For the last nine days the island of Guam has been hosting twenty six Japanese seventh graders and their five chaperones. Liberal Academy has been part of their visit, teaching them English and providing tour operators. Tonight was their farewell party.

For those of you who have or have had teenagers you may remember what they are like when excited. Consider the five men and women who volunteered to chaperone this group. For nine days they have put up with twenty girls and six boys all about thirtten years old. If there is an award for endurance it's being wasted on athletes.

We met at the Holiday Plaza at the VIP Chinese Restaurant. We sat at round tables with a large lazy susan in the middle. The wait staff dropped plate after plate of food on the lazy susan and we worked our way through vegetable dishes, brocolli beef, sweet & sour shrimp, fried rice, and a very spicy tofu dish.

The kids had "organized" an entertainment, demonstrating as only kids can, the mysteries and wonder of Japan. We saw karate and kendo demostrations, half heard riddles, enjoyed origami, and watched them dance to YMCA and the Macarana. They all wanted to be in a picture with everyone else. It was a rambunctuous and noisy evening.