Families...

The descriptions of our daily exploits are listed on the right side of the page, as I’m sure you’ve discovered. In those Chelsea has given you glimpses into our days and hopefully a few pictures and videos to fill in the gaps. Unfortunately, we’re never able to fully capture the spirit of Japan, its people, or the work that we’re doing with the artists we meet.

The aforementioned youths (their pictures can be found here at the bottom of the page) - who are generous in both spirit and action - have only a modicum of charity and warmth compared to their parents. As do all of nature’s young, they learn by imitating the habits of their parents. I’m glad that these kids have followed their urge to imitate. Surely, I’ve never experienced hospitality of the same sort….or even species. Hospitality, love, generosity, compassion…all of these words fall incredibly short what we’ve experienced and what impacts how we shape the rest of the work we are doing here, as well as how we live when we arrive back home.

Whether it’s because we are working with their children or because we’re volunteering our time and energy, these people are invested in us. They aren’t simply being nice to us because we’re here or tolerating us because we’re in their homes. They aren’t trying to bolster the name of their country in the eyes of foreigners or pay us back for our work. They are genuinely and wholeheartedly invested in who we are and what we do, even when we aren’t traipsing about their country spreading knowledge about dance techniques, spatial awareness, syllabic emphasis, and talking about gooey, sappy things like emotions and feelings.

I feel like family, and I think that they consider us so.

- b.e.