Because I’ve gotten super lazy in finishing this post, I figured I should just write it all in English and be done with it. =P

After spending the first day with the delegation in Mississauga, the next day was our big trip to Niagara Falls. We had a traditional ‘Canadian’ breakfast that morning, then we regrouped at City Hall where we boarded the bus for Niagara Falls. Once we got there, the bus dropped us off near Clifton Hills and we walked the rest of the way towards the Maid of the Mist. If our 10 minute walk was a good indicator of how hot the day would be, I think it would have been far safer to stay in the air-conditioned bus. LOL.

Even with the heat I managed to tough it out as we waited in line. Once we loaded on the ship, the ride seemed to pass by in a blur. It was so hot that our rain ponchos were completely sticking to our skin. I’m pretty sure the greatest moment of the entire ride came when we were directly below the falls and the sheet of mist hit us full on. It was heavenly. =)

Later on we trekked from the American Falls over to the Horseshoe Falls where we would be boarding our bus again. The bus dropped us off near Niagara-on-the-Lake where we ate a picnic lunch. Then we ended up taking a local shuttle towards the town where we spent an afternoon shopping. As much I as enjoyed our day out, I don’t think I would want to do it again if the temperature is above 30°c!

The best part of the day had to have been our dinner at the Lake House Restaurant. The food was amazing and we had a breathtaking view of Lake Ontario. It was a great place to unwind after a long day in the sun.

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Days 3 & 4 were mostly free days for us, which meant I was in charge of planning activities for Megumi. I decided to take her to Toronto for the first day, so we set off for the Eaton Centre to do some shopping. For lunch I took her to a New Orleans style restaurant right across from Roy Thompson Hall. Later in the afternoon, we took the subway and headed over to the ROM where we spent some time exploring the museum and saw the dinosaur exhibit. I’m not sure how Megumi managed to get through the past couple days following such an intense schedule, but I was pretty much sleepwalking the entire time. Haha.

The next day we had the entire morning to ourselves. My family and I took Megumi out for dim sum, then we drove towards Streetsville to do a little shopping. We strolled through Queen Street on foot, then turned towards the park and followed the Credit River back. Then it was time to prepare for the farewell dinner later that evening.

The farewell dinner was once again held at the Port Credit Yacht Club. It was kind of surreal that it was already the farewell, since our time together had been so short. It was really nice chatting with everyone and taking photos to capture the moment. There were a couple of official speeches that evening, then a signing of the twinning agreement between the two high schools. Finally there was a performance by the members of the delegation. They performed the song Ame ni mo Makezu and it was wonderful. =)

We spent the last half an hour taking photos outside by the marina. It was a really nice way to end the evening. I wasn’t able to see everyone off at City Hall the next morning, so I made sure to say my proper goodbyes. I was a little sad saying goodbye to Megumi the next morning, but I’m really glad she stayed with us during her time in Canada. It was a lot of fun hosting for the first time and I really hope to keep in touch with everyone!