A Smooth Beginning

After checking in at the Chattanooga airport and saying goodbye to all of our parents, we took the smooth and short flight to Atlanta.  Knowing our plane to Tokyo was leaving around 12:30 pm, we quickly scoped out the food court in Terminal F, the beautiful international terminal in the Atlanta airport. Everyone had food to his or her on choosing, most gravitating to The Varsity, while others headed to Starbucks or the Asian Cuisine.

Of course, as luck would have it, soon after we boarded our 14-hour flight, they handed us menus so we could choose our lunch (beef or chicken with an Asian flair). No one seemed to mind eating again! We all settled into our seats, some watching movies, some chatting, and some playing games. Everyone was quite comfortable and ready for the long haul.

The students did marvelously well considering that most people would find it difficult to endure such a long flight. We stepped off the plane after arriving at Narita Airport outside of Tokyo and immediately glided through customs, found our luggage (which had all arrived, thank goodness), and then boarded a chartered bus to take us to Mito Eiko Elementary School about an hour away. You'll need to ask your children about how we managed to slide a big bus through the narrowest of streets. We all applauded the bus driver at the end!

The school staff and families greeted us with great warmth and hospitality, and after putting on our slippers before entering the school, we each introduced ourselves to our host families, as they did to us as well. I must say that after over 24 hours of traveling, our students did a great job of greeting their host families and departing with them for their homes. I hold our students in such admiration. They continue to impress me by being so brave at such an early age, especially when exhaustion and some anxiety can be a burden. We're all very proud of them.

I'm adding just a few pictures from today. You'll find others on various FaceBook pages and Instagram accounts used by our parents. After a good night's sleep, we will be welcomed by the entire student body tomorrow morning.