Fundraising, Shmundraising..

(Update: Just got a $250 donation! WOW! And a $27, $50 and a $20 one. If it continues like this, I won't have any trouble paying off the tuition!) Here is my Go Fund Me account (it's a way to donate completely safely and securely online, it even has an anonymous option if you want!!):

Please click here to help send Sarah to Japan!

I'm working so hard but the tuition is $14,000 and I need a few thousand to cover my living expenses, so I'm not yet to my goal, which needs to happen in less than six weeks! I appreciate and need all the funds I receive! Please click the link or contact me if you wish to donate. Thank you thank you thank you so much for helping me follow my dreams to make the world a better place. You're amazing.

My Japanese High School

At long last, you will know what my school is!

So, the school is called: Aichi Prefectural Commercial High School (Shortened to AISHO)

Here's the website: http://www.aichi-ch.aichi-c.ed.jp/ (Use the built in Google translate extension if you have it to decipher some of the Japanese!)

What a long name for a high school, huh? Anyway, I'm not sure how much I'll like it but I'm keeping my mind open for sure.

Here's what I know about it:

• It's run by the prefectural government (there are international, national, municipal, prefectural and private schools to my knowledge, and there are probably more!)
• 80% of the school is female (and apparently the number is increasing every year)
• I don't know the total population though
• It's a commercial school so it's all centered around business. Eww.
• They have weird uniforms
• They don't have the clubs I wanted to do BUT I AM DETERMINED TO FIND ONE.
• It's not the same high school my host sister goes to. We don't know why! It's kinda sad. Oh well!
• The sophomores go on a school trip to Nagasaki in October says the website!! Probably too much money for me, though. Am I even a sophomore? Still waiting for my information sheets...

Clubs they offer:

          Sports-Type Clubs

• Baseball
• Archery (kyudo)
• Sword fighting (kendo)
• Fencing
• Athletics (pretty sure this is track)
• Swimming
• Volleyball
• Handball
• Women's Basketball
• Men's Basketball
• Ping Pong
• Hard Tennis
• Soft Tennis
• Dance
• Baton (this was in the cultural section but I'm putting it here!!)

Some pictures of a few of the sports clubs at AISHO:

Dance:

Aren't they so cute!!?

Baton:

It reminds me of cheer leading! I wish I had full range of motion in my arm. This club looks like fun!

Kendo:

Japanese sword fighting!!

Kyudo:

Apparently, my school has really nice archery grounds.

It takes months of training before you're allowed to even hold the bow, though.

So, no archery for me!! 

Athletics: 

Yeah, this is track!

 Tennis:

I've never played it but a lot of my friends in America do.

Baseball:

Which is of course a boys-only club.

         Cultural-Type Clubs

• Accounting Research Department
• Word Processor Unit (typing)
• English-Language Word Processor Unit 
• Information Processing Unit 
• Shorthand
• Calligraphy
• Abacus
• Brass Band (which includes woodwinds, it's not all brass)
• Music (it looks like a band with a singer and drums/guitar/bass, etc...so cool!)
• Drama
• Debate
• Commercial Art (seems like regular art!)
• ESS (English language something club, looks like fun actually!)
• Literature
• Tea/Flower Arrangement
• Photography
• Broadcasting (looks like radio)
• Volunteer Group

Some pictures of a few of the cultural clubs at AISHO:

Volunteer Group:

This would seem like a good choice for me, but they are primarily focused on learning sign language.

They sell bread and cookies for charity, help disabled people, and just generally do great things.

Who knows, this could be the club for me!!

ESS:

English Speaking Society I think! 

They learn English and speak with each other and write an English school newspaper,

and they even have Christmas parties and stuff for the foreign teachers. So cute.

Accounting Research Department:

Yawn. I'd be staring out the window at the pretty view the whole time!

But, these are the classes you get at a commercial high school!

Music:

So cool! If only I could sing or play one of these instruments.

Tea/Flower Arrangement:

The picture is really bad, but oh well! 

This class looks like flower arrangement and tea ceremony bundled up into one!

Kyoko takes tea ceremony at her school! It would not be good for my poor back, though..

Commercial Art:

Or, just "Art." Such cute drawings!

Word Processor Unit:

Basically, who can type the best and the fastest? YUCK.

I'm pretty sad because this school doesn't have cooking for some reason...or soccer??? Pretty much all schools have them and those were the two I was choosing between. I mean, of course I can play flute but I don't want to do what I've always done and they practice too much in Japan. If someone chooses an instrument there, they practice every single day for at least 3-4 hours usually, unless the school is not that serious! 

I'm looking at: volunteer, ESS (I want to teach ESL or be an ambassador when I'm older), dance (depends on if they want my awful skills), and some others but nothing is really catching my eye yet.

So, what club would you join? Ask me any questions you have about Japan!! I might edit in the rest of the club pictures later, too!

So you want to be an Exchange Student?

Here's the link to the countries/programs offered by AFS: 
http://www.afsusa.org/study-abroad/high-school-abroad/

Also, you can call 1-800-AFS-INFO !!

It'll talk about the program, requirements, families, location, prices, etc. on the website, but I'll give you a list of the countries.

Africa: 

(Egypt,Ghana, South Africa)

Asia/Pacific Rim: 

(China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan♥, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand)

Europe:

(Austria, Belgium Flanders, Belgium French, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,

Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, 

Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, 

Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey)

Latin America:

(Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru)

Comment or message me if you have extra questions!!

Other notable exchange programs include Rotary, YFU, and several more. Rotary is good and quite inexpensive, but you can't really pick your host country specifically. You pick a few and they place you. That's why I chose AFS, because if you get in your application on time you'll most likely get the specific country you ask for if you qualify :) The Rotary community is great, though, so please check them out, too! I have a lot of friends going with them. No matter what you do, it's the cultural exchange experience that matters the most.

What is AFS?

Ｉ　ａｍ　ｎｏｔ　ａ　ｐａｒｔ　ｏｆ　ＡＦＳ，　Ｉ’ｍ　ｊｕｓｔ　ａ　ｓｔｕｄｅｎｔ　ｏｎ　ｏｎｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅｉｒ　ｐｒｏｇｒａｍｓ．　Ｓｏ，　Ｉ　ｈａｄ　ｔｏ　ｔａｋｅ　ｔｈｅｉｒ　ｌｏｇｏ　ｄｏｗｎ．　Ｒｅｍｅｍｂｅｒ　ｔｈａｔ　Ｉ　ｃａｎ’ｔ　ｓｐｅａｋ　ｆｏｒ　ｔｈｅｍ，　ｐｌｅａｓｅ！

Wow, why have I not made a post on this yet?

So, you want to be an exchange student? You want to learn about the company I'm going through? You've come to the right place! I'm going to Japan through AFS so I'll tell you a little bit about it.

If you are in any way interested in hosting an exchange student or studying abroad yourself please read through these facts and go to the AFS website here to apply or read more: http://www.afsusa.org/

(Sorry, for some reason you have to copy and paste the link or right click and press "go to" the address. I'll figure out what's f=wrong later)

Some history and facts about AFS-USA:

• AFS-USA was formerly the American Field Service.
• It started as an ambulance driving operation in WWII
• It's a nonprofit organization.
• It offers international exchange to more than 40 different countries through independent, nonprofit AFS organizations in each country.
• It's mostly run by a network of volunteers.
• They've been doing student exchange for 65 years.

AFS-USA today:

• Sends approximately 1,100 participants abroad per year.
• Welcomes 2,300 international high school exchange students into the U.S.
• Is supported by more than 5,000 volunteers in the U.S. who make the work of AFS-USA possible.
• Partners with 2,100 U.S. schools through hosting and sending.

AFS International Network:

• Exchanges 13,000 individuals each year.

• Has more than 50 partner organizations including AFS-USA.

• Maintains an alumni network of more than 424,000 individuals who have studied abroad on an AFS Program.

• Is supported by more than 44,000 AFS Volunteers worldwide.

Hosting an Exchange Student with AFS-USA:

• AFS-USA staff and volunteers work with 1,500 US schools to provide them with outstanding students from abroad who contribute greatly to academic and community life.
• Volunteers work with students, families, schools, and community organizations to illustrate the benefits of an intercultural educational opportunity.
• Host families provide students with a bed, meals, and the same care they give to their own family members.
•  Host families and students receive ongoing support during the process from AFS-USA staff and volunteers.

Studying Abroad with AFS-USA:

• AFS-USA has year, semester, and summer programs abroad for high school students ages 15-18.
• Gap Year Programs are geared specifically for high school graduates and individuals over 18 who are interested in making a difference through international community service or university programs.
• A language requirement is not necessary for most AFS-USA programs.

Usually grades are not a huge deal, but you should have a 2.8 or above I believe. Tons of scholarships are offered, too! Get started right away, the application process and preparation is lengthy for both host families and exchange students in any program.

Japanese Culture: Purikura!

My host sister Kyoko and I already have plans to go shopping in the fashion district near our house, and we will do purikura! I can't wait!

Purikura is a type of photo that comes out of a booth that photoshops your pictures for you and makes you look like a model with big eyes and perfect skin. There's also a green screen behind you that puts in any background you want and then later you can edit the pictures and add little symbols/virtual stickers or words. The pictures print in any template you pick and then you can peel them off the backing and stick them anywhere or keep them just the way they are, and it's a huge craze in Japan. My last host sister Miu, took my friend Paulina and I to purikura in Tokyo. We were so surprised at how advanced it all was and how many booths there were.  It's so much better than the crappy photo booths in America!

Here are some pictures of purikura booths and photos:

(Disclaimer: these pictures don't belong to me)

Pretty interesting! It's really fun, and quite an adventure.

I was talking to my host sister on Skype IM and she is super excited that I want to get clothes in Japan and that I like fashion, too! She even wants to lend me clothes, which is so kind of her although I'm definitely not as thin as her! It's something in the water...most Japanese girls eat whatever they want (chocolate, bread, etc.) and stay thin as a board! I wish I had those genetics. Meh. I'm still cute. ;)

The fun thing is that, since I'm a foreigner and I look really different and I'm blonde with blue eyes, pretty much everyone thinks I'm cute/pretty in Japan. It's nice! People took pictures of me and wanted my autograph and literally screamed "kawaii~!!!" (cuteeeee!!!) at me there. It seems like an exaggeration but it's not. Literal screaming! Haha!! It really boosts one's self esteem. They'll do it for anybody. I felt a lot better about myself when I came home from my February trip. 

I talked with my Host Family!

Ok! Here's the post I promised about my new host family. So, less than 24 hours after the big mess-up with the host family that didn't know me, I sent the same email that I had first sent to the incorrect family to my new one.

The next morning, I checked my email and there was a reply from my adorable host sister, Kyoko-san! She's 17, super cute, and really loves fashion, fruit juice, taking naps, watching action and fantasy movies, music, reading, and talking a lot with her friends and family. She says that the whole family is talkative :D I like all the same things, even her favorite colors are the same (red and pink, and the mom and dad like blue like I do, too!) Also, apparently the mom and dad like tea, so I can drink tea anytime, and that's great! I drink tea everyday and I always make sure to bring chai or green tea with me to school so I don't go through withdrawals or something ;)

Kyoko studied abroad with AFS in Australia for 10 months and just came home in late December 2013. So, she speaks English very well, and that's going to be super helpful. I'm going to try to speak Japanese as much as I can while I'm there, but she tells me that if I don't understand or don't know how to say something, she'll help me with anything. Wow, how kind! I feel very lucky to have this family so far.

She tells me that my host family likes fish more than meat, too, which is fine by me! I like seafood a lot and usually sashimi (raw fish) doesn't bother me (Kyoko's favorite is prawn), especially on nigiri. Today I actually went out for sushi with my sister Anna after work, and it was oishii (delicious).

Here are some pictures of the food Kyoko says they like to eat:

(Disclaimer: these pictures do not belong to me)

Prawn sashimi:

Raw prawn. Kyoko's favorite!

Nigiri-zushi:

A yummy type of sushi made with sashimi. My favorite is salmon!

Nabemono:

Or just simply "nabe."

There are many variations of the dish. It's usually served during the cold months,

and it's usually a soup or stew with a bunch of different ingredients mixed in.

Nowadays, it's kept warm by a portable stove that's set on the table under the cooking pot.

Next, I also learned that Naoto-san (my host brother who's almost 21) goes to college in Tokyo, so he may visit but he won't live with us. Hopefully I will meet him though! I'm also pretty sure that the grandparents do not live with the family but I'm still not positive.

What's crazy is that my Australian friends Wayland and Brandon actually know Kyoko already! They met her at an AFS camp in Australia when she was living there, so that's really awesome. They say I'm in good hands :) Wayland is actually going to live in Nagoya, too, but in Midori-ku, across the city. His blog is here: http://waylandturnsjapanese.blogspot.com )

I am already friends on Facebook with Kyoko and my host father Yoshimitsu, who I'll call Otousan. Otousan commented on one of my Facebook pictures "Hi! Sarah.I am your host father.We can't wait to see you!!!!" They seem so nice! Kyoko speaks the most English, and Otousan speaks a little, but Okaasan (the mother) doesn't speak any and that's totally fine. She wants help with English, so Kyoko and I will help her and I can learn more Japanese at the same time :)

I'll tell you more soon. Host school information is coming up, too! Are you excited?

Thoughts on Nagoya

I'm still not sure about living in the city since I come from a town of about 4,000 people total. TINY. We all know each other here.

(Which is why everyone knows abut my exchange, I even had someone request that I be interviewed for an article that was just published in our newspaper, actually! SO many people read it, and I even had someone who owns a Japanese lesson company donate a ton of new laminated Japanese lessons to me. They actually lived in Nagoya-shi and taught ESL for several years! If you go to my post titled "My Newspaper Article!", you can read it for yourself!)

Anyway, living in the Japanese cities is usually crowded and houses are small, so I'm kinda worried about that. Plus, I really wanted to see the Japanese countryside and visit with my old friends. I'll be landing in Tokyo-Narita at 4:00pm  Japan time on March 19th, and that is exactly where I was last time I was in Japan! But, I think they are flying me straight to Nagoya which means that all the friends that wanted to meet up with me now can't. Also, many students in AFS just got notifications that they will be living in Chiba or Tokyo and I am very jealous! I am happy with my placement now, though. As you know, I can easily take a car or train to the ocean and I can walk to Nagoya Castle :)

Here's some more information on stuff in my area:

(Click to enlarge)

My host family paper says that the father (which is Otousan in Japanese) works in the financial business. Maybe they are rich?? Who knows! I'm still waiting for pictures and the full information, but I just talked to my host sister through email actually. I'll go into detail about it in my next post. I couldn't write the email in Japanese because every time I tried to use Google Translate, it put that my favorite foods include my grandma and the United States. What....Just...WHAT. No.

Anyway, after orientation, they will start hosting me on March 22nd says the information sheet. Hopefully they will be a very nice family and a good match for me.  Well, that's all I have for now!!!

♥ STAY TUNED FOR HOST SCHOOL INFO ♥

New Host Family!

And a permanent one, at that!

So, if you know me or if you read my "I'll Laugh About it Later" post, you know that there was a mistake in my host family information from AFS Japan and they had no idea who I was. Less than 24 hours after I contacted them about this mistake, though, I was given a new host family!!

As you know, I'll still live in Nagoya, but I'll be in the Nishi Ward instead of the Shouwa Ward. There was a clerical error and I was given a similar host family's info! The mother from the last host family emailed me today, though, and apologized for her "rude attitude" on the phone call. She's worried that I hate Japan now and wanted to know if I would forgive her and her family since they all feel ashamed. There's no way I wouldn't forgive such nice people! Of course they didn't do anything wrong, it was all just a big, messy, misunderstanding.

My new host family seems great, though! My host sister is super nice and adorable. She's a little older than me!

Here are their names according to my information sheet:

1. Father (Otousan)....................Mr. Yoshimitsu

2. Mother (Okaasan)..................Mrs. Natsue

3. Brother (Oniichan).................Mr. Naoto (about 5 years older = 20)

4. Sister (Oneesan)...................Miss Kyoko (about 2 years older = 17)

5. Grandfather (Ojiisan).............Mr. Shigeo.

6. Grandmother (Obaachan).....Mrs. Toshiko

The parents are about 50 and the grandparents are about 80. I think the son is going to college and I'm not sure if the grandparents live with us yet! More information to come as soon as I get it! I have to go through all my old posts and fix the host family information too since it's all wrong. Sigh.......At least I got this one so fast!

Where will I live? (Different information!)

Ne ne!! I switched to a different place across Nagoya so I'm updating this and deleting the old info. I will now live in Nishi Ward.

I got my new host family information! It is not quite complete yet because I still need the packet with their pictures and interests, but I have their names and ages, plus the address shows up in Google Maps street view this time. I'll also update that in my next posts. Also, I'll live right next to Nagoya Castle! Holy cow!

(Disclaimer: I do not own these pictures)

Here is where Nagoya is located on a map of Japan:

Here are some pretty trees in a city park:

I think this was taken in Higashiyama Park.

Next is a faraway shot of the park and Higashiyama Sky Tower:

Here is the Great Buddha of Nagoya (Nagoya Daibutsu):

When I was in Japan last time, I visited the more famous "Kamakura Daibutsu."

This one here is 10 meters tall, at the Touhan-ji Buddhist Temple.

(Next: UPDATE)

Nagoya Castle: 

It's a reconstruction since the 1600's original was destroyed by firebombs in 1945,

but the new one is just as beautiful as the original national treasure

 and it has more advanced architecture, including elevators!

I'll now live a short walk away from it!

I'm happy to see trees!!

The construction reminds me of the Imperial Palace, which I visited in February 2013.

In the city:

That oval-shaped thing is Oasis 21, a huge underground mall

Nagoya is a port city on the Ise Bay/Pacific Ocean:

Nishi-ku is farther away from the ocean than my old placement since it is the westernmost ward,

but my host sister Kyoko says she will take me to see the sea! ;)

I'll add some more pictures when I know even more! Thank you for reading :)

Stressed, Depressed, but Well Dressed

Well, not so much depressed since I'm leaving in a month!! But I am very stressed. I'm still trying to make ends meet with money but there's only so much I can do by myself. I just got another donation on my Go Fund Me account, though, for $27 from a person that went to Japan with my the first time :) I am so so grateful for all of the support I've been getting.

Also, I'm getting ready to put out a letter out to all of the teachers at Blaine High School (and hopefully my old middle/elementary/primary school teachers) that explains why I'm going and that I would really appreciate any monetary help! So, hopefully that will be out soon. I've already got a few pledges from several teachers, my awesome World History teacher in particular. He's giving me a bunch of credit just for doing a couple things here and then going to Japan, which relieves a lot of stress and is super helpful!

This weekend I am working 12 hours at my sister's coffee shop!  My sister Anna started and owns Lettered Streets Coffee House, a very nice and quality coffee shop with a great ambiance. I always like to go there, and their products are tasty. I'll be staying with her overnight since the shop is about 30 minutes away in Bellingham. So, that should help me with funds, too!

Here's some nice pictures of the shop and my sister:

(Disclaimer: I do not own these pictures)

Pretty, huh?