, which means goodbye until I see you again. It’s amazing how attached we got to people who were complete strangers to us when we arrived. On Monday night during the sayonara party, Mr. Robb asked the group who had the best home stay and everyone raised their hands, shouting, “Me, me!” With all the different things we did with our host families, I think it’s too hard to name just one the best.
Mr. Robb said that we’d know if our host families had done their job if we started crying during our thank-you speeches at the sayonara party. Judging from the amount of tears at the party Monday, out host families did a fantastic job.
“Communication was really hard, but we got through it,” said Melissa Davis, a 15-year-old sophomore. “It was a great experience.”
Her words ring very true. Along with the language barrier there also was the cultural barrier. From chopsticks to not wearing shoes in the house, there were many differences between American and Japanese culture that we had to overcome.
Gabriela Welch, a 15-year-old sophomore, stayed with the family of Ayano Yamamoto, who stayed with Gabriela when she came to Gilroy in January. Out of the whole experience, Gabriela said that her favorite part was realizing how respectful the culture is through the way she was treated and welcomed into the family. From the little things, such as making us breakfast to taking us to a Shinto shrine, our Takko host families went out of their way to ensure that our stay was the best.
I stayed with the Iwama family, and I was blown away by how willing they were to make me more comfortable. It was an epiphany that such infinite kindness and generosity was shown to me. Before this I didn’t think that I could come to care so much for anyone in such a short amount of time. But the family bond was almost instantaneous because I stayed in their home and took part in their daily lives. There’s no way that I could stay away for long. I’m definitely coming back soon.
Saying sayonara at the party Monday night was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Seventeen-year-old senior Alycia Bostock set the mood for the evening with a speech about how much she would miss her host family and that they now held a special place in her heart. That was followed by speeches from others who expressed similar ideas and recounted specific memories. They evoked laughter and tears from everybody present. Needless to say it was a very emotional night.
The next morning we had to say sayonara once more before we loaded up the busses and headed to the train station to catch the shinkansen, train in Japanese, to Tokyo. In Tokyo we had another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: We had the honor of singing for the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nobutaka Machimura, and the current Minister, Mr. Aso. This was the fourth time the Chamber Singers have had the chance to sing for Mr. Machimura. In order to illustrate just how lucky we are to have sung for these government officials, I can say that it would be like singing for Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State, and her predecessor. We truly are ambassadors not only for Gilroy, but for America as well.
We’ve said sayonara to Takko, although I know we all wish we could have stayed longer. Now we get to say an enthusiastic hello to Asakura and continue on our adventure here in Japan.
