Essay from Ms.Mika Maeda

If we can't go abroad, have them come!

That's what I thought, and we decided to be a host family.

I became a host mom for several high school students.

But the one that left th deepest impression on me and that I am still connected to is Mr.Robert, who came to Sasayama every year to oversee the program.

The first time we saw Robert, may daughters said, 

"Mom, he looks like the real Santa Claus!"

A few years later, that Santa Clause stayed at our house.

He really took care of our young daughters, and our family became very fond of him.

Since then, it has become a tradition for us to meet and talk with Robert every fall.

Every time we see him,  he looks at our daughters and says, "Grown up!"

And every year, he sends us a Christmas card with many pictures and updates.

By interacting with Robert and many other people from Walla Walla, we have made new host mom friends and new connections, and our daughters are able to interact with people from other countries without hesitation, even if they don't speak a foreign language.

I hope that the wonderful relationship between Sasayama City and Walla Walla will continue for a long time to come...