Although it is our smallest group of students in the 27 years of our Seattle program, a combined total of 40 students from HTC Tokyo and HTC Osaka arrived safely and in good spirits at Sea-Tac Airport (14 from Tokyo, 26 from Osaka). 18 students will be studying at Shoreline Community College, and 22 at Edmonds Community College, but following their arrival all the students went to Edmonds to meet their new host families. (We had planned to bring the Tokyo and Osaka students to Edmonds separately, but the flight from Tokyo arrived considerably late, so both groups of students ended up leaving the airport together on the same bus.) After arriving at Edmonds, there were some greetings and important information from the school staff, and then the students met their new families and all soon went on their separate ways. Many host families greeted their new members with flower bouquets, balloons and welcome posters.
Seattle Tour (April 6)
Blessed by a warm sunny day, HTC Edmonds and Shoreline students shared a charter bus to tour the popular tourist sites of Seattle. First we went to West Seattle, across Elliot Bay from the Seattle Waterfront, for a spectacular view of the downtown skyscrapers. Then we made our way through Pike Place Market, Seattle Center, and the Kerry Park viewpoint on Queen Anne. We also stopped at the University of Washington campus. Because March had been unusually cold this year, the UW's famous cherry blossoms (some-yoshino from Japan) which normally bloom in late-March, were in full-bloom for our visit - a truly beautiful sight. Our last stop was the University Village Shopping Center, where students went window shopping or picked up some school supplies (like binders and backpacks) in preparation for the start of classes next week.
Orientation Week (April 2-5)
On the first day of orientation, all students managed to find their way to school one way or another - some students getting a ride from their host families, others riding the bus or walking. Each day this week we had a few hours of orientation information, and also a campus tour and individual conferences with teachers. During orientation, in addition to HTC teachers, we had guest speakers from International Programs, the Japan Culture Club, a scuba diving program, the Talk Time conversation group, and the Japanese teacher seeking volunteers for conversation partners in her classes.
Tulip Fields in Skagit Valley (April 20)
About one hour's drive north on the freeway from school are the vast fields of Skagit Valley. They are famous for their daffodils in March and tulips in April, at which times the fields and surrounding roads overflow with camera-toting tourists from around the northwest and British Columbia. As there were no other school activities planned this Friday afternoon, I took 9 Shoreline students on an optional trip to view the tulips. (At Edmonds, Student Services is recruiting for the same trip next Saturday, so I took only Shoreline students this time.) At the sight of wide-open fields with horses, cows and goats grazing freely, some students exclaimed "Wow! This feels like the real America!" Then as we approached the tulip fields and it seemed as tough a rainbow of color had been painted over the earth, there were more shouts of wonder. With cameras clicking away, we walked among the fields segregated into tulips of pink, purple, yellow and red. The sky had cleared up, but the recent rain had left many puddles and muddy patches, so if you didn't watch your step you would soon be ankle-deep in mud.
Mariners vs White Sox (April 22)
HTC students went to watch a Mariners baseball game last Sunday afternoon, with tickets provided by Shoreline Community College. The Mariners lost to the Chicago White Sox 7 to 4, but the students were pleased to be able to see several of Ichiro's amazing plays. His rifle ball from right field that got a runner from third base out at home plate was especially thrilling. The students were also thrilled when they were projected on the stadium's big screen 2 times. As Safeco Field is near the waterfront, flocks of seagulls circle over the stadium to prey on the food scraps of baseball fans. As if they knew the game, the seagulls increase in number after the 7th inning. We were in the cheap seats, up near the roof, but the proximity of the roof protected us from "seagull attacks".The next day - Monday morning - as a half-day field trip, the Shoreline students returned to Safeco for a tour of the stadium facilities. They toured the interview room, the press room, locker room, clubhouse and VIP seating, and dugout, and got to walk on the dirt part of the field.
Bowling Tournament (April 27)
HTC Edmonds and Shoreline students had a joint bowling tournament on Friday afternoon at Robin Hood Lanes. We combined Edmonds and Shoreline students and teachers with 7 local college students to make 4-man teams, and played 3 games. Prizes were awarded to the three teams with the highest combined scores, and to the highest scoring individual male and female as well. Tsubasa Takahashi (from HTC Tokyo) won for the guys, and for the ladies it was Nao Hirao (also from HTC Tokyo). After the presentation of prizes, we brought out a cake for teacher Kaoru's surprise birthday party. Since we have few students this year, even after everyone got a piece of cake, there were still a few pieces left over for Kaoru to take home.
Volunteers at YMCA Kids’ Health Fair
When we recruited student volunteers for the Kids' Health Fair at the Shoreline YMCA on Saturday April 28th, all 22 of the Edmonds students and more than half of the Shoreline students (10 students) signed up to help supervise the children's play activities. HTC students were painting kids' faces, handing out balloons, putting on safety harnesses for rock wall climbing, managing the lines for various games and inflatable houses, directing parking lot traffic, etc. It was a clear but chilly day, and the students working outdoors looked cold, but the children's energy and smiles no doubt helped them feel warmer.
Neal (Seattle)
