First Day of School!!!!

...WAS AMAZING.


This was probably one of the FUNNEST days of my life!!!


Sayaka let me borrow one of her uniforms, since I didn't have a chance to buy one.

(I look SUPA CHUBBY XD)


Anyway, Spencer, Hirokazu (Spencer's host brother), Sayaka and I arrived around the same time. So when Spencer and I entered, everyone, well, acted like there were exchange students. More staring than screaming.


The school day started off right away, first with Spencer and me introducing ourselves. Then we moved onto English class, which I was actually able to help my classmates with.
Then Spencer and I had to introduce ourselves AGAIN in world history class. Only I had no idea what was going on in that class haha! But the sensei gave me the classwork as well so the girl sitting next to me helped me out!


After that, we had to introduce ourselves AGAIN in the teacher's lounge in front of all the teachers. That was extremely nerve-wracking.


The day continued to go on, but math class was great! I hate math, but the teacher was awesome. He would keep asking me what certain math terms are in English, and try to spell them out on the board (he was usually wrong and we had to correct him).


I'm trying to write a lot, but if I wrote everything that would be ridiculous.


Oh, computer class was super fun too! Sou and Hiroki talked to me. They were so funny!
At the end of the day, we had one free period. Spencer, Nikki, Hirokazu, Hirotomo, Shuji, Sayaka and I talked for a while. It was so fun!


I also brought Jolly Ranchers for the class, everyone loved those.


At the end of the day, Sayaka, Hirokazu, Spencer and I had to go meet up with the teachers taking care of me and Spencer and the principal. We went over some rules and then had to introduce ourselves once again. 4 times in one day.


When we got back to the classroom, the class was having a little good-bye party for some college students working as teachers to get their degrees. As a joke, the class asked each of them which boy and which girl from the class you would like to go out with. At the end, the classmate of the opposite sex that they chose gave them goodbye presents. Soichiro was one  chosen, so when he gave the gift he said "ずっと。。。好きだった。” (I've always liked you.") IT WAS SO FUNNY. And so cute!


By the way, everyone can tell when you're the exchange student. Almost everyone tells me I look Japanese, but everyone can tell. When Saya and I were leaving, we were walking through the halls when a boy stopped suddenly and said to me (in English), "HELLO!" They boy walking with him was surprised and asked (in Japanese), "the exchange student??" Haha. That actually happens a lot. People just randomly staring or yelling "HELLO!" Sometimes they yell my name after me trying to get me to turn around. You sure get a celebrity status when you're an exchange student.


Sayaka and I ended the day watching the baseball team for a while. A lot of my classmates are on it, so whenever they see us they wave. So cute!


School in Japan is so amazingly fun I can't even describe.

Phew...

IT IS SO HOT.


I think I'm going to die.


I'm pretty sure the heat tired all of us out, for we weren't very productive today. Dad, Mom, and Yasu weren't home, so it was just me, Sayaka and Yurika. We pretty much played cards (which was so fun) and watched the small storm outside, since there's a typhoon going on.


We also watched TV, but not Japanese TV since my host family is EXTREMELY into American shows, I've been watching nothing but Glee, Batman, and Desperate Housewives with a Japanese dubbing. Haha I don't particularly mind, I just hope I get to see some normal Japanese TV soon.

A Day Off

I obviously woke up late, so I missed saying good-bye to everyone. Sayaka, Yurika, and Yasuyuki all went to school, and then Dad was at work. Mom took work off that day, so it was just me and her. For me it was a day of relaxing, since they understood I was DOG TIRED.


お母さん lent me a lot of manga, so she let me go to my room to read and then take a little nap.


When I woke up, Mom asked me if I wanted to go with her to pick up Sayaka from high school, the same one I'll be going to. Of course I said yes!


Sayaka was waiting at school, so when I showed up she wanted to give me a little tour. She showed me around, and I even met some classmates. There were some also in the classroom, and from the way they were acting I could tell I'm going to have fun. Some of them were kind of surprised that I was the exchange student, saying I look Japanese. Haha I was flattered.


Sayaka also showed me all the sports teams, and believe me, they are AMAZING. I was shocked at how hard they work.


I also found out that a fellow YFUer who is also an Okinawa recipient will be going to the same school, and even be in the same class. It turns out that his host brother and Sayaka are in the same class!


Can't wait for Monday!

Home Sweet New Home

*Note: This posts since my arrival in Japan have been days behind.


I made it to my host family's house! It was a short flight for us going to Okinawa, only about 2 hours from Haneda Airport to Naha Airport. And boy, were we acting crazy on the plane! We were subtly crazy though, so we didn't disturb anyone. We sure were hyper getting off the plane, thinking "Omigosh we're actually here!"


After baggage claim the whole group walked out together, and it was like one of those movies where you're walking through the door in slow motion toward the bright light. And when it clears, there's the crowd of host families.


Most of them had giant decorated signs up, their host child's name plastered across it, but mine didn't, so I had no idea where they were. Luckily, my younger host sister must have known who I was, because she ran up to me and said my name. She was then joined by her dad, and so after goodbyes we all left. Nago is practically on the other side of the island from Naha, so I though it would take us forever to get to our house. Luckily, Okinawa is VERY small so it only took about an hour. There was music playing the whole time too!


We finally got to our house, and I was greeted by my sister of the same age, as well as my mom. I was shocked when a giant black lab then charged me. I had no idea they had a dog! But she's sweet as could be, so it's all fine.


We then went grocery shopping, me, Sayaka, Yurika and お父さん. I pretty much stuck with Sayaka during it, and we already could tell we were going to be very good friends!


I was exhausted that day, so it was very short for me. I went to bed very early. After all that travel, a girl needs her sleep!

Tokyo High School Students!

After the YFU office, we went to a museum to check out in a way the history and culture of Japan.


But when we got there...we saw THIS:

A horde of high school students! They kept looking and waving to us, and so we were sad when we had to say bye. But then we entered the museum, and lo and behold:

There they were again! The one wearing the glasses kept saying "yes I am, yes I am" to us. And when we asked him what he was, he just said: "yes I am!" Haha they were so cute!

We ran into high school students all over the place! They kept saying in English, "pretty! Pretty!" They were adorable! They kept wanting to take pictures too! We wandered into them everywhere!

But my favorite picture is definitely:

Haha I miss them!

But to the culture part...the museum was actually really interesting! They had amazing exhibits and it covered a lot.

Luckily they had English descriptions along with the Japanese ones.

U.S. Embassy

No pictures in this one, because you're not allowed to take pictures in the Embassy.


A rough overview, the JUSSE winners and Okinawa winners headed to the Embassy while the other group headed out to their destinations in Japan.


We got there and there was a HUGE line! The weather was scorching too! Luckily since we were going to meet the sponsors we got to go in first. We sat in a room with tables and mikes on a stage-type thing in the front. Behind it was the Eagle symbol, you know, the one on the dollar.


We waited for a while, and finally the people working there came up! There were four of them, and they each gave us a speech about their job at the embassy, and working for it in general.


At the end an Okinawa winner and a JUSSE winner each gave a speech and presented a plaque to them.


We got back on the bus and then headed over to the YFU Japan office for lunch!


We met the former Japanese ambassador to the U.S. and Australia, Okawara. He then gave us a speech and another JUSSE winner gave Okawara-san a thank you speech and a plaque.

Afterward, they had a buffet, and we were waited on! I was so not used to the treatment, and had no idea what to do.

The food was soooooo yummy!!! And afterward we also got little desserts! This was mine:

Isn't it too gorgeous to eat?

Next event in next post!

Tokyo Orientation

This update is SUPER late since I am already in Okinawa and have been for a little while, but I'm going to tell you guys anyway.

Arriving in Tokyo, the people not getting picked up at the airport by their families were split into two groups : JUSSE and Okinawa winners and then the rest of the people.

The groups went on separate buses, and it turns out that we got different itineraries.

We JUSSE and Okinawa winners left after two days, while the rest left after one. In Tokyo, we also didn't get to see each other much since the JUSSEs and Okinawas had a packed schedule in Tokyo.

First, we got to go to the hotel to rest up. It was needed after that 10 hour flight! After we got settled in, I caught up with my friend Sam and we headed around the shopping area of the hotel for a little while. We weren't allowed to leave the grounds though, which kind of put a little hole in our plans. But the shopping area was fun enough!

Haha I look Japanese (in Japan. In America, people can tell I'm not full), so people were looking at me and Sam like "whattttt???" We also ran into some high school students! But whenever they saw us they would literally start walking the other way. It was kind of funny!

The first day in Tokyo was basically just hanging out and walking around

Next post is the next day!