I also had a quiet family day at home; got to sleep late and take a nap this afternoon. Several relatives stopped by for meals and a little English conversation (thank goodness for translators!) I just can`t get over how friendly EVERYONE is! Here is the down-side to that....packing. Let me explain.
I thought I was doing really well on space. As our day is super full tomorrow, our packing needs to be done tonight (Sunday). Had a bunch more room in my cases so went to YouMe Town (mall) and picked up a couple more items. No problem!
Just before dinner my first host parents stopped by with gifts to take home from a parent of one of the students in the last exchange (Asuna) that I had met for 20 minutes at the Welcome Party! Two huge bags of gifts! One for my family and one for the Syiek family (Asuna`s host family 3 years ago). They also had a boxed gift for me from my first host mother`s mother (I guess my host grandmother!) who I had met once for 5 minutes last week. My WOW is coming back.
Then in the middle of dinner we get a phone call from my current host mother`s father. He has made me a painting as a gift to take home and I have never even met him...WOW! I go with my mother to pick it up, surprising the sweet grandmother just out of the shower, who still invites us in and serves tea and sweets. Grandpa heads to his studio (I assume) and returns with a HUGE painting, easily 4ft x 5ft framed. I am really starting to panic as there is NO WAY this will come home with me!!! Luckily it is just to show me his talent (which he has a considerable amount of) and the gift painting is closer to letter size (but just as beautiful).
So many gifts and I have a feeling this is not the end as the Sayonara Party is tomorrow night. I don`t know that others are having this same experience but if they are make sure to have plenty of luggage room on the trip back from SFO Tuesday!!!