My Experience with Swine Flu

Swine Flu~
On the 17th of September, Thursday, I was confirmed with Swine Flu, or H1N1 flu. Back in May, I would have believed it to be improbable feat, to be able to ever catch this virus, but thinking back on it now, to the week just before I caught swine flu, it seemed to be almost unavoidable to NOT have caught it. The swine flu had already reached my school by the time summer break was over, we all knew. One of my classmates had the flu, and had been out for almost 2 weeks recovering. That was just one student, but, on that week, when we went to school on Monday, 6 students were absent. Our teachers were starting to take extra precautions to ensure that it didn’t spread, and keeping track of the absent students who had the flu. With all the worry going on, class didn’t turn out as effective… By Tuesday, 10 students in my class alone were gone; the highest number in the school. So during our first class, our teacher, seeing as so many students were missing, decided it would be pointless to try to teach the lesson. By the end of 1st period, the school had decided to cancel school for our class for the rest of the week, until Saturday. Everyone left in the class celebrated, of course. The next day, though, I was already feeling not so well. By night time, I had a slight fever. On Thursday, my mother was left with no choice but to take me to the hospital, where after a series of tests (including having to stick a q-tip up my nose, which was quite painful, and impossible…), the doctor confirmed the swine flu, as we expected. From then on, I was confined to my room for the rest of the week, away from the rest of the society while I recovered from my symptoms. And that’s how I spent my Silver Week [holidays] in Japan.

Summer Vacation: HOKKAIDO

My summer vacation in Japan lasted from July to September. Two months may seem like a while, but in reality, (in Japan, to say), time goes by quickly. During those two months, I had been even busier than I was, living my everyday school life. Along with my school club practice every day, (hard tennis), there were many AFS events and camps to attend. Starting from July, there was first the AFS study day, AFS trip to Hiroshima, and then the AFS related International Senior High School Student Forum camp located at Kwansei University. During August, some of my activities included: my school camp to Hakuba, an AFS summer camp, my [host] grandmother’s funeral, my school trip to Hokkaido, and of course, tennis. Not to mention, during this time, ‘summer festivals’ are a tradition commonly found in Japan and take place in most cities. Yukatas, summer Kimonos, are traditionally worn to these festivals.

The picture above is a picture of me in Miyajima park.
The picture directly below is from a popular summer festival in Osaka.

The following is a report regarding Hokkaido I had written for my school.
Originally, I had a report of my trip to Hiroshima also; unfortunately, it is not with my belongings at this moment.

Over summer vacation, I had the chance to go to Hokkaido for the first time. The school trip was wonderful, and Hokkaido was very beautiful. Going to Hokkaido was a great experience; there is much more to learn about Japan and the Japanese culture. Everyday there were new places to travel to and visit. However, only a limited amount of time was available to be spent at each significant place; therefore, being able to make the most of our time given was something we all quickly adapted to. Of course, the majority of our time was spent on the bus while on the move. Even then, there were ways to keep ourselves busy, so time was well spent throughout the entire week, I believe. Furthermore, the weather in Hokkaido was comfortable and cool, much different than in Osaka or California during the summer. The atmosphere in Hokkaido was very enjoyable and light, and the cool weather was a nice addition to everything along the way. Being in Hokkaido almost gave a feeling as if being in an entirely different country. There were so many various memories and new experiences to be made and had. With so many new things to try, especially the food, the days were filled with exciting opportunities and unexpected events here and there. For example, in Hokkaido there were many animals to see, such as the cows, horses, fish, and many animals from the zoo. However, the best part was being able to enjoy this trip with my classmates and friends. There is no doubt that without them, this trip would not have been as great as it was. It was certainly an once-in-a-lifetime experience which I am thankful to have had. I am grateful to my school for this opportunity of a school trip to Hokkaido.

This is a view of the night in Osaka.

じゃんけん! Rock, Paper, Scissors

Just one of the many various (and entertaining) ways to play the common game, "Rock, Paper, Scissors."

H1N1 Flu

Due to the outbreak of the H1N1 Flu in Osaka, Japan, there has recently been an uprising panic throughout the city, which resulted in the closing of over 4,000 schools in Osaka for one week or more, including the school that I attend in Japan. The call on that was made just on Monday morning of the 18th, and starting from May 18th to the 24nd, everyone was required to stay indoors.
On top of that, that week also happened to be the week for my school's trip to Hokkaido. The week before, we had turned in our luggage to the school already, but when everyone had arrived at the airport on Monday, the staff of our school made the decision to cancel the trip. We were told to stay home for the week, and that we would not have our baggage returned to us until the next week.
Now, in Japan, the number of confirmed cases has risen to over 300, most of which are located at West Japan. Luckily, the cases have been mild and not life threatening, so the panic has died down a bit around in Osaka.

A Day at Universal Studios Japan

I was very impressed with Japan's Universal Studios. It has a lot more in store than America's. Many of the attractions and rides are the same, however, Japan has more, even including a giant roller coaster. Overall: very entertaining.

School Uniform

"Sailor ed
sailor ed
does whatever a sailor does
she can change
to a cat...
o no wait,
no she cant
look out....
its sailor ed"

-Thanks Alex...really...

So Far in Japan

I like waking up in the mornings and not knowing what is going to happen. What the day is going to turn out to be, what the world has in store for me. The unexpected is always exciting and the surprises just give life a kick.
I’m located in the Osaka region, part of the Osaka-Higashi chapter. It’s been over two weeks now with my host family, which, I have to add, is absolutely wonderful. I can’t say how much I love it here now and all of my family and friends here are great. I feel at home already. My family is always helpful and they always try. They put in so much effort and so I always try to return the favor. My grandparents are always telling me new words and taking me out. My siblings treat me like a sister and my parents treat me as a daughter. And of course, there’s my dog. For the first time in my life I have a pet and that’s a new experience itself.

One of the first things on the list to do was to visit my host school. My advisor/English teacher introduced himself to me and showed me around the school. He explained the rules, guidelines, and expectations of the school. I was also provided with the supplies and had to be fitted for my uniform, which of course includes a skirt. My school is a private all girls school and the rules are strict. On top of that, I even have school on Saturdays and I must go to school early for tutoring and stay later for more tutoring. The other main requirement they wanted of me was to dye my hair black, which is my natural hair color. For me, this was surprising. However, I couldn’t disobey the rules of the school, so a week later, my mother took me to get my hair done. Now, I feel somewhat different. This is my first time having my natural hair color on me in over a year. I’ve learned to accept it though.

And now, there are bigger worries. My school informed me, telling me that I have to prepare a speech of introduction for the entire school and staff during the opening ceremony. The speech cannot be too short, and it must cover at least four main points: my name, age, location, hobbies, and others. Luckily for me, I’m not the only one stressing out. Everyone else in Japan is going through the same experiences, whether the same circumstances stand or not, everyone is nervous. Well, most anyways. My school starts tomorrow and so I will look forward to the speech making.

Lastly, as for my eating habits, I’m getting along great here. While in Japan, I’ve already had all the raw fish, raw sushi, takoyaki, eel, and squid I can eat. Using chopsticks to eat is no problem for me as I’ve been doing it my entire life, not to mention having to eat rice every day too. There are differences, but it is nothing I can not bear with.

10 hour bus ride to Osaka

1st Week in Japan

I have been staying in Japan for about three weeks now and already my life has been changed by my experiences so far. For as long as I have been waiting for this to happen, I had never imagined it to be as unexpected as it has turned out to be.

Ok, starting with the pre departure orientation that was held at Los Angeles, I was excited to be able to actually meet people like me. Of course, the orientation itself wasn’t as exciting, but that was definitely beside the point. We stayed at the Hacienda Hotel for the night and I got Brandy for my roommate (good times, good times…). As for the flight the next day, we sure did have a lot of fun disrupting pretty much everyone else on the plane haha… It was shorter than I expected, (there was a lot of wind our direction apparently). We arrived at Narita airport, surprised and a little drowsy, where we were transported yet again to another hotel for the night. After dinner, everyone hung around the lobby and exchanged introductions. For a lot of us, it was the first time meeting in person, so that caused a lot of excitement. Now when I think back, I really realize just how much we expressed ourselves. In other words, being Americans, we were so loud!

The next few days we were split up into different groups over and over again and separated. It was hard in the end to leave when we had to meet our families. The past week had already felt like a month. It is incredible to be able to meet someone for a few days and miss them as your best friend or even more. But I really think that we are all just afraid of not being able to see each other again. So the goodbyes are only for now, ok?

Osaka Orientation-

As an AFS Global Leaders Scholarship Recipient

As an AFS Global Leaders Scholarship Recipient, I had to write a thank you letter, but I realized I made some good points in this note, so I wanted to share it. Here goes-

Dear Scholarship Sponsor,

I would like to write a brief statement expressing my appreciation and thanks for the scholarship I have received. Being awarded with financial aid from the Global Leaders Committee has been very supporting in my journey in becoming an AFSer. I am grateful for being given this opportunity by AFS and I will try my best to represent my country well.

By becoming an AFSer, I hope to be able to fully experience a new culture and language. While there will be hard times ahead, I will be sure to make the best of what the future has in store for me. During this year, I hope one of my many accomplishments will include making life long friends and meeting new people. While meeting new people is without a chance unavoidable, I want to try my best to get along with everyone. In doing so, I will be putting myself into a situation in where I must learn the culture of the people here in Japan, and hopefully, being able to learn their language will become an opportunity for me. I am looking forward to what my future has in store for me this upcoming year.

My AFS Program

My name is Farrah Hsu. I am a sophomore at Rancho Cucamonga High School this year, and I am currently 15 years old. I am studying abroad in Japan for the 09-10 year program. My motivation for applying for an AFS program was to be able to travel to a different place to explore the culture and environment. From my point of view, the best way to learn is being able to experience a different culture firsthand. I am looking forward to this wonderful opportunity and am excited for the upcoming future!
I hope to gain the knowledge of a new culture and language within this year. There will be many new experiences for me and I hope to make the best of my time in Japan. It is understandable that being an AFSer will mean that while there will be new experiences and opportunities, there will be no learning without pain. I am prepared to adjust and adapt to my host country while being able to bring the best of my country and my culture in return.