And we're off! Terry Locke, Rita Grelle, and Rebecca Grotts (me!) depart from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, heading for Washington, D.C., and our first meeting with our Japanese partner teachers. We are beginning the first stage of what will be a year-long partnership between our schools in St. Charles, Missouri, and schools in Komatsu City, Japan, under the auspices of the Fulbright Memorial Fund Master Teacher Program (FMF MTP), an education and technology collaboration and exchange program administered by the Japan Ministry of Education. |
Our flight (UAL 1014) makes it to Chicago O'Hare without incident; however, we discover that we have only 20 minutes to make it from Concourse C to Concourse B and our connecting flight. Terry is obviously in better shape than the rest of us; she gets there first, followed shortly by Rita and finally, me. (My left knee is not happy about that much movement that fast and complains bitterly about it later...) We find many of the Japanese folks are there waiting to board; Terry sees all of her partners, but discover that they are on the second flight, which leaves an hour later. Our flight has just begun to board; the plane had to have some last-minute repair work done, so we have plenty of time to settle into our seats. As our Japanese colleagues board, the pilot announces that the "large traveling group joining us today" is a group of Japanese educators headed to Washington, D.C., for a conference. Hey, so are we! |
Addendum: This is the day that President Bush has set as a deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq. The deadline passes without any moves by Hussein other than saber-rattling speeches; at approximately 9:30 PM EST, the U.S. makes the first strike in the war against Hussein, and every news channel in the country/world shifts to war coverage, with live camera shots from Baghdad. So much for a peaceful night's sleep... |