July Update

The Start of a Busy Schedule
4-5 Months Anniversary

Hey everyone! I'm sorry that I've been terribly busy due to school, and hanging out with friends!

I started summer vacation officially yesterday. So, that means that I might have random days with free time on my hand. So far, that's not really the case. But, I'll try my best to update you all!
In Japan, summer vacation only lasts for about a month or longer. It usually starts in the middle of July, and ends in late August. In Hokkaido, summer vacation is much shorter than school's in southern regions of Japan but that's because Hokkaido's winter vacations is longer. Does that make any sense?

I never received permission to publish
their faces! Thus, white dots!

Yesterday, I had 「太鼓・たいこ・TAIKO」 practice. Taiko basically means drum, but I'm talking about a traditional Japanese drum. Today, there was supposed to be the biggest festival in Asahikawa, where I was supposed to play the drums! But, it ended up raining: cancelled. I'm pretty bummed, but I guess a good thing was that I became friends with first year students (from practice)! We still practiced at my school, ate lunch, and did a little cheer at the end! It was fun, none-the-less!

Q: So, what happened between May and July?
A: A lot of things happened! I don't even know if I could put everything in a blog post. For one, I switched host families, not because of problems. So, don't be worried! I switched from my first host family to a temporary host family, and now I'm staying with my family until the end of the program. I'm fairly happy that I was able to experience so many families.
1. A family where I had two younger sisters, and young parents.
2. A family where I had I didn't have any siblings living at home.
3. A family where I have an older sister, a pet.

Right now, I live in the area where all my friends live! And, my school is really close! About a 10-15 minute bike ride.

I had exams in the month of June. You can read more about my experience on my personal blog.
I only took the Math, English, and World History exams. I did okay on them, but I need to study harder!

In July, I had my school festival which was a lot of fun! I did two performances: one with my class, another with a group of friends. I messed up big time on the second performance, but it made me realize that I still need to step out of my comfort zone in Japan. Doing things even though I'm scared! Trying new things! Don't be afraid of talking, of making mistakes, to be who I am! My class sold a variety of flavors of popcorn, and sausages!

In June-July, I went to countless festivals in my area!

I also went to Sapporo with my last host family. It was so much fun! I met my grandpa, grandma, and one of my sisters. I slept in a traditional room: tatami mat, and a futon. I realized that I like traditional Japanese culture! I'm so excited for my school trip in November, because I'm going to Hiroshima, Nara, and Kyoto! Hokkaido is only about 400 years old~ when it comes to history, apparently.

I also had a three-day internship at an elementary school. Even though my Japanese is still really limited, I was able to understand the kids better than the adults. I don't think you need to know a language fluently to understand a person's body language. Playing with the kids, it reminded me of being an elementary school student. I think we sometimes lose those feelings over time: of our youth. I also realized that I'm not entirely terrible with kids!

This summer vacation, I plan on spending so much time studying Japanese! I want to be able to communicate better with everyone!

I'm in a bit of a rush right now! So, I'll update later.

Thank you so much for making this trip possible! I can't thank you enough! I've been learning so much about Japanese culture.