Pre-trip thoughts, anyone?

Ok, well, I'm really excited to go-- There's no question about that. But, honestly, what I'm most looking forward to is the food. That's always my favorite part whenever I leave the country is to try the cuisine, because there's so much you can learn about the culture through it, and it's super tasty... ha ha. I know it may sound cliche, but I'd like to really taste some of the sushi there, to see if it's different than here; and the soba and udon, and chirashi zushi, and maybe some ramen.... my mouth is watering just thinking about it... ha ha. I kinda want to try Japanese McDonalds too, just to say I had Japanese McDonalds.... heh. 

I also reeallly wanna buy lotsa stuff!!! I'm not as organized as Melina though.... ha ha, i still need to make a list. But that's definitely a plus.

I am worried about all the school we're missing though and the work I'll have to make up, but I'll try to do some on the plane...

All in all, I'm very excited!!!! I can't wait to go to Japan!!!

Sthguoht Prit-Erp

I'm very overwhelmed. I feel like there is very little time for me to actually be looking forward to the trip itself. Everything that I deal with now is stuff that I have to do before the trip. Those are the thoughts that are present in my mind.
Having said that, I'm hella excited. The thing that really keeps me going is knowing that in 16 days I'll be on a plane to Japan ready to dive into a whole different world. I can't wait to absorb all the Japanese I can. I especially can't wait to see 桃子. We've been emailing furiously back and forth waiting to see if she'll be my host. Regardless of who my host is, I've already bought her some presents. Ooo, presents. That's something I'm looking forward to. I've started my list of people who I'm getting presents; co-workers, teachers, neighbors, family, friends, everyone!
I don't know, all my thoughts and feelings are really jumbled. I know that I'm excited, but everything else is really fogging that. I know I'll have the best time of my life in Japan, and I'm really ready to go.

なななななな

I have no idea how to publish my presentation on the blog, all nice and fancy on the sidebar. Do I just post the URL in a post, like this;
http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dcwzh7g7_2dqhntfqz&interval=10
Or is there some special blogger guru way to do it that I don't know of?

Anyway, JAPAN! WOOOOOOOOOOO! This is gonna be so much fun! Of course I am a little scared; mostly over my language usage, but also over the culture shock. Will I be able to adapt? I believe so, but only time will tell. The fact that there are only three weeks left until we leave is psyching me out to no end. One of my concerns is the little gifts we bring. Think an Animal House poster would be too much for my host student? And what kinds of knick-knacks should I bring? I know! I'll make a bunch of origami!

-Luke

PS Drat you Sam and Kellan, that you are able to type in hiragana!

Yes! Japan here we come!

I am sooo excited for this trip! I just can't wait, I even have a little mental count-down running. Ever since I was a kid, going to Japan has been my life long dream, and now, it's coming true! Don't get me wrong, I know my Japanese is sub-par and I'm scared that I won't be able to communicate well. However I do have some ideas as what to do (such as make a lot of hand motions or bring a sketch pad to draw them what I'm talking about).

Even though I'm really scared, I know that I'll get the hang of the language (eventually) and I'll be able to understand a lot better as the days go on.

-いさむ　(Sam)

Trip...

I agree with Gaby completely. I've never really been out of the country before,except going to Canada when I was like a year old. I'm a bit nervous, as I think everyone is, but at the same time I'm over the moon about this trip. I'm extremely excited, if not a bit anxious. I'm really glad I'm going with this group of people too; I'm friends with all the people I know that are going on the trip, which will make this experience that much better. There's still a lot to plan out, and a LOT more to actually do, but in the end, I know this trip will be FAR more than worth the work we all put into it.

きよし（Kellan)

Blogging

When Mr. VanKrey mentioned at our last meeting that no one other than him had posted on the blog yet, I realized that it was probably because no one wanted to go first. So I'm doing it. First off, I will say that yes, I am afraid for this trip. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely excited, but I'm a little scared too. I've never been out of the country before, unless you count driving through Canada on the way back from my Grandma's house during the summers when I was younger. So, this is kind of a big deal for me. I mean, there is a huge difference between a family road trip and flying halfway around the world. Trying to pack all my stuff for two weeks into one small suitcase, the extremely long plane ride, getting all of my school work that I'm going to miss done, and living with someone I haven't met yet is a little scary. Okay, a lot scary, but it will be amazing at the same time. I don't know, I kind of just rambled. Well, now that I posted something, maybe everyone else can too. So... that's it for now.

~Gaby Kenyon