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