Last Day in Kasugai, Japan

Today was a nice, relaxing day, and it started with a little bit of snow. I did most of my packing this morning and then ran errands with Yoshiko. We ate at an English (as in England) antique store for lunch. I had a beef stew, and it was served with a salad, rice, smoked salmon (I had a few bites – not my favorite, but tolerable), seasoned tuna, and a noodle salad. We went to the grocery store to get things for breakfast tomorrow (we have to leave at 5:30 am so I can catch my flight to Seoul and Jakarta), and she bought me a cream puff….perfect since I was craving something sweet. We also stopped at a clothing store, which reminded me of Kohl’s. I did some e-mailing, making sure everything’s in order for heading to Indonesia tomorrow, and spent time talking with Yoshiko. We had karage (fried chicken) for supper with a grated carrot salad, apple slices, and a tuna noodle salad. I also had a rice ball – rice mixed with a vegetable soup mix, small pieces of ham, carrot, and corn formed into the shape of a ball. Oh, Yoshiko bought some bread with fish eggs baked into a slice in the middle and on top. I tasted one bite, and didn’t really care for it. We chatted after supper, and I showed them pictures of hanabi (fireworks). We were all sad that this is my last night here. I told them they needed to come visit me next, so invited them to come for the 4th of July (which is Shin’s birthday) or to our wedding (sometime in August). It’s a nice thought, but I’m not sure it’ll happen. They gave me 2 handkerchiefs (kutani yaki) as a gift with a very nice card where they each wrote something – it almost made me cry! I’ve loved my time with Kana and her family, and I’m sad to go, but I know that my adventures in Indonesia will be wonderful, too, although I’m getting nervous as I think about doing my internship. Lots of emotions – sadness, excitement, anticipation, uncertainty. I have a long day of travel tomorrow. We’re driving to the Nagoya airport at 5:30 am, and I’ll arrive in Jakarta at 8:30 pm, then leave there at 11:30 pm and arrive in Sentani the following morning. I’m already tired just thinking about it! Please pray for safe travel and smooth transitions – I have to make a connection in Seoul, South Korea and then go through customs and immigration in Jakarta before taking the domestic flight to Sentani. Mike and Eve Brooks (Eve is supervising my internship at the school there) will pick me up at the airport. I’ll update you again from Indonesia! (FYI, It’s 15 hours ahead of Central time here and in Indonesia….16 hours ahead of Mountain time.)