Shamrin in Japan

Back from Japan

2008-08-01T14:03:00.002+09:00

This blog became impossible to maintain while I was in Japan. I was very busy and also had no internet access at home because my host family's computer was broken. I apologize to everyone that was looking forward to reading it!

Week One

2008-07-01T14:55:00.005+09:00

My school, Sanyo Girls School, is very interesting. You wear a plaid, pleated skirt on your way to school and you then change into a denim skirt when you get to school! I was so surprised by this when I first arrived! Apparently, Sanyo Girls School is known throughout Japan for it's very strict rules, and you wear the nice, pleated skirt when outside of school to display a studious, uniformed image. It is still strange seeing all of the girls wearing a uniform shirt and different styles of jean skirts! Each student is given 3 pairs of shoes- indoor school shoes, indoor gym shoes, and outdoor shoes.

Monday, June 23: Today at school I had Information PC, knitting, art, and music. I really love my class! They are all so cute and sweet! In Information PC, the teacher allowed us to just go on the internet for our first class. In 'knitting' class we are crocheting a cute bag. I find crocheting to be extremely difficult, and I am not making much progress at all! In art class we are making paper sculptures. We get a big sheet of poster paper, scissors, and glue to make any kind of sculpture that we can imagine. In music class, the students sang songs in Japanese as the teacher played the piano and sang along. After school, my host father and Yae were both home so we went on a long bike ride around town. We rode for quite a while, and the weather was amazing! Riding bikes in Japan can be a little scary/difficult at times because there are so many other people walking and biking around also. There is also a lot of starting and stopping at intersections but you get the hang of it. For dinner that night we ate somen noodles with special toppings and also a platter of fried foods. It was delicious! The somen noodles are served cold (iced, actually) in their own bowl. You are then given a little bowl with a special sauce (liquidy- almost like soy sauce) and you add water to it so it isn't so strong. You transfer the noodles to the sauce bowl a little at a time and add toppings like green onions, ham, and egg.

Tuesday, June 24: My host mother set up Japanese lessons for me to attend today at the public hall! The Japanese teachers are volunteers so there is no cost for the lessons! I've become friends with Hanna, the Hungarian exchange student at Sanyo, and she also goes to the hall every Tuesday for lessons! School gets out at 4:40 and the lessons weren't until 7:00 PM. We stayed at school for a few hours and went on the computers. We then took the train to Miyauchi Station (the station I get off at when I go home) and walked a little until we arrived at the public hall. Caitlyn, my YFU America friend, lives in the same city as me so she also attended the lesson! Hanna went to her classroom, and Caitlyn and I went to a different classroom together. The lessons were split into two groups: Caitlyn and I with one teacher and a small group of people with another teacher. The lesson lasted for an hour and a half. It was a little difficult because our teacher barely spoke any English and he didn't seem to know what to do with us! All in all, I'm glad I went!

The rest of the week was full of school and relaxing at home. The weekend was great, but I'll save that for another post!

Family and School

2008-06-24T14:29:00.003+09:00

Thursday (June 19th) was the first day of school. Sakura and I woke up and ate cocoa rice crispy cereal for breakfast (very Japanese?), and my host mother drove us to school.There are also 4 other girls from YFU America attending the same school as me (we are 5 of the 10 that won the Mazda Scholarship). We had to make a self-introduction in front of all of the school's teachers (in Japanese)! It was actually okay because I had prepared that morning, and I knew enough Japanese to introduce myself. We were then taken to a room with numerous extra school uniforms, and we all received a uniform to borrow for our time here! We spent the rest of the day in the library receiving our schedules and talking to the English teacher. After school, my host mother picked Sakura and I up to go home. We spent the rest of the night watching Japanese TV and talking. I am so impressed with Sakura's English!

Friday was the first actual day of school. I am in a Junior High School class (my classmates are mainly 14-years-old) because the English teacher said that they also wanted to receive foreign exchange students to become friends with. 3 of the YFU girls are in a high school class, and 2 (including me) are in a junior high school class. In Japan, the students stay in the classroom and the teachers move from class to class (except for Gym and specialty classes). I went to English Class, Communications (an English class taught by an American man and Canadian woman), and a knitting class (knitting class actually turned out to be crocheting)! In Communications, I was able to help them with a few English-learning games, and it was a lot of fun!

On Saturday, all of the school's foreign exchange students (5 from YFU America, and also 4 from China, Mongolia, Hungary, and Kazakhstan) went to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (the trip was set up by the school). Before we went to the museum, the YFU America girls (with our host sisters) went shopping at Hondori Street (lined with stores and a giant mall). It was so much fun! Japan has absolutely amazing clothes and the fashion is so unique! After shopping we made our way to the museum. All of the exchange students split up into 3 groups, and we each had our own guide to lead us through the museum and talk about all of the pictures, models, and information presented. It was a powerful experience that I will never forget. Seeing the pictures and hearing the stories of those affected by the bomb brought me to tears as I walked through the museum. I really couldn't help but cry.

Sunday, June 22: Sakura had baton club practice from the morning and into the evening, and Yae also had ballet all day. I stayed home with my host mother, and she taught me how to make origami! It is very difficult at first but still lots of fun. Once my host sisters came home, we (host mom and sisters) went to a giant mall/shopping building called You Me Town. We looked around at the stores for a while and then went to a Kaitenzushi restaurant. You sit at a booth and there is a conveyor belt with sushi and other tasty Japanese foods that go around. Each plate cost between 100-126 yen unless stated differently on the plate. You simply watch the food go by and grab any plate that you want! There are even desserts to pick from. It was really delicious and a lot of fun. A few minutes after we got there, some of the sushi chefs began chanting and one of them was walking around the restaurant with a big fish in a plastic bin to show all of the customers. It was flopping around as he held it down. The whole restaurant then played janken (Japanese rock-paper-scissors) to see who would win the fish to eat! The chef then cut right into the live fish (on the cooking counter), and the fish was served to the winner. It was quite a sight.

-I promise, I will catch up on my blog entries as quickly as possible!

In　Ｊａｐａｎ！

2008-06-22T17:48:00.006+09:00

Ｉ’ｍ　ｓｏ　ｓｏｒｒｙ　Ｉ　ｈａｖｅｎ’ｔ　ｇｏｔｔｅｎ　ａ　ｃｈａｎｃｅ　ｔｏ　ｐｏｓｔ！　Ｉ　ｄｉｄｎ’ｔ　ｈａｖｅ　ａｎｙ　ｉｎｔｅｒｎｅｔ　
ａｃｃｅｓｓ　ｗｈａｔｓｏｅｖｅｒ　ｕｎｔｉｌ　Ｉａｒｒｉｖｅｄ　ａｔ　ｍｙ　ｈｏｓｔ　ｆａｍｉｌｙ’ｓ　ｈｏｕｓｅ.　Ｉ　ｎｅｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｆｉｇｕｒｅ　
ｏｕｔ　ｈｏｗ　ｔｏ　ｕｐｌｏａｄ　ｐｉｃｔｕｒｅｓ　ｏｎｔｏ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｃｏｍｐｕｔｅｒ　ｏｒ　ｈｏｗ　ｔｏ　ｈｏｏｋ　ｕｐ　ｍｙ　ｌａｐｔｏｐ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅｉｒ　ｉｎｔｅｒｎｅｔ，　ｓｏ　ｉｔ　ｍｉｇｈｔ　ｂｅ　ａ　ｗｈｉｌｅ　ｂｅｆｏｒｅ　ａｎｙ　ｐｉｃｔｕｒｅｓ　ａｒｅ　ｐｏｓｔｅｄ．

Since　Ｉ　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｈａｖｅ　ｍｕｃｈ　ｔｉｍｅ，　Ｉ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｈａｖｅ　ｔｏ　ｓｈｏｒｔｅｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｏｓｔｓ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　
ｂｅｇｉｎｎｉｎｇ　ｏｆ　ｍｙ　ｔｒｉｐ　ｓｏ　ｔｈａｔ　Ｉ　ｃａｎ　ｃａｔｃｈ　ｕｐ　ｔｏ　ｍｙ　ｃｕｒｒｅｎｔ　ｓｔａｔｅ．

Ｔｈｅ　ｏｒｉｅｎｔａｔｉｏｎ　ｉｎ　Ｃａｌｉｆｏｒｎｉａ　ｗａｓ　ａ　ｌｏｔ　ｏｆｆｕｎ，　ａｎｄ　Ｉ　ｍａｄｅ　ｓｅｖｅｒａｌ　ｇｒｅａｔ　
ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓ！　Ｔｈｅ　ＹＦＵ　Ｓｔａｆｆ　ａｎｄ　ａｌｕｍｎｉ　ｗｅｒｅ　ａｍａｚｉｎｇ　ａｎｄ　ｖｅｒｙ　ｈｅｌｐｆｕｌ！　Ｔｈｅ　１０　
ｈｏｕｒ　ｐｌａｎｅ　ｒｉｄｅ　ｔｏ　Ｔｏｋｙｏ　actually ｗｅｎｔ　very　ｗｅｌｌ　ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｌａｎｅ　ｗａｓ　ｂｉｇ　ａｎｄ　ｃｏｍｆｏｒｔａｂｌｅ，　ａｎｄ　Ｉ　ｇｏｔ　ｔｏ　ｓｉｔ　ｎｅｘｔ　ｔｏ　ｍy　ｎｅｗ　ｆｒｉｅｎｄ　Ｌａｕｒｅｎ！　Ｗｈｅｎ　ｗｅ　ａｒｒｉｖｅｄ　ｉｎ　Ｔｏｋｙｏ，　ｗｅ　ｔｏｏｋ　aｂｏｕｔ　ａ　２　ｈｏｕｒ　ｂｕｓ　ｒｉｄｅ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　Ｔｏｋｙｏ　Ｐｒｉｎｃｅ　Ｈｏｔｅｌ．　
Ａｌｏｎｇ　ｔｈｅ　ｗａｙ　ｗｅ　ｓａｗ　Ｔｏｋｙｏ　Ｄｉｓｎｅｙ　ａｎｄ　Ｔｏｋｙｏ　Ｔｏｗｅｒ．　Ｉｔ’ｓ　ｂｅｅｎ　ａ　ｄｒｅａｍ　ｏｆ　ｍｉｎｅ　ｔｏ　ｓｅｅ　Ｔｏｋｙｏ　Ｔｏｗｅｒ，and I was in awe when we arrived at the hotel. When I looked out the window of my room, Tokyo Tower was directly outside! I took plenty of pictures! My friends and I roamed around the hotel that night and tried on the yukatas provided by the hotel. I fell asleep around 10:15 PM and woke up at 3:00 AM because I couldn't sleep anymore (jet lag)! We went to breakfast around 7:00 AM. The food was very Americanized but delicious. Some of us then took a bus ride to Tokyo Station to board our train. We had time to spare so we were aloud to roam around the station as long as we were back at a certain time. We all got on the same shinkansen (bullet train), and the ride was amazing! I was able to see many sights of Japan, and I stared out the window the entire time and took several pictures.

I was SO nervous to meet my host family! When I stepped off of the shinkansen I saw Sakura (16-year old host sister) holding two signs that read "Welcome Shamrin", and one even had a picture of my favorite Japanese actor (I had told her who he was over e-mails). I then met my host mom and host grandmother! I couldn't stop smiling! We took numerous pictures and then made our way home. On the way to their house I saw the A-Bomb Dome and Hiroshima Castle. We arrived at their house and spent the rest of the night looking at magazines, watching television, and opening the gifts that I brought for them. My other host sister, Yae, arrived home around 6:30 or so. She is SO amusing and fun to be around. She loved the candy that I brought! I did not meet my host father the first day because he was working very late. That night we had salad, steak, and potato wedges for dinner!

Leaving Tomorrow!

2008-06-13T15:04:00.000+09:00

After months and months of waiting (in reality, it's been years of waiting!), I am finally beginning my journey tomorrow: June 13, 2008! I depart from Jacksonville, FL at 7:30 AM and arrive in San Francisco, CA at 3:08 PM! I have an almost 4 hour layover in Chicago! Hopefully I can find something to entertain me for hours of waiting in airports and on airplanes! I will then take a bus to San Jose State University with the other YFU kids for our 3 days of informative fun!

My host sister, Sakura, and I have been e-mailing back and forth for the last several days. I found out that I will be attending Sanyo Girls' Junior/Senior High School! My first day of school will be on June 19th and I will attend school for the next several weeks until summer vacation starts on July 22nd. I do not yet know what classes I will be taking, so I am very interested to find out! Here is the link to the school (warning: in Japanese!): http://www1.sanyo.ac.jp/

Schedule:
-June 13-15: 3-day pre-departure orientation at San Jose State University (CA)

-June 16-17: Depart for Tokyo, Japan. Stay in hotel overnight.

-June 18: Take a train to the city of Hatsukaichi in the Hiroshima prefecture! Meet my host family!

-July 30: Return to the U.S. Stay in Chicago hotel overnight.

-July 31: Fly back to Jacksonville, FL and go home!

Exciting E-mails!

2008-06-08T23:28:00.013+09:00

Last night I called my host family again, and my host mother picked up this time! Our conversation was very brief, and I explained who I was. I then asked (in Japanese) if she spoke English and she said "....No!". So, I now know that my host parents don't really speak any English at all! My host mother then handed the phone to my 16-year-old host sister, Sakura! I told Sakura who I was and then asked for her e-mail address. She began to give it to me in the English alphabet, but I got a little confused half way through. I then slowly gave her my e-mail address letter by letter. We used a mixture of both Japanese and English while talking to each other. I was still a little unsure of how much English she was able to speak and understand. We then said goodbye to each other, and I eagerly awaited an e-mail! In just a matter of minutes I had an e-mail in my inbox from Sakura! Here are the e-mails that we have exchanged so far:

From Sakura:

Hello.
My name is Sakura.
Thankyou for call me.
I am very happy!!!
Please Email for me anytime.
Thankyoum(*^_^*)

I then e-mailed her back with a picture of myself with my dog Alfie, told her how excited I am, and asked a few questions.

Sakura's Reply:

I am16 years old too.
My sister name is Yae. she is 14 yeas old.
My hobby is watching a baseball game.
I have a some$B!!(Bquestion to you.
Can you ride a bicycle?
Because I go to school by bicycle.
My school is only girls.
My school has about 400 students.
If you have a puestion to me, please ask me anytime!
Pictures are me and my sister.And my yukata.

(Note: A yukata is a light, summer kimono) From Sakura's e-mails, it seems like she is quite good at English! These e-mails have made me even more excited about my trip!

*Click on images to enlarge*

Host Family/Placement Information!

2008-06-07T13:28:00.010+09:00

Yesterday was easily one of the most exciting days of my life because I found out my host family/placement information, and I couldn't be any happier! I will be living in the city of Hatsukaichi in the prefecture of Hiroshima! I was provided with very basic information: My host father is Masahiro Yamamoto (a company employee), my host mother is Chika Yamamoto (a saleswoman), and I will also have two host sisters (ages 16 and 14)! I am so excited to have a host sister that is my exact age and even a younger sister also!

Hatsukaichi is a city of about 120,000 people and is home to the Itsukushima Shrine (on Miyajima Island) which is considered to be one of the three most beautiful sites in Japan! After arriving in Tokyo on June 17th I will stay in a hotel overnight and then travel to Hiroshima by train on June 18th! I am actually extremely excited about taking a train from Tokyo to Hiroshima because it will be a great opportunity to see the different sights along Japan! The train ride will take several hours (probably between 4-5 hours).

I was only provided with my host family's phone number so I just called them last night at 9 PM (10AM in Japan- 13 hours ahead) . It was a very interesting and amusing experience. My host father picked up, and I said in Japanese, "Hello! My name is Shamrin! I'm from America! I speak very little Japanese!" and then he said something in Japanese (I didn't understand). I asked for his e-mail address but he again said something in Japanese very quickly (which I also did not understand!). I then asked in Japanese, "Do you speak English?" and he says in Japanese "I don't speak English". Next, there was a terribly long silence, and I say in English, "I don't know what to say!" I then said "sorry" in Japanese. I finally say in English , "Okay! I'll talk to you later! Bye-bye!!"

I wonder if he even knew who I was! I probably should have mentioned YFU or told him that I am an exchange student, but it was so hard to think in the situation! So, my host father definitely doesn't speak any English! I wonder if my host mother or sisters do? I don't think anyone else was home when I called because it was completely silent in the background. I don't really know what to do! I'm going to call back tomorrow night (the next morning for them) and maybe someone else will pick up!

Front Page!

2008-05-31T06:21:00.008+09:00

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!

2008-05-27T01:00:00.006+09:00

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

Also, when commenting: Please click on the bubble next to Name/URL and type your name in the box. Please do not post any anonymous comments (they will most likely be deleted). Thank you!

Introduction Post

2008-05-12T08:01:00.008+09:00

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!