Sumiko and Yoshiro

These are just a couple of snapshots of my host mother Sumiko and her son Yoshiro. The first two were taken at an informal tea ceremony and the last one was taken at Sumiko's vegetable garden.

Today I went out with "Yoshi" and met up with his mother where she was volunteering at a community event that was geared towards families with children... It was fun: we ate some snacks and toured some community centers and schools. I am tired right now, so I'll try and fill in the blanks at a later time.

After that excursion with my family, I went off on my own by bicycle and explored downtown Sapporo on my own. I do not live too far away from downtown -- I could probably make it there in about 15-20 mins (cycling). Anyway, I rode around for about 2 hrs. and took a few photos and then I just rode home. It felt good to just go out and see if I could get myself lost -- the challenge of finding my way back is fun! So far, I haven't gotten lost... Now, I suppose, I should be knocking on wood.

Anyway, if it wasn't so late right now, and if I had a more reliable internet signal, I would be posting more photos, but as it IS late right now, and my internet IS currently slow, I am only posting these and I will add more later... Gomenasai!

For now, Sayoonara!

Love,

Me