Front Page!

I was recently interviewed by my local newspaper about my trip to Japan. I had no idea when it would be printed so I could only wait and check each day. On Wednesday, May 28th, my dad brought in the mail and the newspaper. I was looking through the mail, quickly glanced at the newspaper and noticed a picture of my mother! I said aloud, "Heyy, why is Mom in the paper?!" I then realized that my dad and I were also in the picture and that the article about my trip was printed on the very front page of the local newspaper! I was so excited, and I must have read it over about five times in a row. I scanned in the article and attached it below.

Click on the images to enlarge them.

I would also like to say "thank you very much" to everyone who has left me blog comments and congratulated me. I really appreciate it!

Quickly Approaching Departure!

Well, I'm down to only 18 days left until departure! Since my initial envelope from YFU, I have received a few more containing general information about Japan and travel, and I also received a detailed, tentative schedule of what we'll be doing at the pre-departure orientation at San Jose State University. I can already tell that we are going to have so much fun before we even arrive in Japan! I will be arriving in California on June 13th sometime between noon and 6:00 PM. I am currently waiting to get my plane ticket in the mail to find out exactly what time I will be leaving (I should be getting that within the next few weeks). The pre-departure orientation is going to be extremely action-packed with something to do almost every minute of the day! These three days will be filled with different classes and panels dealing with Japanese language and culture in order to prepare us for our summer abroad. On Saturday and Sunday morning we will wake up between 6:45 AM and 7:00 AM and have activities planned all day until lights out at 10:30 PM. On Monday, June 16th, we will wake up at 6:00 AM, depart for the airport at 7:00 AM, and finally depart for Tokyo at 1:00 PM! Once we arrive at the Narita International Airport we will then make our way to a nearby hotel and stay there for a night (unless our host family is close enough to Tokyo to come pick us up). The next day (June 18th) we will fly to our host family's destination!

I have been doing as much as possible to prepare for this summer since my time before departure is quickly dwindling! My parents recently bought a new digital camera as my going abroad gift so that I can take lots of pictures and videos in Japan! I have also gone shopping for new summer clothes. The next step is to start buying host family gifts such as American candy/food, magazines, beachy items to represent Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach, etc. I am currently putting together a photo album containing pictures of my house, family, friends, and basically my life in America. I will give the photo album to my host family, and I think it will be a good icebreaker for us to first get to know eachother. I have also been brushing up on my Japanese language skills. I know many of the basics now such as greetings, introductions, question words/phrases, numbers, etc. Not nearly as much as I would like to know, but I am doing my best! I am now eagerly awaiting my host family information (it might not even get here until just a day or two before I leave for California), so I will post once I find out. Thank you for reading, and comments are always appreciated! =D

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Introduction Post

I would like to introduce myself, Shamrin Lullo, and welcome you to my experience! I am 16 years old, and I live in the little town of Fernandina Beach, Florida. For the last several years I have steadily grown more and more fascinated with international culture and namely, Japanese culture. I am about to embark upon the journey of a lifetime and what I have worked so arduously for.

For years now I have been absolutely intrigued with the cultures of Asia and especially Japan. This fascination started out with an interest in Japanese pop culture such as anime, manga, Jpop/Jrock, and Japanese live-action dramas/movies. Over the years I have come to learn about not only the pop culture but also the history, language, and traditions of this far-off land. Ever since the 8th grade I have been researching foreign exchange programs in order to find the right one for me. My parents have been completely supportive of this dream to study abroad, and at the beginning of the year I decided to apply with a program called YFU (Youth For Understanding) to go to Japan for six weeks this summer (summer of 2008)! I also applied for three scholarships with hope that I would be able to receive this amazing gift! I was interviewed by an incredible YFU volunteer in March, and this interview made me even more excited and anxious to go abroad! The woman who interviewed me was one of the friendliest women I have ever met, and it was so easy to sit and talk to her! Interviews are usually stressful and worrisome, but my interviewer just made me feel so comfortable and even told me stories of when her daughter went on exchange!

So, after months and months of waiting for a response, I finally received a big, stuffed white envelope from YFU yesterday, May 10. I was overcome with joy when I saw this package and I ripped it open as quickly as I could. Inside was a letter informing me that I had won the Mazda Foundation National Program scholarship! I can not believe that I will be going to Japan for 6 weeks this summer on a full scholarship! The only expenses that I will have to worry about are my passport and spending money for when I am in Japan! Also included in the envelope was: a YFU T-Shirt, a World Traveler Handbook, an American Overseas Parent Handbook, an essay written by a student that previously went to Japan for the summer with YFU, and a Japan fact sheet. I continously keep saying to myself, "This is so surreal! Can I really be going to Japan this summer?! I can't believe it!"

Well, I decided that it would be a good idea to keep a blog of my adventures abroad this summer, and I hope that you all enjoy reading it! Feel free to leave me comments and questions on my blog!