Exodus
Before my arrival, I knew two things for sure. One of them was my address, located in Kanagawa prefecture near the city of Odawara, and that my family consisted of a Mom, Dad, and two sisters: one older and one younger. Of course, I received this information via email, which I did make use of and promptly used it to contact my future host family. It turns out that this email belonged to my future host mother. As we continued to talk, we learned that we both use a popular app in Japan called LINE, which allows its users to chat and make free calls. It's very similar to Facebook in that it also has a timeline function which allows users to post about their lives. We decided to transfer our conversations there, and created a group chat that included the whole family.
From there on, we corresponded (aka I asked about a million questions and my host mom did her best to answer them) almost everyday for around a month or so until I finally departed for Japan and met my wonderful family in person!
The only reason I was able to go on exchange is all because of the scholarship that I received from the Japan Business Society of Detroit (JBSD) to whom I am very thankful. Myself, my friends Gary and Camryn, and some college students were all awarded the chance to spend the summer in Japan. Without their support, I would not have had this wonderful experience, and so I am eternally grateful.
Not only did am I grateful to JBSD, but also to Youth for Understanding for making it so easy to apply for exchange as well as placing me with the best host family in the world. I met some amazing people through my experience with YFU, both in Japan and America. (Not mentioning my wonderful German friend I met at school! Thanks YFU!) Through multiple orientations, I met friends in my area, all over my country, and in Japan. Without YFU, I would probably have not even known that study abroad existed. Overall, thank you very much! (PS: if you're interested in applying to YFU, I have linked their website above! Just click "Youth for Understanding" or visit my JPDO page to read more about them.)
I am also very grateful to my wonderful Sensei who has supported me since my very first year of Japanese in 2012. Without her help, I would not have been able to grow this much in my studies or had so many opportunities. I would have never thought three years ago that I would have been able to go to Japan. Sorry for falling asleep in class that one time! Just kidding. But all jokes aside, my Sensei is the best. Thank you Mori Sensei!
All photos used on this blog are mine or otherwise credited.
From there on, we corresponded (aka I asked about a million questions and my host mom did her best to answer them) almost everyday for around a month or so until I finally departed for Japan and met my wonderful family in person!
The only reason I was able to go on exchange is all because of the scholarship that I received from the Japan Business Society of Detroit (JBSD) to whom I am very thankful. Myself, my friends Gary and Camryn, and some college students were all awarded the chance to spend the summer in Japan. Without their support, I would not have had this wonderful experience, and so I am eternally grateful.
Not only did am I grateful to JBSD, but also to Youth for Understanding for making it so easy to apply for exchange as well as placing me with the best host family in the world. I met some amazing people through my experience with YFU, both in Japan and America. (Not mentioning my wonderful German friend I met at school! Thanks YFU!) Through multiple orientations, I met friends in my area, all over my country, and in Japan. Without YFU, I would probably have not even known that study abroad existed. Overall, thank you very much! (PS: if you're interested in applying to YFU, I have linked their website above! Just click "Youth for Understanding" or visit my JPDO page to read more about them.)
I am also very grateful to my wonderful Sensei who has supported me since my very first year of Japanese in 2012. Without her help, I would not have been able to grow this much in my studies or had so many opportunities. I would have never thought three years ago that I would have been able to go to Japan. Sorry for falling asleep in class that one time! Just kidding. But all jokes aside, my Sensei is the best. Thank you Mori Sensei!
All photos used on this blog are mine or otherwise credited.