So, I have had no time to blog sorry!  So When I arrived to Japan I had to stay one night in Tokyo and I got to take the Shinkansen the next day for 4 hours to get to Hiroshima!  When I got here my host mom picked me up!  She was so happy to see me that she gave me a hug then she started crying!  We could not understand each other at all because she did not speak english and I did not speak Japanese!  Everything seemed to work though.  The next day they took me to the shore to see the ocean.  While we were collecting rocks and shells we saw a jelly fish that got washed up on the shore.  So of course I had to go over and poke it!

  After we went to the shore we went to the Kure Maritime Museum and saw Yamato the worlds greatest battleship ever constructed in Kure.  We also went to the JMSDF Kure museum.  After the museums we went to a market called You Me, or "dream".  It was absolutely humungous!  

The next day we got to walk thru peace park.  Then we walked thru "down town Hiroshima" to go to lunch.  For lunch we ate Okonomiyaki a famous dish in Hiroshima.  It was so too much food for me that my "to san" had to finish mine for me.  After stuffing ourselves full we walked to Hiroshima Castle 

In the  garden area of the castle there was a cool samurai performance going on.  I didn't really understand it but it was really cool.  At the end of the performance they were giving away a poster.  To win the poster you had to beet one of the samurais at "rock, paper, scissors"  Some how I won out of the group of 20 or so and I didn't even know we were playing "rock, paper, scissors" because they were speaking Japanese!

Forth of July!

For the forth of July I wanted to do something special for my family so I decided to make them a traditional American dinner!! While making the dinner we bought to much meet so the burgers were huge and I loved watching my family trying to eat it!!!

Just a Few Reasons!

I love the food!

I love watchig TV!

I love how everybody is so nice!

I love my host family!

I love my friends I've made 

Lastly, I love Japan!

All My Thanks

All my thanks goes out to Mitsubishi Electric for providing me with a scholarship for this amazing opurtunity to be an exchange student in Japan!!

Thank You So So So Much!

Hiroshima, Peace Park, Tokyo, and the Shore!

Meet My Family!

This is a picture on my host parents and my two host sisters!  They are outstanding!  This picture was taken on my third day in Japan but my first meal with the whole family!  We went out to eat at a sushi bar!  That was quite an experience!  They made me try some strange things, some were weird tasting but a lot of the food was good especially the dessert!  I really enjoyed the conveyer belt that went around to the tables!  Before this meal I was more like a guest in the house that could not speak Japanese, but after this meal I was like a daughter and a sister in the house that still could not speak Japanese very well!  After we got home from the sushi bar with full stomaches I gave them their gifts or "omiogi"  I brought from the states.  I brought my dad or "to san" a Los Angles baseball cap, I brought my mom or "ko san" a Native American necklace, for my oldest host sister a brought a Native American penny purse, and for my older host sister I brought a cowboy hat!  They all loved it!  I also brought a book about Wisconsin, barbecue sauce, tabasco sauce, candy, and a picture book!  We stayed up late talking and looking at the scrap book and book on Wisconsin!

Until Next time!

Kara   

Day #2

Sorry, day one was great but short and busy so I didn't get time to blog.  So day #2!! First thing you should know is that I've never meet so many great people in my life! Everyone here is so great and I'm glad I'm not the only one who can only say about 5 words in Japanese!  We spent the day taking cultural learning and language survival classes and including 2 random fun classes!  I also was given the honor of eating Dinner with the president of Mitubishi Electirc USA!! It was really great to meet her, talk to her and thank her for the opportunity to go to JAPAN!! Also how could I forget my amazing Kumi!! Kumi just means group, so we just eat lunch together and have most of our classes together!! Shout out to Red Kumi and our awesome Sempi!!!  Over all great experiences, great food, great people!!!

-until next time<3

Kara