Our day in Nagasaki

Yesterday's soccer matches were meaningful for several reasons: they gave us coaches a means of measuring how the girls were doing in assimilating the new, international style that Coach Oscar has been teaching this summer, and they represented in the most concrete manner the international exchange itself. Our girls were introduced to some of the pomp and circumstance associated with international soccer, from lining up to greet the opposing team before the game to bowing to the other team afterward.

But whatever the significance of yesterday's events, today's trip to Nagasaki will, I hope, be what sticks the most in the minds of our girls. Even now, hours after being there, it is hard for me to write about our experience at the museum without breaking into tears. It is hard to express in words how moving an experience it was to tour the Atomic Bomb Museum. I for one struggled to retain my composure almost from the very minute we arrived at the museum, and I know that I wasn't the only one to experience a profound sadness at witnessing in such an intimate manner the horrors of war, and particularly of nuclear war. I'm sorry that I cannot describe in writing what it was like to tour the museum; it's too hard for me and I will leave it up to each of you to talk to our girls when we get home and have them tell you about the experience. I would recommend, though, that if any of you ever have the chance to come to Japan, this museum is a must visit as far as I'm concerned. I will add, though, that our daughters treated their visit to the museum with the utmost respect, and for that, I am very proud of them, and you should be, too. You should also know that after we left and had lunch at a Nagasaki restaurant that Oscar called us all together on the banks of the river, in a quiet spot, and talked to the kids and adults about the museum and let them talk about how the museum impacted them. It was a beautiful moment, and we all owe Oscar a big thanks for the way in which he helped us all deal with the emotions of seeing the effects of an atomic bomb blast. I also must say that seeing the way our daughters reacted and hearing what they had to say about our visit to the museum gives me hope for the future of our world.

Fortunately, our next stop was the Peace Park, which was close to the epicenter of the bomb blast that devastated Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. For me, this park was the yin to the museum's yang, a place where peace and hopefulness, not war and hopelessness, were the theme. It was a healing place, and I'm very glad we had time to wander through the park and see the many statues and fountains that countries around the world had donated in the name of peace. Our visit to the Peace Park certainly gave me comfort and helped heal my wounded soul. I hope it did the same for your daughters.

It almost seems trite to write about the rest of our day, but I will for the sake of completeness. We started the day with a short bus ride to the Ariake ferry, which took us across the bay in a mere 45 minutes. From there, we reboarded our bus and headed to Nagasaki, stopping briefly at a rest stop/souvenir shop, where many of us bought things to bring home for family and friends. Once our visit to Nagasaki was complete, we headed for the Taso Outlet Mall, a thoroughly American experience - we could have been at any outlet mall anywhere in the U.S. What was interesting to me, though, was that our girls realized this right away and used the time to talk and walk rather than shop - way to go, ladies!

The day ended on a big positive in my mind - a thoroughly enjoyable evening with the Ikejiri family, which hosted Chase and my daughter Claire. Though at times we struggled with the language barried, I had a wonderfully delightful time, and I just hope that they did, too.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Japan. I can't believe the time has zoomed by, even though I knew it would. As I reflect on today and the week we've had so far, I'm struck by a couple of thoughts. Perhaps most importantly, I've seen nothing but the best from our daughters, and you shouldbe extremely proud of them. They have represented our team, our club, our state,our country - and themselves - extremely well, and not just on the soccer field. But I've also seem them grow right before my eyes. Think about it - these girls have taken an amazing journey to a far away country just as they are about to start a new chapter in their lives with the impending start of high school. I was talking with Oscar and we both agreed that this trip couldn't have been better timed in that respect, and I think I speak for Oscar as well as myself when I say that I hope this trip will give them a big boost as they enter high school. I see the way they've have carried themselves here and I feel nothing but pride for them, and have little doubt that they will have a leg up on their fellow freshman in the year(s) ahead. I think we all owe Oscar, Hiro and Tara, as well as ourselves, for making this journey a reality. Way to go, Trebol!