... Bye ...

Today our students leave back to their farms. Their American home stay is over, and Yuki and Ryo must return to those farms from whence they came.

Yuki is returning to his rice farming in Colorado for two more months. He'll have no more marathon stays at the library, no more dodging English conversations, no more hotdog fests.

Ryo gets to go back to his apple orchards in Williams for two more months. No more fermented beans, no more having Genna throw objects at his head, no more muggings.

We have had a really fun time with these two. On the whole, it was a very positive experience. We wish we could have gotten to know Yuki more, but he was far too elusive. Ryo was much more involved in our family, and we actually hope to see him some more, as he will only be a 1/2 hour away, and he has made some friends in church.

We love that our girls were exposed to more culture - different languages and appearances and foods. They also had to learn how to share - afterall, Yuki did steal their play room for his bedroom. But we are also very much looking forward to having our privacy back. We are slowly becoming empty nesters - two kids gone, three to go. My how they grow up.