2010 Exchange Program/Red Wing Homestays
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Friday, July 30
- Planned arrival in MN delayed
- Night in Tokyo
While the Red Wing and Ikata student groups left Ikata together and boarded the same Tokyo-bound flight in Matsuyama, their flights to the US were 10 minutes apart, and that made all the difference. The flight from Matsuyama to Tokyo was delayed almost an hour because of heavy summer holiday traffic in Tokyo, and it took half an hour for all of our group's luggage to unload from the airplane. We power-walked to our bus and headed for Tokyo's international airport, Narita. The airline, however, would not allow the Ikata group to check in because we arrived about 45 minutes before our flight–15 minutes after the cutoff. Some forceful pleas from the Red Wing group resulted in their being allowed to check in and board their flight, luckily, but it soon became clear that the Ikata group would be stranded in Tokyo for some time. After a few hours waiting at the airport, the Ikata group was sent to the nearby Garden Hotel for the night, and discovered that the next available flight would not leave until Sunday.
Saturday, July 31
- Still delayed in Tokyo
The Garden Hotel was booked for Saturday night, so we were given a different place to stay and had to check out Saturday morning. Taking advantage of our situation, all the Ikata students called their parents for permission, and we headed out on the train to see some of the sights in Tokyo. The students had come up with several possibilities and voted on them, and in the end they decided on the national Diet building (like a parliament building) and the Imperial Palace. We were met near the Diet by none other than former Ikata CIR Aaron, who accompanied us on our walking tour of the area, and recommended a great local bakery for lunch. We returned to the Narita area and checked into the JAL City Hotel. That night we found out we could board an early evening flight the next day that would take us to Minneapolis by way of Detroit.
Holy cnocsie data batman. Lol! Pin my tail and call me a doneky, that really helped.
Tuesday, August 3
- Goodhue County Museum
- Picnic
- Commemorative tree-planting ceremony in Colvill Park
- Wisconsin dairy farm
- Dinner at the Pizza Farm
Still jetlagged, yet we managed to wake up and arrive nearly on time at the Goodhue County Museum, where many artifacts of local history are attractively presented in a large, clean facility. Some of the kids had fun using scavenger hunt cards in the lobby to find particular items throughout the museum. Afterwards, we walked outside and enjoyed a great view of Red Wing and the surrounding area. Next, we headed to Colvill Park for some down time at the park, a picnic-style lunch, and the tree-planting ceremony. The sun was blazing down, so after the ceremony most of us went home for a shower and forty winks. Then it was off to the farm! A dairy farming mother-and-son team were kind enough to host us on their property and show us the ins and outs of their work. Almost all of the kids even tried driving a tractor under the watchful eye of our host. After a refreshing snack of lemonade and cookies, we piled into the cars again and drove further into Wisconsin to an increasingly famous farm that bakes and serves pizzas once a week. All the pizza ingredients are grown on the farm, and the taste was amazing.
Wednesday, August 4
- Day with host families
Everyone did just as they liked this day. It was a nice rest.
Thursday, August 5
- Red Wing Pottery
- Hobgoblin Music
- Anderson Center art gallery, sculpture garden, environmental learning center, and tower
- Picnic lunch at Anderson Center
- Red Wing Shoes
- Sheldon Theater up-and-over tour
- ZUMBA Class at YMCA
- Wall-climbing at YMCA
On Thursday we were up bright and early again to watch a real potter at work at Red Wing Pottery. The students walked around, looking at the colorful displays of merchandise, and then discovered a great old-fashioned candy store next to the pottery store. A couple of the boys kept hanging around the potter's wheel, though, and were rewarded with a mini-tour of the back room, including the kiln and an intriguing, spiky tool that potters use to monitor the temperature inside the kiln.
Next we saw a harp being made at Hobgoblin Music, tried hitting a hammer dulcimer, and heard some beautiful folk music on CD. We drove across the road to Anderson Center, where we took in artwork in the form of photographs, poetry, paintings, textiles, and sculptures. After another picnic-style lunch outside, we climbed all the steps of the old water tower and took in the view.
As the afternoon wore on, we got in the car again and went to downtown Red Wing for a look at the Red Wing Shoes store, and a group photo by the world's largest boot. Then we were off to a fun "up and over" tour at the historic Sheldon Theater. Our engaging guide told us about theater traditions, particular people who performed at the Sheldon (one of them was Billie Burke), and the history of the Sheldon itself. We got to climb the stairs backstage and go up above the stage, and over the rafters of the theater. It was a unique experience.
Our last stop of the day was the YMCA, conveniently located just down the street. Some of the Ikata group seemed too tired for the exercise we had planned, but by the time the first song of our ZUMBA class was over, everyone had found a second wind. We had a great time learning and putting dance steps to the music. Then we went to the climbing wall and tested our strength and agility. Even the Ikata student who was afraid of heights gave it a try, and ended up enjoying the climb.
In the evening, the Lawrence family was kind enough to host a lovely summer barbecue party at their home. The students enjoyed taking pictures, playing basketball and bocci ball, and of course eating lots of party food! Root beer floats weren't a hit, although a few of the kids got up the courage to try it. In the end they decided they liked plain ice cream best.
Then we were off to the Red Wing Aces' stadium for a baseball tournament. Before the game, we went down to the field and introduced ourselves to the crowd, stood for the national anthem, and even received baseballs signed by all of the Aces! It was an exciting finish to a wonderful day.
Friday, August 6
- Mall of America with host families
- Loud & Local concert in Red Wing
On this free day, just about everyone headed to the MoA and other stores for a day of shopping!
You keep it up now, udenrtsand? Really good to know.
Sunday, August 8
- River City Days festival and parade
- Farewell party at Methodist Church
The River City Days parade began at 1pm, so we were able to sleep in a bit before dressing in yukatas and jimbei at the Methodist Church, which was kind enough to offer us the space before the parade, and again in the evening for our farewell party. The Ikata students were joined by the Red Wing students who had gone to Ikata this year, as well as in 2008 and previous years. They handed out Japanese candy, fans, eco bags, and keychains. Unfortunately, they had so much fun handing out the goodies, they ran out of them before we had gone halfway down the parade route! Still, they waved, smiled, returned "Konnichiwa" to the watching bystanders, and posed for pictures with them.
After the parade, everyone was free to enjoy River City Days with their host families, or to go home and shower off. In the evening, we were back at the Methodist Church for a bittersweet farewell party with our host families, friends, members of the Sister Cities Commission, and even Mayor Howe.
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