Michigan State and Shiga Prefecture reached agreement on sister states
in 1968, and send and accept each delegation every other year. This year
32 delegates visited Shiga, and among them was Susie Roberts. She came
in Ritto on Friday July 15, paid a courtesy visit to Ritto Mayor, and stayed
in the Miyagis, a RIFA member.
About Earl & Susie
Susie and her late husband Earl have accepted so many Ritto people with
hospitality since she knew the Michigan-Shiga Goodwill Mission Program.
Even if they were not a host family, they worked for Ritto delegates as
a leader of host families, having parties, showing Ritto delegates around,
or inviting them to their house. Susie takes over her late husband’s wish.
She decided to come to Japan to see her old friends, and make new friends.
Two thick file books of hers she brought with explained her deep thoughtfulness
and delicacy. The books were filed well with printings from the then Ritto
City, her friends name cards, and letters.
Just after 6:00 p.m., Susie arrived at Wing Plaza and received warm welcome
by RIFA members and people who Susie had accepted so far, with the music
of “Biwako shuko no uta” played on the instruments called taishogoto.
Susie, who shared time with the participants, put a pile of souvenir on
a table and people hesitated over which to choose. It was a smile-provoking
scene. |
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Mrs. Susie Roberts greeted, “I am looking forward to meeting Ritto
people.”
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Souvenirs Susie brought were filled with her nice character.
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Chiemi Nakkai and Naoko Nishikawa are playing American folk songs and
others on the taishogoto
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Two young men explained on the video of the trip taken when they had visited
the Roberts once. |
Mr. Akira Fujisaki and Mr. Masayoshi Horiike showed a video tape taken with Earl when they
had visited the Roberts’ “Seven years after visiting them as delegates,
we visited them again privately. I remember I was impressed that they treated
us like their children, not in a formal way. We learned preciousness to
think a great deal of one’s own family from them. We have kept in touch
on the Internet,” said Mr. Fujisaki. Susie also said that it is important
to continue mutual exchanges.
It would be a little disappointing if we met people for only once and ended.
Much less, only one meeting is not enough to understand each other. It
was a significant party in which it seemed the young men alluded that the
way of exchanging on person to person basis, on region to region, and administration
to administration basis respectively. |
