Hi,
The conference kicked off last night with an inspiring, albeit long, opening ceremony. Amara, Clara, Avery-Mae, and Nicky carried the Rykuyuan and Japanese flags in the flag procession. The energy in the room was high. Because of the length of the ceremony and the threat of rain, we carried in pizza and all ate dinner in my room.
This morning, fueled by a breakfast of NY bagels (plus additional accoutrement), students headed into their first committee sessions. They were very nervous going in and when we picked them up they were noticeably more relaxed and had enjoyed themselves. Each committee worked on one topic today (the second will be their focus tomorrow). Most students whose topic it was opted to share the opening speeches they had prepared. I was so proud of all of them for their bravery!
They worked for three hours in the morning, had a two-hour lunch break for which we carried in food so they could have some time to decompress before heading into their second three-hour session. By the end of the committee time they were all quite mentally exhausted. We went out to dinner and it was a pleasure to eat out with them as they were all polite and having a nice time chatting with each other. After dinner we took a quick trip to the M&M store and the Disney store (their choices) before returning to the hotel to wind down for the night.
Tomorrow will be their last day of committee work and, now that they are more comfortable, hopefully it will be just a little less draining and just as, if not more, fun. Tomorrow evening there is a social event where they will get an opportunity to hang out in a fun, casual setting with new friends they may have made over the last two days.
I apologize for not yet sending pictures of the delegates all dressed up and ready to work; those will be forthcoming.
Take care.
