Rob’s parents and older sister are hosting Japanese exchange students for two weeks. Three boys altogether. We met them this morning and showed them how to play Wii.
I got all excited about showing them my photos from when I stayed with a family in Japan for two weeks when I was almost their same age. I found the album and plan to take it next time I see them.
As I flipped through the fat album, its plastic-covered sticky pages browned with age, looking at photos of myself wearing pleated shorts and button-down shirts tied at the waist, it occurred to me that my showing this album to these boys is the equivalent of someone in Japan saying to 15-year-old me, “I was in America once!” and forcing me to look at their pictures from the 1970s.
1991 sure was a long time ago.
Kari Neumeyer 