It has rained, and rained and rained. まいにちあめがふりました！

But yesterday I saw the Sun!!!!! It really made my day. The sky has been clearing up a little, but still raining every day. I haven't been taking many pictures, (sorry!) but here are some that I have: This cool kid named Mike who I sat with on the plane. This is my room, quite small, however I like it a lot. It smells good. However, notice the lack of bed. If you look inside that closet you will see my bed, folded up in a neat pile. That is where it goes during the day. Here is the garden outside my house. It is very nice! I haven't gotten to take many pictures of this yet, but in Rokkasho there are like 40 windmills. HUGE. Soon, I will get more pics. I have ten months, you know! Otherwise, school is sugoi (cool). I had a meeting with rotary, which was pretty boring, but the lunch was good. I also got a cell phone, I had my first Japanese lessons, and I've met a ton of people. They call me Harry Potter. I got a haircut too, because school rules don't allow for color. That's pretty much it, so I'm not gonna drag on. Sayonara!!! Dakota

I can`t remember anybody`s names!!!

Well, I`m almost done with my first day of school. To say the least, it has been interesting. There are only 100 or so students! Everybody is helping me out, showing me around, saying, "nisu to meetu you" and "my name is yadayada" It is very hard to remember them all. Right now is a computer lab block, and they are all working on a project they did over the summer. I`m pretty much lost for most of the classes (except in music class; we are watching The Sound of Music -- in English!). I have a variety of classes: math, health, PE, geography, computer, music, chemistry, food design, Japanese lessons, and I`m helping teach some English classes. I`m glad that my homeroom teacher is the English teacher. Tomorrow, I am going with Taneichi-san to buy my school uniform. I want to see more of Rokkasho, because I hear that it is really pretty and interesting. I have to go now, sayonara!!!!! ダコタ

Whoooo!

I made it! Finally! OK, where to start? I got up at 4 in the morning on the 22nd, took a plane to Chicago, and met up with some kids there. They were all really cool! We got on the plane at noon, but were delayed an hour because of rain. We eventually took off. 13 hours! I watched Iron Man like 6 times. Finally I landed in Tokyo. There I met up with Arazoe-san, who took me to Haneda Airport by bus. I didn't get to see much of it, we went around most of the city, and it was also retty overcast. But I did see Tokyo Disney Resort. We ate sushi before I left for Aomori Airport. Bad idea! I would up getting sick during landing (thank god for those little barf bags!) but the stewardess was really nice and got me some water. By this time I had been up for 25 or so hours. When I got into the car for the final leg of my journey, I slept. I made it at last to my room. It had been a long few days. My bed is a futon, meaning it is on the floor. It was really comfortable, though. However, every morning I have to fold the whole thing up and put it in my closet. It's pretty cool, actually. One of the biggest problems I'm having is my stomach. I am having constant stomahaches, which is affecting my eating. Not a good thing. I think it may be a mix of nervousness and homesickness. I don't want to seem like a bad eater, but nothing can be done. Please pray for my stomach. Yesterday, I had egg for breakfast. It was pretty good. There was also rice (which I really love) and soup. I'm going to have problems with soup, I think. Then Mari, who is the only one who knows English, took me around the house. I met Obaasan and Ojiisan (Grandma and Grampa), and all around the house. Then we went to tke some stuff to Mari's Dorm. She will be living about an hour and a half away by car for her school. We also went to the mall. It was big, with mostly girls fashion. There was also a huge arcade. Lots of anime stuff. She took me to an "American" store, where I found Dad's favorite snack, Snyder's Honey Mustard pretzel bit things! (i think i got that wrong, but you know what I'm talking about) Then Mari left me. She was staying at her dorm, and I was going back home. Without any English speakers. I will be ... fun. Today was sort of a lazy day. I went for a walk with my aunt (obasan) and saw my neighborhood. Then I got my computer to work online. Now I should go, so I don't stay on too long. Tomorrow, I go to school. They're having a welcoming ceremony for me. I'm excited.

Anxious much?

Ever since I found out that I was going to Japan this past winter, people have been telling me what an experience I will have in Japan. They all ask me the same questions, they all want to identify me by the same points of reference. You can probably guess what they are. Then many of them tell me stories about their own travels and give me words of wisdom. They all tell me how much of a learning experience it will be, how much I will mature and grow. Of course I believe it. I know it will happen. But it has not become real to me yet. It's not going to until I step off that plane at my last stop and meet my host mother and sister. A student from my class said about his trip to Japan, "I woke up one morning and said, 'Wow, I'm in Japan.'" Right now, for me, it's all in my imagination. I have an idea of what my house, my family, and my town looks like, and all the pictures of Japan I've seen in my lifetime. Thats all the glorified stuff of it. I'm sure that we don't show the slums of America to advertise it. It's New York City, Hollywood, Orlando. It's Christmas, Fourth of July, Macy's Parades that they see. And what do we see of Japan? Tokyo, flashing lights, beautiful temples and gardens. Mount Fuji, cherry blossoms. New Years festivals. What happens the rest of the time? All I have are American points of reference. School, homework, the English language. The ABCs. How am I going to do homework over there? I'm getting three weeks of class and no kana work. It's going to be one hell of a time. Who knows how I'm going to get by. Thank God for the internet. Thank God for God. I'm done ranting now. I gotta sleep or something.

I can't believe there are only two weeks left until I leave!! For anyone who wants to know, this is my itinerary: 22 AUG 08 - FRIDAY AIR UNITED AIRLINES FLT:5311 ECONOMY OPERATED BY /UNITED EXPRESS/GOJET AIRLINES LV BURLINGTON VT 644A EQP: CNADAIR REGIONAL 02HR 21MIN AR CHICAGO OHARE 805A NON-STOP ARRIVE: TERMINAL 2 REF: VN1RRO AIR UNITED AIRLINES FLT:881 ECONOMY MULTI MEALS LV CHICAGO OHARE 1201P EQP: BOEING 777 DEPART: TERMINAL 1 13HR 04MIN 23 AUG 08 - SATURDAY (note there is a time zone change) AR TOKYO NARITA 305P NON-STOP ARRIVE: TERMINAL 1 REF: V1RRO AIR JAPAN AIRLINES FLT:1211 ECONOMY LV TOKYO HANEDA 745P EQP: AIRBUS A300-600 DEPART: DOMESTIC TERMINAL 1 01HR 15MIN AR AOMORI 900P NON-STOP REF: UISEJP OPEN DATE AIR UNITED AIRLINES FLT:OPEN ECONOMY LV TOKYO NARITA OPEN AR WASHINGTON DULLES AIR UNITED AIRLINES FLT:OPEN ECONOMY LV WASHINGTON DULLES OPEN AR BURLINGTON VT 

Only 15 Days Left!!!

Ahh! It is quite scary how something like this creeps slowly nearer, like a huge monster in a horror film. However, this trip is not so scary like Frankenstein. I'm really excited!!! Today is my fourth day of Japanese class and I've already learned so much! I've learned proper greetings, identifying objects, and telling time thus far. I think we are going to move into money next. So far it all has been very useful for me. Actually, I have to go do some homework and study for a quiz on telling time now, so sayonara!