Some Photos…

Early Morning at the Airport…

We woke up this morning to snow.  Just a little… but the gray snowy weather matched our mood.  Our friends leave this morning.

Everyone met at the airport this morning at 5 am.  All passengers got checked-in.  We did have to open and re-arrange a few heavy bags – but all luggage got checked-in as well.

We found a quite area and snapped a few last photos and then it was time to say ‘Goodbye’.  Mrs. Delia and I are lucky – we just say “See You Soon’.  It was harder for our Host Families.  After hugs, a few tears, and a lot of smiles – our friends headed into the line for security screening.  I am sure they are at their gate by now and getting ready for their long trip home.

This was a wonderful exchange.  Each of our Host Families have shared how rich this experience was for their family and how they are looking forward to visiting Haibara in the future.

I have a lot of great photos to share and will post them later.  Right now, I am going to head home…

 

GoodBye Party / Last Family Day

Yesterday we had a very successful Goodbye Party on the Lyndhurst Campus.  We supplied to core elements of a traditional American Thanksgiving meal and each Host Family supplied a side dish that is common in their family.

We explain (or tried to…) that because of the broad range of ethnic and religious traditions in Cleveland, Thanksgiving is among the more consistent family holidays in America.  Most families get together for a Thanksgiving meal together.

Since our guests have become more like family – we hosted a traditional Thanksgiving meal: Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, and Stuffing with abroad array of amazing side dishes.  Our host families brought Creamed Spinach, Sweet Potato Casserole, Macaroni and Cheese, Cous Cous Salad, Fresh Shrimp, and of course desserts.  We had pumpkin pie, apple pie, chocolate cake, and a magnificent hand-made cheese cake!

It was quite a spread 🙂

At the Goodbye Party, kids also got to un-mold their chocolate bars from earlier in the week.  We encouraged kids to wrap them up and bring them home – but I think a few have been eaten already.

We also played a few games before our meal together – A Paper Airplane competition and a game called KnockOut.  Owen enjoyed the airplane folding and he taught several of us how to fold a championship distance plane…

Our new friends from Japan had also brought games to try.  Using cut-out pieces of paper, we were challenged to assemble a face while blindfolded.

After games, we gathered in the cafeteria for our Thanksgiving meal.  Everyone made a plate and sat down to eat.  We shared some “Thank You” messages to Mr. Takatani and Mrs. Okumine for being chaperones for this trip.

We were also able to share a Slideshow using all of the photos that Host Families have shared throughout the visit.  Right before everyone left, we handed out a matted photo from our visit to the Script Cleveland sign (earlier in the week) and gave time for everyone to sign them.  It was a really nice way to end our last whole group activity.

Tomorrow is the last Family Day activities.  I will share photos as I get them 🙂

 

 

 

Some More Photos…

Visit to W. 25th…

We had a really fun day today!

We met-up at the Script Cleveland sign on Abbey Road for a whole group photo.  The weather was ideal – clear skies and sunny…  It was still a little chilly (50 deg. F) but beautiful.  The Abbey Road sign is situated to use the downtown skyline as a backdrop – and it looked great today.

This location (there are two others) really emphasizes the industrial history of Cleveland.  The bridges – old and new – are on full display and you can almost feel the steel mill production element of the Cleveland story.

After posing for a few photos, we all headed west to the West Side Market.  Cleveland’s oldest continuous market, the West Side Market features both indoor and outdoor stalls selling food items from a broad range of ethnic traditions.

Cleveland is a town of immigrants and you can really ‘feel’ the various cultural influences inside the market.  The are food vendors selling Mexican, Vietnamese, Polish, and German foods.  There are Middle Eastern families, Slovenian families, and Italian Families.

The West Side Market is a wonderful cultural visit.  I’ll try to share more market photos later.

After spending some time shopping in the market – kids needed a break.

Break/Relaxation = Ice Cream

Luckily – Mitchell’s Ice Cream is right down the street.  our groups arrival created a line out of the door and onto the street!  Students sampled a few flavors and then ordered.  After everyone ordered, we went upstairs to the observation deck to see how the ice cream is produced.

We ended our day together at Tabletop Games and Cafe.  What a wonderful place!  For a small entry fee, you can come in and place games from their extensive library of board games.  Some of the options are simple and classic – several groups got involved in hasted games of Jenga and Connect 4.  Other groups tried to learn harder more complex board games.  It was really fun.

FYI – Tabletop Cafe also serves food and beverage…  You should check it out.

Again – a GREAT Day.

Tomorrow is a Family Day – kids are doing a wide range of activities…  Some are getting together for small group activities – others are planning small family activities…

Check back in a few hours for photos…

Our First Family Day…

This week we will have a mix of Whole Group activities interspersed with Host Family Days.  Today was our first Host Family Day and they did a variety of different activities.  I have a few pictures and I will share more later…

One group got together play WhirleyBall.  This is a weird/fun game using bumper cars, basketball backboards, and jai alai – and it is played a little like hockey.  Weird – but fun!

You can take a look at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMLWdraOE4o

Here is a photo of Owen and I’ll share more later.

Some other kids went shopping and out for lunch.

I am sure there were other activities afoot as well.

I am getting together with the whole group later today and will share more details later.

 

 

 

 

And Some More Photos…

A Mix of Photos…

The Goldberg Family Innovation Lab with some Bocce after…

We had a big day!  Everyone gathered on the Lyndhurst campus to visit the new Goldberg Family Innovation Lab.  Mrs. Delia – who is the Director of the Facility – prepared a fun activity for everyone.  Using wooden forms (letters, shapes, etc), each student designed a Candy Bar Mold.  After the wooden forms were finished, we used a vacuum box and heated plastic to create a food-grade plastic chocolate bar molds.  Of course, we could just leave it at that!  Mrs. Delia heated chocolate in a fondue pot and we filled each mold.  Some of the students wanted to eat the chocolate right then – but we convinced them to let it harden in the mold 🙂

They will each get their own Personal Chocolate Bar on Friday.

 

After our visit to the Goldberg Family Innovation Lab, we took the students for Bowling and Bocce.  Our Japanese friends were familiar with bowling but Bocce was a new experience.

A game brought to the United States by Italian immigrants, Bocce is popular throughout much of Mediterranean Europe.  It is a simple game – but people who play and love Bocce take it very seriously.  The place where we played hosts weekly leagues and tournaments throughout the year.

After our bowling and bocce – everyone went back home with their Host Families.  Some stopped at restaurants for dinner, others went home to cook something special.  Several of our Japanese friends brought ingredients from Japan and asked to cook a meal for their Hosts.

Tomorrow is our first ‘Family Day’ – with individual Host Families planning smaller activities with their guests.  Some people are going shopping, others are getting together for games and sight seeing.

Everyone seems to be settling in well and having a good time.

 

… I’ll share some more photos later 🙂

 

 

Welcome Party in University Circle

Hi All,

We gathered for our Welcome Party at the Gries Center in University Circle.  After a night of rest, students got to see each other, share a meal, and explore the University Circle area of Cleveland.  Mrs. Delia and I prepared a Photo • Scavenger Hunt activity for everyone – but first, we took a whole group photo…

For the Scavenger Hunt, we gave each Host Family and their guest a list of photos to collect as the explored University Circle.  With phones in hand, they struck our across Wade Oval.  The photos we suggested referenced specific area in University Circle.  They also required that the groups work together because we wrote many of the suggestions in a mix of English and Japanese…  To figure out what we were looking for, they had to work together!

Here are a few examples:

-Pose with a Zo.

-Take a picture showing everyone deep in Kangae!

-Take a picture with something very Furui.

-You’re probably tired.  Take a photo of your group taking a Hirune.

To complete these challenges, they had to work together to figure out what they were  looking for…

As photos were being collected, I asked each group to send them back to me via text or email.  The photos they collected were really fun.

Best of all – by working together and having fun, students began to settle down, feel comfortable, and recognize that they were going to have a great week 🙂

We are getting together again tomorrow for a whole group activity 🙂