As anyone who has participated in a successful exchange program can tell you, the parting is not easy. Even in a short time, our host’s homes have become our homes, and their families have become our families. So there is a definite sense of loss when saying goodbye.
But our Renton/Nishiwaki enduring sister-city relationship, which has been in place since 1969, gives us all certainty that it won’t be long before we meet again.
Nishiwaki threw a grand good-bye party for us, and I have many photos to post detailing the event. However, it’s too late at night to upload them all now.
So I will just provide this preview, with a promise that the rest will be loaded within a couple days.
The warmth of the citizens of Nishiwaki has deeply touched me, and I will miss them all very much when we leave tomorrow morning. I expect to see some tears on the bus when we pull out of town.
