Ohiyo gozaimasu!

Monday has been a great day in Hiroshima.  We started off with a visit to Hiroshima University.  It is one of the finest universities in Japan and is especially known for its teacher training programs.  We met the president and vice-president of the university and the dean of the college of education.  We spent the morning talking to teachers and students who will be teachers.  I learned so much about how Japan prepares people to become teachers, or sensei.  We also got to visit the University Library and go down into the basement archives where books are kept on shelves that move electronically on a track.  Pretty slick!

 

After lunch we began our visit of the Hiroshima Peace Park. This is a huge park in the center of town built around the hypocenter where the atom bomb was detonated.  We saw a cemetary near the center of the bomb explosion, one of the few buildings that still had parts left standing after the bombing and many monuments honoring victims of the bombing.  At the children's peace memorial I was honored to hang our strings of cranes along with cranes from children all over the world.  Be sure to see the pictures on our web site.  It was doubly special because a group of elementary school children were there to bring their cranes too.  They read a special essay written by one of the students, sang some beautiful songs and led a prayer for all of us before adding their cranes to the memorial.  I was so proud that I could represent you at that special moment.  We also visited the Peace Hall and the Peace Museum.  There was so much to see and learn!  I can't wait to share more of it with you when I get home.

 

For dinner we ate at a traditional Japanese "tavern" where we sat on the floor and ordered dinner by pointing at pictures of food that looked good.  We didn't always know what we were ordering and the waitress didn't speak English so we just decided to enjoy whatever came.  Once again, we weren't disappointed.  Tomorrow we get to meet the mayor of Hiroshima and the school board.  It's great to really be meeting people who are really connected to schools.  I am learning so much and hope that you are too.  I will be home before you know it.  Until then, have a great time with Mr. Gildehaus.

 

with love,

Mrs. Calkins