July 17

July 17

Today was the last day with my host family and my new friends, tonight after the farewell party we would head on over to the hotel in the airport then be on our way not so bright and early again in the morning.

But before all that, this morning I got to sleep in a little bit later for yhe first time! It was nice, then Sae and Yuri had to teach me our dance we would be performing tonight at yhe farewell party as our little family group goodbye act. If I do say so myself it was very amusing and goofy, I liked it ^-^

Afterwards we headed on our way out to spend my last day in Sapporo. We first went to a shrine near their house for a little goodbye pray and a small wish for safe travels for our group. It was very very sweet of my family, and when we had the option to pick a fortune for us I decided why not! Soo out of all the different, one of a kind fortuntes I got a good luck one! It was a great fortune!

Your fortune- Excellent luck

"better luck will be with you. Always believe in God and behave yourself and don't give yourself to women and wine, or you will fall into the depth of misery."

Then it was time to meet up with the peeps and go Karyoking! PARTY PARTY. but of course Sae, Yuri and I had to do a little shopping before we all met up and you wouldn't believe what Sae saw in the first store in the lot.... A REAL SWORD! It was legit and when we ran in their to look at the displays we found it, the perfect sword at only 9,000 yen. Man it was one of the most happiest and spastic moments of me life, we were all just cheering and giggling and the guy was just laughing along with us.

Once we made our remarkable purchase of that beautiful sword! We did a little more shopping around, then ran into the others to meet up for lunch then Karyoking!

When we got there we were all escorted to our own personal party room. It was epic and there were so many pretty bright colorful lights! I know I'm cool. We all sang, danced and rocked our little hearts out. Everyone was up dancing and singing alone, no party poppers in the house!

Before we knew it though it was time to leave and head on over to the park hotel for the farewell party. Everyone knew this was going to be a long, hard and emotional night.

We all met up at the nice hotel and had our own little party room readers for all of us. My last Japanese sit down meal, our last night with our new families and loved ones. When it came time for the little talent acts preformed by all the host families and their new members and their speeches. Tears stated to shed. We would all laugh, giggle and cheer at each families acts or talents, then we would all shed tears when it came time for our little goodbye speeches. The crowd agreed that my host families act was the most funny, we kind of new we would be :P

As for the speeches though, each one really touched and was very thankful to their host families and our group. It truley is amazing how in just a little period of time, you can become so close and connected with someone. Each one of us became a part of our families, we were all welcomed with open arms to our homes and into their families, they each treated one of us like their own. Even though we speak a different language and live different life styles, we all still became a family.

One thing we HIES students wish we could do is somehow truley thank them and repay our families for all their patients and love, but what they have done for us this past week, we will never all be able to truley repay them for what they've done for us and how they've all impacted our lives. It just is impossible, we can repay the students when they come to stat with us in Atlanta, but still when they come their it seems to us we still then couldn't completely repay them.

July 16

July 16

Today the day! Part 2 of the school festival. Today's when all the parents and family friends come to see the school for performances, acts, see the class rooms the students have decorated and of course to eat LOT AND LOTS of food! Now this was my kind of typical day here.

The effort the classes put into decorating and advertising their class themes is remarkable. It's like homecoming for us but EVERY SINGLE student in the school puts countless effort towards it's, everyone is excited and happy and active the whole week! It's inspiring how much they are dedicated to their school and it's festival. I wish more then anything HIES did something like their festival and EVERYONE was into it as well and was just as excited and energic as the students here are.

Before we knew it, it was time to start cleaning up and head on over to the gym for the closing ceremony of the festival. Here we made our goodbye speech to the school, it was one moment in my life I will never forget. We were introduced again and this time the crowd was 100xs louder then before. Everyone stood up and ran towards the stage, cheering and shouting all with big smilies on their beautiful faces, all with their head bands, toy ears and horns lit up the dark endless crowd of students and friends. As I lead the group on stage, I was the first to speak. Before I even was able to read my second line the crowd went wild! The screams and cheers grew louder and it was so challenging to calm down the crowd so my speech could continue xD

We all felt like the most important people in the world to this school. That moment when we all stood on stage as we all said our goodbyes, cheers were shouted, tears were shed, smilies were exposed, it was one of those moment in ur life u never wanted to end. It was one of those moments that couldn't be caught or reviewed on camera, cause those few minutes were irreplaceable. It was one of thoes moments when u truley realize what this trip is about.

July 15

July 15

This morning I never thought I would be sl excited to eat breakfast. I was so hungry for some reason even though last night I was stuffed from dinner :P

This morning was also the morning when Sae and Yuri finally presented me with my Ukata for the festival! It was pink, blue and white with flowers, not very my style BUT still very vert cute and I was very thankful.

Todays the day! The first part of the school festival! Pretty much today though we just all dress up in cute clothes and watch a ceremony in the gym all day. Dancing, stories and announcements pretty much. And the school had a big lunch today and it was yumyyy in Lindsays tummy!

After eating lunch and a little socializing it was back to the gym for more dance acts.

Once the day was over we all decided to meet up and go out to piricia (photo booth) together! FUN FUN. We all god some cute pictures :D

Then Sae Yuri and I caught our bus and headed home for the night.

Another very exciting and fun filled adventures day!

July 14

July 14

Today's the day we prepare for the school festival!! From 8-6 today we will be decorating and preparing the school for it's first part of the festival tomorrow. Man it was one busyyy day.

I decorated, hanged things, taped, painted I did everything!

We had time to explore more of the school as well and just hang out. I made even MORE friends then I did yesterday.

Darby and I even had another little heart to heart talk :)

Once we left school at 6:40 it was time to head on over to Sea's! Their home was in an apartment building and it was so nice! Their little room was so homey and neat! I love it here! And for dinner we had Italian!! I was sooooo happy!

Over all, today was a very good day :) one of the best on the trip

July 13

July 13

Time to wake up early again! Gotta get on the bus again at 9 and still got breakfast to make it thru :P but before we headed on out we had the unique, and special opportunity to make rice cakes! When we were beating the rice I was proud to be reconogize as the strongest girl there ^-^

After we left the hotel and were on our way back to the school we stopped by the Japan Olympic Ski Jump The museum was fun and intertaining and the ski lift to the top was soo high! You could see all of Saporro from the top! It was so beautiful even if it was a little foggy. And for lunch we ate there and we had little steak bits that we cooked ourselves. Along with corn soup and rice balls with this tasty sauce. Now that meal was the best so far. Of course after we finished lunch we had to drop by the gift shop, and Yuri bought me a pooh bear pen!! It made me happy.

Once we made it back to school it was time to help decorate and set up for the school festival. This was the time I met so many new people and made new friends. All I had to think of nicknames for cause their real names were too long for me xD I also found out tho that afternoon I had to learn a dance to preform along with yhe class....... No words will ever describe how freak out I was just finding that out for the first time! BUT I would have never though, I learned the WHOLE dance in just 1 hour with the help of my new classmates. It was certainly again one of those bonding moments with the students that I will never forget, I really now feel a part of their class :)

Before we new it, it was 6:30 time to head on home. Yuri's dad was picking us up today and when I got in the car he presented me with a gift! It was a fish fan that smelled like peppermints! It was sooooo sweet!

For dinner tonight we had Shapoo Shapoo! I was wayyy to excited again xD

It was a hard night though towards rhe end, cause tonight was my last night staying with Yuri and her lovely family. Tomorrow I would move on over to Sae's house for the rest of the week. We took a TON of pictures on that night and oh my goodness they gave me so many gifts! I just was speechless. After all the gifts were exchanged Yuri's mom had one more special one she have to me personally once everyone left. She is one of the sweetest and most thoughtful women I have ever met in my life. She made me the whole time I stayed with them like their home was my home, she loved me, cared for me, and looked out for me just like I was one of her own. She is truley one of Gods unique and blessed children :) thank you Hoshimitos

July 12

July 12

Today's the day! When we head on out to the Tamanoyu spring spa! We first headed to school to take 2 calligraphy classes. It was so interesting! I finally learned how to write dragon in a fancy cool Japanese way!

Now it was time to head on out to the bus and be on our way! The bus ride I believe was 3 hours long. We all shifted the seats on the bus so 15 could face eachother and we just talked and talked and sang the whole way up! It was so much fun! Along the way though we stopped by a volcano museum, where we saw a short film on the volcano Usu. It was so fascinating to learn so much about this peaceful and predictable mountain/volcano. Finally we reached our hotel!

We went on a short hike up and though "hell's valley" near our hotel, oh my goodness the sulfuric acid surrounding the place smelled HORRIBLE. It was almost inbarable to breath down there xD but it was still beautiful and exciting. Afterwards of course we had to do a little shopping in a few stores near the hotel then it was dinner time. And afterwards we did fireworks! Everyone had such a fun time that night, it was once again one of those moments that only happen maybe once in ur lifetime and are ones you will never forget :)

Then it was finally time for the unsan baths. Yuri, Saw, Anna, Yazzy and I decided to go later during the night around 11:30pm and I'm notgonna lie of course I was a little nervous and uncomfortable at first, but once we all got in there it was no big deal at all and it was so relaxing, that spa was exactly what my body needed during this trip. My face feels so smooth now too!

Well that was our day to the unsan bath field trip and it was definitely much more fun then I expected it to be :)

July 11

July 11

Last night was the most well rested night iv had in this past week. I have my own room while I will be staying with Yuir and it was very homey, even breakfast was good for me!

Now we head off to school!

We all met up in the computer lab, which is where I used the Internet for a few minutes, then it was time to introduced ourselves and say hello to Asahigaoka high school. I did my introduction in Japanese :) I was very proud of myself. Afterwards I went to enlist class with Sae and Yuri and I presented my presentation, which went very very well. Accept one question they asked me was what type of bra do I wear....... Hm awkward and I didn't even know xD as the day went on I had Japanese class, English class, lunch (which was by the way great that Yuri's mom packed) Japanese history, music, then Japanese again. That was my school day schedule :P

After the school day ended we got a special tour of the school by the ISS club. It was soo cool how even though school was over, everyone was still there to participate in a sport or a club. The school was still so alive and active, I wish our school was more like theirs. Every student we met and passed by was so nice, they would all wave and giggle and have this HUGE grin on their faces. It was so nice to feel so welcomed in a place so different from where I come from :)

Now it was the welcome party time! Good snacks, we got introduced again, and we had more free time with the students and our host famies. I did though towards the end feel really sick, then at the same time I felt home sick. I don't know why but I guess just everything caught up to me again and I just coulnt help but feel sad and homesick. But all my friends and the teachers help me feel better and comforted me but everyone could tell I was so ready to go home and sleep. But once I got home and showered I felt a little better, and I have no idea how this happened right before my eyes, I can't even explain my feelings at this moment over a writing, but that night I didn't end up going to bed early with no dinner, instead that night things really clicked and I connected with my first host family. Words can not describe the little miracles that happend that night, even though it is do difficult for us to comunicate, them not knowing English too well and my lack of Japanese speaking, we still became a family that night. I know sounds a little cheesy :p but we did, and I had never felt so loved and homey on this trip before this whole time. We ate a good dinner and just talked and talked the whole time! Exchanging stories and telling stuff about ourselves. We showed each other pictures and we even played wii! We all laughed and laughed that whole night and we all wish it never had to end. I really became part of a family that didn't speak my language, I didnt know their religion or traditions too well, and they lived a totally different life style then I'm use to, but we all still became a family, and that truley made me feel better and realize what this trip for me is about :)