The end of a journey...

So I've been back in Canada for 10 days now.
It's great being able to see my family again! I missed them. I was kinda worried it would be weird coming back again, but everything was so familiar, everything went back to normal. There are times when I question if it all really happened. Did I really go live in Japan for a year, or was it all a dream?? XD

So the saturday before I left, I had 2 goodbye parties. The first was KARAOKE, of course, with all the Ishikawa exchange students. We sang for about 5 hours straight, and it was so much fun!!! At one point, these random Japanese high school guys came in our room a couple times, and started singing/dancing with us XD. We also ran into their room one time, haha. Helle and I ended up piercing our ears that day with these self piercing gun things they have in Japan. Lots of girls pierce their ears themselves. My ears were pierced before, but now there are 2 holes in each, and luckily they haven't got infected (was kinda worried about that, piercing our ears ourselves in bathroom in a karaoke place, hehe.

It was really sad saying bye to everyone. I miss them alot! :(. After the karaoke and went and met most of my homeroom class for dinner. It was still fun hanging out with everyone, but it was a totally different, way calmer fun :P. I miss my class mates as well.

Monday was supposed to be my last day of school, but it snowed so much that the trains were stopped, and so school was canceled. Kinda sucked, because I had plans with Helle and Gus both Tuesday and Wednesday >.<

Wednesday, we (gus and helle and I) went out (in our school uniforms ;p) took purikura and had okonomiyaki one last time. After we went to rifare to say goodbye to Hannah, Maddie and Zac (rotary exchange students) one last time. I'm jealous they are still in Japan.

On Feb 3rd, I left Kanazawa. Saying goodbye to my host family and the AFS staff was really hard too. I'm sure I'll be back, but still. We all started crying, and then we got on the train. Irisz, Katta and Yuka, as well as the 4 exchange students in Fukui were also getting on the train. Us 3 finally stopped crying, when Irisz, Katta and Yuka got on crying and we almost started again. T_T

We got off in Nagoya, and then made our way to the bullet train bound for Tokyo. We all had soooo much luggage. My suitcase was sooo heavy >.<

Once we were on the shinkansen (bullet train) it was alot of fun. We were talking alot, and kinda loud. Felt a bit bad for all the business men on the train who were probably trying to sleep. ^^; We were also able to see Mt. Fuji which was awesome! It went by too fast. We were hoping the train would never stop, because it was our last time together ToT 

Once we got to Tokyo, we said our goodbyes (easier said than done) and all went our seperate ways with our temp host families. My host family was really nice. I was actually in Chiba, not Tokyo.

I flew out Feb 5, and had to pay 8000yen cause my suitcase was 4kg overweight >.<
The flight was really long, and kinda boring. The old guy beside me slept the whole time... was kinda wishing for someone to talk to :/ I wasn't able to sleep at all.

My flight from Vancouver to Edmonton was on a really tiny, icky plane. I was able to sleep for about an hour then. It was one of those planes you walk down stairs, out of. That was quite a shock, going from 15*C Tokyo weather to -15*C, snowy, windy weather in Edmonton XD

I really miss Japan. I'm quite bored here. It's great being with my family again, but my friends are pretty busy with school so I don't really have anyone to hang out with at the moment. I will be going to uni in September,  but in the meantime I guess I will have to find a job. Back to reality >.<

I miss my exchange friends, speaking japanese, being able to take public transport to go anywhere, and there being things to do (like karaoke or purikura) XD.

I will definitely be going back to Japan in uni for hopefully a year. This past year was such a great experience, and I definitely recommend it. It was full of ups and downs, but the positive things definitely outweighs the bads. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to go to another country and all the people I was able to meet.

Thank you to everyone who have read my blog. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to post that much the second half. This will be my last point. I hope you were able to get a bit out of this blog, and for following along on my journey of a lifetime.

If you have any questions about Japan or exchange, feel free to email me.

One door closes, another opens. On to the next chapter in my life.

Thanks for reading ^^

PEACE OUT! \(*⌒▽⌒*)/

♥♥♥♥ ジェニー ♥♥♥♥

Going Home

So today was my last day of school. I had to do 3 goodbye speeches - one for the teachers, and my soccer club teacher gave me a japan soccer team scarf. Almost started crying. Then one for the whole school over the intercom which went pretty well. Then the last for my class. It was supposed to be 5 mins long, but didnt end up quite that much. Took lots of pics, said a ton of goodbyes and got a scrapbook thing from my class which I have yet to read... cause im sure it will push me over the edge. I takes A LOT to make me cry, but this last week, I have been very close. Alot has happened, but I dont have time to update now. Will let you guys in on it when I get home.

I leave Kanazawa on thursday the 3rd, and go to Tokyo. I'm pretty sure I will be staying with a host family, but know nothing else about what will be happening on friday. My flight back to Canada is at 7pm on Saturday.

I don't wanna leave! About a month or 2 ago, I was ready to go home. These past 2 weeks have made me realize how much I'm gonna miss everyone and how much i love my life in Japan (club, school and all). I am looking forward to meeting everyone back in Canada, but I also dont wanna leave everyone here. Wish I could just live 2 lives ;)

I'll be back tho, so hopefully I will be meeting everyone again.

Most likely last post before I leave. Hope everything goes smoothly on my way back to Canada.

Random Presentation

My homeroom class is a "International Understanding class" meaning they learn a bit more about the world, and have more english. They have a english international class, but since they are going to Australia in summer for a 3 week homestay, it is dedicated to learning everything possible about Australia. However, today the teacher (who is japanese, but his english is pretty good) asked me if I would like to do a presentation on Canada. I said sure, thinking that it would be later in the week and I would have time to prepare, but then he told me to come to the front of the class. I was like "EHHH, NOW??!" Ah well...

At the beginning, I had no idea what to talk about, so I asked if any one had any questions, which got the ball rolling. We talked about the fact we have "big" animals (Japan does have some bears in the north, but no wolves, cougars, moose, etc) and the weather and mountains/landscape. They were shocked when I told them in January it was -57C and that we were the coldest place in the world that day XD. The record low here is -4C.

Most of the discussion was about the differences in school/teenage life. In Japan, the school has a bigger part in the student's life. Parents seem to leave the disciplining to the schools most of the time. (Although the strictness differs) you are not allowed to wear makeup, accessories, dye your hair and you skirt must be min. a certain length, guys can't wear their pants too baggy/low. Also, you can't use phones/ipods in school.
 Although they are strict about uniforms and being on time for school, it is totally acceptable to sleep in class. Students are so busy with club and studying that they don't seem to get enough sleep/rest, and so they sleep in class. I also find it rather strange that there are no discussions in class. The teacher just talks/writes on the board and the subject is rarely talked about with the students. They are told how -insert topic- is and they don't usually question it.

They were pretty surprised when I told them that those things were allowed in school and that you could wear pretty much whatever you want. Also, that tattoos are way more common, and lots of teens do drink and some smoke/do drugs. They were also amazed that high school students can drive.
In Japan, if you miss a class, it is an automatic call home, however in Canada, it is common to skip class and the teachers don't seem to care as much. A high school student in Canada is considered more or less an adult, so they are responsible for their education/ more independent and should suffer the consequences of their actions (ie: skipping). In Japan, however you are a child until you are 19/20... and are not that independent. Curfews are normally 8pm or 9pm (coming home at 11pm or 12am is unimaginable for a student).

Also, girls and guys hardly communicate. The guys hang out with guys and girls hang out with girls (at lunch, they even go to diff classes). It's their choice, maybe because they have been less independent/are less mature. This is prob one of the strangest things for me, because I'm used to everyone hanging out together (guys and girls). Even boyfriends/girlfriends don't talk at school! Guys here are really shy and seem to have to talk to me when I'm by myself and there are big groups of them... in Canada, it would be opposite XD.

School is a big part of Japanese students life. School is from 8:30am until 3:30-4pm and then there is normally club after for 2 or so hours. My school in Canada started at 8am and went to 2:30pm/ friday was 1:30pm. Everyone was quite jealous of schools/life in Canada.

The presentation was alot of fun and I think my classmates enjoyed it too. Did I mention I did most of it in Japanese? :D I only needed a bit of help from the teacher, and had to resort to charades a couple times, but overall I was really proud of how much I talked in Japanese! What was supposed to be a 10 min presentation turned into about a 40 min one XD. All of this is just my view on school life, and it could differ from place to place. There are always exceptions,  but this is my opinion on the average student.

First day of School

Today was the first day of school! It was awesome! Everyone is sooo nice! :D

(WARNING: super long post...sorry if it bores you :p)

Biking was soo cold! My legs were purple after >.<. The whole time I was trying to prevent my skirt from blowing up. The wind kept catching it, and it came very close a couple times. I guess it wouldn’t have been a big deal, since I had shorts on… but they are short, so ppl may not think they were shorts XD.

We got there kinda early (plus the teacher who was meeting us was stuck in traffic XD) so my host sis and I wandered around the school for a bit. There weren't that many people cause it was still early, so I didn’t get much attention. We finally met up with the teacher, and then my host sis left for her test and I did my speech in front of all the teachers. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. They seemed quite impressed with my Japanese :D. After, the English teachers introduced themselves to me. There’s a guy from France (I think… he sounded French) and a lady from Australia, and then a couple japanese English teachers. One of them did a 2 month exchange to Canada, but she said her English wasn’t very good so she would like me to help her :). They had more of a meeting to do, so I went and sat in the hall.

A group of 3rd year girls (grade 12) came around a corner and when they saw me, they started freaking out. They all rushed up to me and started asking my name, where I was from, telling me their names (all at once XD) or screaming kawaii! It was like a feeding frenzy. They had to go to class, so I was left alone once again. The teachers finished their meeting, so one of the teachers showed me around the school. He was showing me the garden, kirei (pretty!) and then we were heading to the door near my hallway, and it ended up being locked >.<. So we stood there for a bit (freezing) and a student walked by and let us in :D.

Btw 3rd years on third floor, 1st years on second floor and the 2nd years (me) are on the first floor. Next was insane… We walked around the corner, and all 6 or so classes of 2nd years were coming out of their rooms after their tests. We walked to my class, and the whole time everyone was screaming kawaii! or metcha kawaii! (really cute) and waving and yelling my name. I felt like a star XD. I got to my class and then all the girls rushed up to me telling me their names and whatnot. I feel bad cause I can only remember about half >.<. There are 4 guys and 35 girls in my class O.O. We sat down, the homeroom teacher talked a bit about the trip to Australia (which I’m not allowed to go on T.T) and then time for assembly.

I was rather nervous being in front of 800 some ppl, but my speech went really well. :D When I kinda paused after the first bit, a couple girls yelled kawaii! and all my nervousness disappeared (confidence booster! XD) The only problem was the mic was too high on stage, so I had to stand on my tip toes, haha. After, when I was walking to the back of the gym, some of the teachers told me I did really good, excellent speech, etc ^^.

After we went to “clean” which involved (at least for my group) standing in a circle talking with brooms in our hands. In Japan, the students clean the schools, instead of having janitors. I guess it’s good discipline, unless some people to help (such as the girls I was with, lol.) The "french" English teacher walked by, and told everyone to take good care of me. They all nodded, and once he was gone, they asked me what he'd said XD. It also involved more kawaii-ing, lol and screaming (they are like crazy fan girls XD).

We had homeroom after, and there was more talk about the trip and other stuff I didn’t understand. He then talked about how everyone has to talk to me in English, to practice for Australia. I don’t mind helping them… but I want to practice my Japanese! My homeroom teacher’s English is really good btw.

There was 45 mins left of school (half day) so he just let us talk for the rest. Almost no one can pronounce my last name (homeroom teacher finally got it when I wrote it in Katakana), so everyone just calls me Jenny. In Japan, a lot of people are called by their last name, but mine is too difficult for most people. I prefer Jenny, over last name anyway. I talked to the guy beside me for a bit (he likes soccer ^^). I only talked to 2 guys, and like a bajillion girls today. The guys are pretty shy, so I was kinda surprised when the guy beside me started a conversation. My class was one of the last to be let out, so when we got out of class, there were a whole bunch of people standing in the hall. Again with the screaming kawaii and my name. I met some more people, and then some girls down the hall, who I’ve never met were jumping up and down yelling Jenny and waving. Some guys imitated them (I think to make fun…not sure XD). The other guy I met is friends with some of my host sister’s friends, and he said hi, and then when he got to the end of the hall, he blew a kiss back at us XD. Again, surprising cause I thought Japanese guys were shy, lol.

We finally got to our bikes and then came home. Everyone was waving goodbye to me XD. The biking thing is super cold at the moment… and stupid wind makes it more difficult, haha.

Anyway, that was a really long post. Sorry, but I wanted to give everyone a good idea of what my day was like. To sum it up, I was like a famous person to everyone, tee hee ^^

I still don’t know what I club I want to join. I kinda had my heart set on Kendo (Japanese sword fighting), and it said on there website they offered it, but not anymore I guess >.<
I’m thinking Kyuudo (archery), Martial Arts, or soccer…

Exploring Kanazawa

Yesterday, my host sister invited me to Kanazawa Station. We got there by bus and met some of her friends. They’re going to a concert in april, and were buying the tickets to Osaka. I didn’t really understand much of what they were talking about, but it was interesting looking around the station. I got my bus card, so now I don’t have to worry about having exact change… just making sure there’s money on it XD.

Since I was finally able to pack the day before, I gave my host family their omiyage (gifts). I gave them maple candy, Canada pens and pins and a book with pics of Alberta. I was kinda embarrassed to I gave it to them before I went for a bath. They seemed to really like them so it made me happy.

Today My host sis took me for a walk around Kenrokuen Garden and our neighbourhood. It’s still cold, so everything looks kinda dead, but I’m sure it will be quite beautiful when the cherry blossoms bloom There were so many little shops and I now know where some of my gifts are coming from XD. There is also ice cream at almost every shop. We stopped for some. I got matcha (green tea), it was actually kinda good… a little bitter but good. She also showed me where to get on the bus for school and the nearest post office ATM for me to withdraw money. I don’t remember how to get to either, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.

This evening, I had to go back to city hall, because they needed a picture for my alien registration card. After, I went back to the Ishikawa International Exchange Building to apply for my Japanese lessons. I had a mini interview and then a 60 question test (100 points) afterwards to determine what level class I should take. My speaking ability sucks, but the test went better… although there were some questions I pretty much guessed >.<. I’m looking forward to the lessons twice a week since I will be able to improve that much faster.

Btw, there were tons of tourists at Kenrouken. I was surprised by how many there were when the sakura haven’t even bloomed yet. While we were there I got stared at by both the Japanese and the foreigners XD probably because of my hair (red) or maybe my age… The staring is still quite amusing. I can’t help but smile sometimes ^^. I think it also enforces the fact I’m in Japan! :D

Nil Foreigners

Went to City Hall today to register for my Alien Registration Card. I was very surprised that I was the only foreigner there. Other than at Narita airport, and the other exchange students. I have yet to see another foreigner. It makes me feel alone…idk.
Anyway I should get my card in about a month.

I figured out to use the space heater in my room, and I was nice and warm last night. You’re not supposed to sleep or leave the room when it’s on, so this morning was kinda cold 10C, but my bed was nice and warm ^^. The heater scared the crap out of me because when you turn it on it makes this loud bang. I thought for a sec it was gonna explode O.o

I’m going to visit my high school tomorrow. School is out right now, so there won’t be many people there… but I’m still nervous XD.

Still raining…

Host Family!

My host family is awesome! They are so kind and are doing their best to make me feel like I’m part of their family. I don’t see my host dad often cause he leaves for work before I get up and comes home around 8. I’m probably closest with my host sis and host mom. My host sis speaks a bit of English, so she helps translate if necessary, along with her electronic dictionary (so useful!). I feel kinda bad cause most of the time I’m just saying hai (yes) or iie (no). My Japanese sucks right now, but hopefully I’ll get better fast!

Yesterday, me, 2 other people for Kanazawa, 3 for Komatsu and 3 for Fukui, were all drove together in a mini bus to our cities because they are soo far away from Nagoya. We felt kinda left out because we were the last to leave, and pretty much everyone else’s host families came and picked them up at orientation. We felt like orphans XD. The whole trip lasted about 4 hours. My city was last, so much travel >.< When someone was dropped off, everyone else would get so nervous/excited because they realized what was coming. After the last stop before mine, me and the other girl going to my city started giggling and we couldn’t stop for like 5 mins XD.

Our host families met us at a restaurant and we all ate dinner together. When we walked into the restaurant I overheard my host sis call me kawaii (cute). Tee hee… This was really the first time I spoke a lot of Japanese since arriving. It was weird, because French kept wanting to slip out, and it happened once or twice… so strange XD. Everyone kept saying how impressed they were with my chopstick skills.

After we went our separate ways. On the way home, I heard 2 of my favorite bands – SuG and LM.C - on the radio (or maybe my host bro’s ipod… not sure). Driving through Kanazawa and hearing them was such a surreal feeling. Btw, Kanazawa is such a big city! I thought it would be more country like, but it’s pretty big. I’m kinda glad I didn’t get placed anywhere bigger.

My host family’s house is pretty much the traditional Japanese house. My room has a tatami floor and sliding door. I also sleep on a futon. I actually don’t mind sleeping on the floor. However, last night was friggin cold! The little clock has a temperature on it, and it was 5C degrees in my room! It’s been raining since I got here, which could be part of the reason. It also prevents me from taking pics >.<

I went and met my host dad’s grandma and sister today. They were really nice and were impressed with my Japanese. We went to Uni Qlo :D after and bought me some slippers… they just fit my feet. We went grocery shopping after. Everything is so colourful in Japan :). The whole time I felt/saw people watching me. Everyone was pretty discreet about it except for the little kids who would pretty much gawk at me. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. I find the staring quite amusing. I talked to my parents today… I miss my friends and family, but I’m having an awesome time.

I’m going to city hall tomorrow to register.
Until next time
じゃね〜

Flight and Orientation

I’m here! It’s so amazingly awesome! I’ve met so many awesome people so far.
Anyway…

Flight

My friend stayed over the night, and two of my cousins also came to the airport, along with my family. I was right on time to get there, but I ended up forgetting my laptop charger, so it was back to my house. We left again, and got to the airport on time thankfully. The whole drive there, and was so worried I had forgotten something else >.< At the airport there was a surprise waiting for me. Some of my friends were there, waiting to see me off. It meant so much to me that they were there. The goodbyes were quite emotional. I pretty much never cry, but the fact I was leaving for a year hit me there, and I started crying… I thought I would be okay, but guess not. First part of the flight was 1 ½ hours and then the other girl from Canada met me and we got on the flight to Japan together. Now the whole flight (11 hours) I did not sleep! I wanted to, but somehow I just couldn’t. It was soo annoying. Anyway, the flight was good other than that… and we got to the airport and since I am over 16, I got finger printed and photographed. Orientation

We were met by some of the AFS staff at Narita Airport and they took us to the hotel. It wasn’t until I was on the bus, looking out the window at the city that it hit me that I was actually in Japan. It was such a weird (but good) feeling. We stayed in Tokyo for the night and left for Nagoya the next morning. The bus ride there, although 8 hours, was good. I got to talk to the other AFSers (some in French. ^^) Japan is sooo beautiful! Looking at the mountains, ocean and countryside… was amazing. I know I said I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get Tokyo, but I am now completely happy with my placement.
The place we stayed at in Nagoya was a hostel type thing. In my room there were 18 girls, and we slept on futons which ended up covering the entire floor XD Everyone there were so great, and I’m gonna miss them. We got there about 6pm and had a opening ceremony type thing and then supper. It was really good. All the food here is so good! Then came the part everyone was dreading… bathtime. In Japan you sit on a stool and shower, and once you are all clean you soak in a tub of hot water. Some hotels and hostels and such, have public baths. You are pretty much in a big room, and you shower and then everyone soaks in the same tub. It was kinda funny how much everyone was making a fuss. They didn’t want to be the first to undress. I'm sure the japanese girls/ladies were wondering what the heck was wrong with us. You just have to suck it up and jump in XD The second night doing it was much easier and quite relaxing.
In the mornings we and other people staying at the hostel did a 5 minute stretching thing in the gym, to wake everyone up. Then breakfast, and the second day we had a few discussions about rules of AFS and in Japan and how to stay safe. One thing that shocked me was a law in Japan is high school kids and younger have to be home by 10. Even if you are with your family, you can’t be out later. After that was the Talent Show. It was a lot of fun to see people perform. I will post pictures later, when I unpack. We had a supper and a bath. That's about it for the orientation. I should be going to bed soon.
I leave tomorrow at 1pm to Kanazawa. I’m sooo excited to meet my host family!! There is one other girl and one guy going to Kanazawa as well. There are also 3 girls in Komatasu (30 mins away) and 2 girls and 1 guy in Fukui. We will be all going in a mini bus. I don’t wanna leave everyone here. I’ve made lots of friends and I won’t seem most of them until the end of the year. AFS Central Japan (my part) does a summer camp, but Kanazawa, Komatsu and Fukui go to Kyoto instead of Gifu. I’m kinda happy cause I get to go to Kyoto but sad cause it means I won’t seem everyone else until the end of my exchange :(.

So that's about it so, far. I will update soon… once I get to my host family's house!!

I'm here at last!

I'M IN JAPAN!!!! Words can't explain what I'm feeling right now (though it's mostly a good feeling)... except maybe TIRED! I've had 4 hours of sleep in the past 48 hrs >.< I'm in Tokyo tonite and then off to orientation tomorrow at 7:00am. I will make a more detailed post when I have time (and not so tired)

おやすみ〜♥！（goodnight ^^)

Goodbyes

Today is the day! I leave for the airport in about 5 hours!

I went to school yesterday to say one final goodbye to everyone and got a whole bunch of hugs. I was so close to crying T.TI had my family goodbye party last night. I have an amazing, supportive family! I’m gonna miss everyone sooo much.

I’m pretty much packed now. I think I have too much stuff, but nothing I can do about it now. I just have one or two things to put in my suitcase and then I’m all set.
I feel strangely calm right now. I thought I would be freaking out, but maybe I’m just over tired… It doesn’t feel like I’m leaving. o.O I should probably try to sleep for a few hours….
I want to say thank you for everyone’s support. I really appreciate it.
Stay tuned for the next update, coming to you from Japan!!! ^^

Lists are your Friends

I have made so many lists for Japan. Things I need to do, what I need buy, what I need to pack… and somehow I seem to misplace them, and then I have to start all over. However, lists are your friends Being the disorganized person that I am - they have helped me to keep track of what I need to do. Unfortunately, they don’t help with the procrastinating part of me XD. There’s still so much to do, and only 2 weeks left!

I need to:
• Buy gifts for host family
• Take/pass learners license test
• Get yen
• Notify bank I will be using my debit card in Japan for a year
• Buy a few clothes + shoes (my feet may be too big for shoes in Japan)
• Buy toiletries
• Clean out my room
• STUDY JAPANESE
• Say goodbyes to my friends and family
• Make sure I have all the necessary documents + photocopies
• Make mini photo album to take to Japan
• Pack… and keep it under the weight limit >.<

There is probably other things I need to do, but these are the main ones. I am rather worried that I may not get everything done. Time is going by so quickly… before I know it, I’ll be landing in Narita Airport! ^o^

Freedom and Family Info

I’M FREE!~
I finished high school (at least in Canada) about a week ago. It’s such a huge relief off my shoulders XD. I think I did pretty good on all my finals, except maybe math >.< Hopefully I will find out my marks before I leave.

(This turned into a pretty long post…)

50 days left! I can't believe it. Under 2 months left now…Time is gonna go by so fast! The fact that I’m leaving yet for an entire year doesn’t feel like a reality yet…

I recently got a package with AFS about my host family! They seem like a really fun family from the photos they sent. I have also emailed my host sister ^-^. She seems really sweet. From her email, I found out that she is going to the USA for a year with AFS, and would leave in august. That means that she would only be with me for half of my exchange, which kinda sucks, but I’m excited for her. She said that her English isn't very good, so we’re kinda in the same boat (her English, my Japanese). We can help each other learn ^^. None of my other host family speaks English, which shall be interesting trying to communicate O.o… I’m sure there will be lots charades in the beginning XD.

They own a motorcycle shop! That came as quite a shock (but in a good way). My host dad seems to really like them. My host mom also helps with the motorcycle shop and likes hula dancing. ~(^-^~) <--Hula dancer XD. My host sister likes break dancing, which I think is really cool (although I am too uncoordinated to do it XP). And my host brother likes basketball. I don’t seem to have anything in common with them, so I’m not sure why they picked me, but I don’t care cause I’m quite happy with my placement!


金沢 - Kanazawa literally means Marsh of Gold. They are famous for making gold leaf. I think they are the only other city that have geisha besides Kyoto.

They live about a ten-minute walk from 兼六園 - Kenrokuen, one of the most famous gardens in Japan. It looks sooo pretty! I will be getting to Japan around the time for 花見 – hanami/cherry blossom viewing, so we would go there, which would be awesome! Their house is also about a 30 min. drive away from Japan Sea!
Click HERE for more pics and info about Kanazawa.

I must say, I was a little disappointed that I was so far away from Tokyo, but the more I learn about Kanazawa, the more I love my placement. My host family seems awesome, and since my area is less tourist-y, my Japanese will be forced to improve faster/better cause there will be less people who speak English.

I still don’t know much about my school other than the classes and clubs offered. They offer Korean!! I really hope I can take it, tho I don't know how much I’ll learn taking a foreign language in a foreign language ^~^’ .I would like to know what the uniforms look like (my host sister says they’re cute ^^). I don’t know what grade I’m in either. I know I won’t be in grade 12, cause they will be to busy studying for uni. entrance exams. I’m hoping I’ll be in grade 11. Grade 10 seems too young, since I will be turning 18 in June. Grade 11 would mean 16/17 year old ppl, which I think I would get along better with since they are closer to my age. People told me I could pass for 16 (I guess I look young). My host sister will be in grade 11, so they might put me in her class, or at least her grade.

I have also been fiddling with the layout of my blog. I haven’t been happy with the past 2 I’ve had…not colourful enough I think :p. I should (hopefully) have it finished soon…

HOST☆FAMILY

So I know I said I wouldn’t post anything until after my exams were over, but yesterday I got the best news eva! I was checking my email and I had a message from AFS subjected CONGRATULATIONS. I knew what it was about just form the subject, so I kinda shouted in excitement, which led my dad to look at me funny XD.

Anyway… I HAVE A HOST FAMILY!!! I am soooo happy right now! Apparently I was the first to get my host family. People keep telling me it’s because of my red hair, which reminds people of Anne of Green Gables who is popular in Japan. I will be living in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. It looks like a really pretty city. Unfortunately it’s about 5-6 hours away from Tokyo, which is pretty far away T_T
I have a dad (45), mom (43), sister (16), and brother (14). It’s great that I have a sister about the same age as me (only a year and a bit younger). I also know that I will be going to Kanazawa Fushimi Senior High School. The website doesn’t have any good pictures of the school or uniforms. I don’t know much else at the moment, but will hopefully find out more soon.
I will post more info about my city and family later, after exams. They start in less than a week, so I should go study. >.<

2 ½ months until Japan!

ACCEPTED!!

So, today I got an email from AFS with the subject CONGRATULATIONS! It stated that AFS Japan had accepted my application and that they have begun searching for a host family. Also, my placement is gonna be allocated to Central Japan, right where I wanted :D.
This is a huge relief. Being the pessimist I am, I kept thinking about the small chance that I wouldn't get accepted, but I don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm officially going on exchange to Japan for a year. (^.^) It hasn't sunk in yet, though it probably won't until I'm on that plane.

All I got to do now is wait for a host family, which could be awhile (>.<) I hate waiting... Meanwhile I need to find a way to fundraise some money. Why must exchange be so expensive... To everyone waiting to get their acceptance from Japan or wherever, My fingers (and toes −.^）are crossed for you!
Jenny

Intro

こんにちは！
Hi! so this is my first post. (and it kinda turned into a mini rant, sorry 'bout that...)

I'm planning on going on exchange to Japan for a year with AFS.
At the moment I've been accepted by AFS Canada but I can't be accepted by AFS Japan until my application is sent over there. This can't happen until I get my interview, which is the prob at the moment. The volunteer who was supposed to do it way back in June has been putting it off. I've tried to set a date multiple times but it hasn't worked out. I just found out now(two months later) she's too busy to do it and now AFS has to find me a new volunteer SOON because the deadline for the application to be in Japan is end of September >.< Japan has already started looking at applications so hopefully mine will be one of them soon and they accept it *crosses fingers*.

There won't prob be many posts (at least related to exchange) for awhile because I won't be leaving until march. agh...6 1/2 months is such a long time to wait.