Atsuko acted as an interpreter for the mayor of Penticton this week. A delegation from the sister city of Ikeda, Japan was in town for the day and the mayor was worried about communication problems so the mayor’s office gave us a call Monday night. Atsuko was hesitant at first but I pushed her into it as I thought it would be a great experience for her, a boost to her self-confidence, and a good chance to meet some new people. She was very nervous throughout the day but performed well.

The day started at 10AM with a meeting at city hall and then they went for lunch at the Penticton Golf & Country Club. After lunch, there was a tour of the South Okanagan Events Centre followed by a tour of the new Penticton High School. The day went well and the Japanese delegation had a great time. The delegation was on a super high because the day before their hometown star, Keichiiro Nagashima, won a Silver Medal in speed skating:
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/countries/country=JPN/medals/index.html

The population of Ikeda is only 5,000 (about the same size as Summerland) so you can imagine the pride and joy they were feeling! The delegation was in town just for the day and then it was back to the Olympics to cheer on the other competitors. Believe it or not, there are 3 Olympic athletes competing in the 2010 Olympics from Ikeda – sounds like a small town with a big heart! I have to get up there for a visit on my next trip to Japan. From the reports I’ve heard, the “Pentictonites” just love the place and the people are so warm and welcoming.

Several days ago I attended the Business Excellence Awards ceremony hosted by the Penticton Chamber of Commerce. Here are the winners for 2009:
http://www.penticton.org/2009-Excellence-Awards-Winners.html

We were nominated in the “hospitality and tourism” sector and I felt so honoured to be in the company of so many wonderful business people. I had a terrific time at the dinner and met some very interesting people at our table. I was also simply amazed when I heard the award winner bios. Penticton has so many outstanding business people and I could not believe their commitment to their community and to charity work. It was such an eye-opener for me, and I learned a lot about the importance of giving and what it means to be successful both in business and in life.

During the past few weeks I have been giving talks on the recent earthquake in Haiti and relating it to my earthquake experience in Kobe. I have been going to elementary schools and volunteer groups and doing Power Point presentations on the Kobe earthquake. The 1995 Kobe earthquake killed approximately 6,500 people, decimated over 100,000 buildings, and totalled $132 billion in damages. Of course, the situation in Haiti is 1,000 times worse and they face such an upward battle to rebuild what is left of Port Au Prince. The level of poverty in Haiti is unbelievable and I cannot imagine what it must be like to go through an earthquake in that country. A lot of the Penticton businesses have launched a “Hearts for Haiti” week and are doing fund-raising drives to help the earthquake victims. The biggest affect the earthquake had on me was psychological (lots of post-traumatic stress which lasted a long, long time) and I would like to do something to help bring some joy into their lives…not sure what to do at this point but hopefully something will come together.

It was a big day in Penticton on January 25. At 1:00pm the Olympic Torch arrived in town to great fanfare. It was a huge “to-do” with all the politicians in attendance (including BC Premier Gordon Campbell) and some great live entertainment. There was a huge turn-out with an estimate crowd of 7,000 waiting to greet the Olympic Torch. We were also very lucky to get our picture taken with the Olympic Torch too. It wasn’t lit, of course, but it was still a huge thrill for us (could not do this in Whistler!). Atsuko also took part in the ceremonies as she carried the Japanese flag and put it on the stage.