A Visitation from the Family

This visitation from my family marked the first time I have seen my sister in two years. She teaches in Akita-ken in northern Japan so it was only a matter of time before we met up. I hadn't seen my parents since last August when I left the U.S.

Last week we all went to classes on Geruma, Aka, and Zamami. This picture shows the third of three school lunches my family risked eating. My mom's luck ran out on the third day when sardines showed up on her plate. My dad wasn't a fan of the milk, and my sister refuses to eat vegetables so I will undoubtedly have some explaining to do about the pickiness.


The Zamami junior high students did presentations about Okinawan culture. It was really great and I even learned a few things. After the eisa performance my mom and dad were invited up to learn:

[Ama Beach]

We spent Saturday kayaking around a distant island. We got caught in a strong current on the way back and my mom and sister ended up paddling a significant extra distance. In one of a few physical misjudgments on my part, the kayak trip should have ended after we crossed that current. Unfortunately we were on the southern tip of Aka and still had another 1.5-2 hours to get back to Zamami. The lowlight of that last trip for me was getting flipped by a wave while explaining to my mom and sister how not to get flipped. Minutes later I realized my mask and snorkel were gone. Just when I finally got everything I needed for diving...

[Early in the bike trip that was a little too long.]