Susan's Stories

 It was the noodles and potatoes and  bananas that hit the spot with coffee latte this morning at our Rembrandt hotel. Our driver deliveredus seven to the conference hotel soon after 8 am, before the other 100 attendees had finished their breakfast. The surroundings outside the large were there to be admired, and I had time to do that. Our two plenary sessions were fabulous. The first speaker described her work for school health in the 37 countries of the WHO western region. Her presentation was lively as she described her work with schools to promote healthy school environments and communities.  The second speaker was a school doctor. He came costumed as he stated he often does when he is at schools. He stressed the importance of the collaboration of the school doctor,  the school yogo teacher, and the school nurse. The yogo teacher is a health teacher who may provide first aid and who collaborates with the nurse and doctor on school health concerns.  His prese...

 I slept well and really e joyed a large breakfast buffet in the hotel: country potstoes, banana pieces, noodles m spring rolls., and coffee latte. The 8 am shuttle brought us back to the Kogen. We had time to greet friends from yesterday and meet new friends, find a table in a large room with wall to ceiling windows with a view of the forested area around the hotel. The conference chair spoke to the theme of caring for children from diverse cultures and settings. I toom notes, for she had some good points to share. Our next speaker was a pediatrician who has had lengthy experience working in African communities to build up support for health promotion in locals setings. His sights were motivating.  A third presentation described working styles called North, South,  East, and West. With descriptors of each we were asked to assess ourselves and then consider positives and  negatives of each as well as  traits of other groups which would and would not work well wi...

 We traveled to the Hiroshima central train station,  a very modern and inviting site, learned our track number and had a few minutes to grab a sandwich to eat on the train. Once we passed the ticket screening machine a ticket popped up and on which was our train car number and seat number. Kenji had again had again o line purchased our tickets and reserved our seats and had that information sent our Suica cards.  Amazing technology and knowledgeable and skilled users! We rode the full bullet train two and a half hours, transfered to another train with Mishima as the destination for another hour and a half. Noteworthy was the smooth and very fast, 181 mph, journey.  Also notable was the observation that every station stop at least one crew member walked through the car a d turned and bowed before entering the next car.  We had time to look around the station, chat and find three travelers who were also attending the school nurse international (sni) conference. W...

 The sun shines through just a few rain drops on the window of our hotel room. The water appears calm. I neglected a very important part of yesterday at the tower where we viewed the atom bomb dome and city from the 13th floor. This tower is also focused on peace, and on the 12th floor we had the opportunity to  make a paper crane and deposit it in a glass tube that is attached to the outside. We had help folding the cranes, for there are many steps and turn overs and folding back. Human assistance was needed in spite of a computer screen guiding us step by step With the completed cranes the Lusters stepped onto the enclosed glass ledge and dropped them into the glass tube. It will soon be filled with overall million cranes, removed  recycled into notebooks and given to children. The same floor displayed cranes made by spouses od the G 7 leaders in. 2023. There was also a display of photos and written history of the building which was bombed in 1945. It was used as a busi...

 Wehad a late and slow start to the day. Our 16th floor hotel window was covered with raindrops. We had already purchased our breakfast yesterday at a 7 Eleven. I enoyed a cold coffee large, edamame, and a banana. I think of Ranie whenever I eat a banana.  The city bus ride into the center of the city is about 30 minutes. It was crowded immediately and continued to accept passengers at following stops. It was a relief to get off. We crossed a street by taking  down an elevator at the street corner. Underground was not only one walkway but several with signs to different destinations but also shops. Karin and Kenji found the correct exit for the building with the tower view of the city. With tickets that Kenji had purchased online we took the elevator to the 13th floor.  There we walked up and then down a wooden slope to the open air edge of the building. We looked directly down at the A Bomb Dome and the peace park, monuments and museum. We spent quite a while viewin...

 Our time to take the free hotel shuttle to transportation, central train station was 855 am.This hotel is remote from public transportation, an buses and streetcars serve the city. We each had a banana to eat before  meeting Kenji and Leo. I walked aroundthe lobby enjoying very much the sounds of the central fountain and water falling over small rocks. A city bus stop is right in front of the hotel. We rode into the center of the city to a stop near the Peace Park. We were there for the next six hours. It includes memorials to those who died in the atomic bomb attack August 6, 1945 as well as those who succumbed to the after effects - radiation, burns, I juries. There was a memorial to children killed in the attack and to the young people who volunteered to fight for Japan in WWII. And then there was the museum: video recounting some first-hand survivor stories, and more stories through photos - before and after the bombing. Moving were remembered words of victims as they res...

It was the light through the screen which awakened me today, such a gentle way to wake up. Karin was already sitting on the floor at the low table typing her blog. Interesting is that we got ready for the day as well as completed packing for our 10 am check out. It was a  beautiful lobby - a little stream, water falling over rocks and wooden furniture arranged in conversational settings.  It had rained and it was of course humid, and the streets and sidewalks were only damp as we walked to the central train station. Hundreds of people were entering and leaving. We had time to eat breakfast and took the elevator down two levels and found a French bakery cafe.  I enjoyed a crusty roll filled with chickens and mushroom and an iced lattes- both delicious.  I even picked up a large roll with tomato and avocado slices to eat on the bullet train.  We still had time to admire the modern ceiling design and pedestrian walkways above the entrance to the platform areas unti...