Konichiwa!
Omg talk about 360º reality check. I swear, what I thought would be the worst eight days of my life took a raincheck and flew away. The last few days made it all just fabulous! So okay, lets get into detail. This is going to be on VERY LONG POST. ♥
So on the first day, we were sent off to school by our parents where the group was supposed to meet and ride to the airport together. Of course, the hour before I leave was nothing close to sweet and emotional with my mom. Nothing new. Yes, she got mad at me again because I spent my last few hours online rather than with her. I can't help it. I love everyone online and there are way more people there than my one mom. Priorities, yes. But yeah, we made up before I left and it was one hell of a cry fest leaving the school. for the very few people that would miss their parents THAT much. I'm proud to be one of the strong ones.
So yeah, we got on a plane and flew to Narita airport. Four hours of nerves and worrying and whatnot. Seriously, we were all ranting about our parents during the entire wait at the gate before our flight. On the plane, we were all sleep. So yeah. XD And so we landed in Japan at 8.30pm. The line at Immigration was LONG. But OH MY GOD.
I was standing in line and beside me was a man that looked JUST LIKE YUNHO. White shirt, baggy pants, a brown cap, a white jacket in his arms with green and orange lines on them. He was staring at me while I was humming... okay singing to Clap!. And so I turned to Corine and was all "OH MY GOD CORINE YUNHO LOOK ALIKE!!!" And the guy beside me coughed and stared again. Then I took my phone out to take a picture... though illegal in Japan immigration... but when I turned back to him, he was mumbling to an airport staff woman in korean and he was led off to the priority line. And I had the memory of that lookalike during the whole trip. GOD was he SEXY. So yeah, no picture. BOO. Is so holding back for the better bit at the end
Narita Airport
Hiroe sleeping in the bus. XD
So yeah, we were finally let past customs with no hassle and the first step outside the two sliding doors to Japan was culture shock 101. I left a country of 32º. Yeah, it was THAT hot when we left. And we walked out to 16º. Bearable, right? And thus ends all that I can remember of our first day... because we were brought to a huge and wonderfully gorgeous bus that I could live in if I had the chance bus that would bring us to Sendai on a 6 hour drive. So yes, we were all asleep.
And so day 2 rolled around, starting at 2.30am. Our fist stop over at a region or city another 2 hours away. That time, I seriously needed to go to the bathroom. So we were all in our regular shirt and jeans and we lined up groggily to head out of the bus. I was second in line after Anj. As soon as Anj got off the bus, in like a split second, I felt her body slam against mine, pushing us all back in. It was THAT cold. the 15º at Narita turned into a freezing 8º as we traveled higher up. The bathrooms were freezing and the water was literally ice cold. Taking a piss was never that hard, I swear.
Then we went into the nice, warm, and cozy minimart there and we checked a few stuff out. DAMN DID I GET JUN EXPOSURE SO EARLY. Yes, MatsuJun was on EVERY Magazine in that minimart. I thought I was going to die. XD And so time ran out and we needed to head back to the bus. The walk to the bus was the longest 2 minutes in the world. it was FREEZING. Again, I thought I was going to die. XD
Oh! And in the minimart, we saw this green KitKat. XD We were all "Oh! KitKat WASABI!" And later on we found ot it was green tea. XD *shot*
So yeah, back to the bus to sleep another 2 hours and we got to Sendai Shirayuri High School at 4.30 in the morning. And it was culture shock again. To our utter surprise, it was 4 in the morning and the sun was already shining in all it's glory. Here at home, the sun rises at 6.30am. We were given until 7 to sleep again in their traditional Tea Ceremony room. All tis time I thought the special tatami mats were nice and soft... BOY WAS I WRONG. Sure we fell asleep well, all tired from the trip, but man did our backs ache when we had to get up. So with no bath, no change of clothes and with no chance to freshen up, we were hauled to breakfast... and man breakfast was HEAVENLY. Tonkatsu with Japanese rice and miso soup. OMG the schools cafeteria food was better than any Japanese restaurant we have here in the Philippines. XD
And so after that Corine and I dashed off to brush our teeth and go to the bathroom. The bathrooms now had heaters and seat warmers. THANK GOD. XDDDD
Then it was back to the bus, a smaller ne this time, to head to Sendai castle. The tour would have been so much cooler... if it were in any language that I could understand. XD But hey, you know those wish thinggys that Yunho did on Tokyo Holiday? Yeah, I did one of them and I really hope my wish comes true. <3 One of them already did... well, partly. I hope the more important wish comes true though...
Sendai City
Rachelle and Hiroe. :3
Corinne and I
But anyway, we then went to lunch at 7/11 and I had my first Onigiri! Yummy stuff, I tell you. 8D But half way through our trip back to school, we were reminded that we were about to meet with our foster families. I swear... it felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest. We all sudenly felt sick and nervous and omg the pressure and the nerves was just blah. alkdhskjdfhsdjkfg XD
So then we all met up with our host families, and I was lucky number six to get sent to my family, the Hachiya family. They were pretty fair with the english... at least the sister was... the rest went down the hill after that. So as soon as everyone was housed, we were given our final briefing, and we were off for the weekend to spend with our families. That was the start of my shit-ness. XD So before I get to do anything, my foster sister goes "I have basketball practice tday so please wait for me." So I'm like.... "Suuuure... leave me with your mom." O_O
My foster sis, Shizuka, and I
And so thank the Lord I was with Anj the first few minutes, then mom brought me off to Kinkodo (the bookstore across form our school) And okasan bought me a Step and Go single! OMG! 8D
So then we headed back to Basketball practice and waited another 2 hours or so... and then it was a freakin 2 hour car ride home. O_O And so I put my things into my room (yes, I had my own room) and got settled, then we went out for dinner at a rotating sushi bar! 8D Damn genuine Japanese sushi is like heaven. SO FRESH AND YUMMY AND OMG. 8D
Yeah and so they let me take a shower. I swear, from the time we left the Philippines to the time we got back home after dinner, I had NO BATH. I literally looked like I dipped my head in a bucket of oil. O_O And what's weird is that the toilets and the showers are in separate rooms. And it was that time of the month for me. You have no idea how hard it was. XD And I was always second to the last in the bath line... and their Ofuros... the bathtubs.... that everyone else used... it was gross. Well you could see the dirt floating around the bath by the time it was my turn to take a bath. XD So uhm... no tub for me. XD Showers rule. XD
So day three rolled around and I thought they would bring me Shopping! But nooooooo.... we drove for about 2 hours again to Sendai City Gymnasium to watch my sister play basketball in a competition for 8 hours. We like walked to kilometers in the rain and cold to eat lunch and back, then thank god Anj came and I had someone to talk to. So after that, the basketball team brought Anj and I around Sendai station. We made a ton of friends. 8D Michan, Chihomi, mika, Erika, and the other kids~
Anj and I
Chihomi (Anj's sister) And a few other random girls who forgot their names. XD
Michan, Shizuka and Erika
And so after that, we went home and had Sukiyaki for dinner! OMG Okasan's cooking was even better than the cafeteria food that was better than restaurant food back here. I DIED. And I stuffed my face like no one can imagine. Japanese rice is heavy. one cup there is like the equivalent of 4 cups here. NO KIDDING. And so yeah, bath, then sleep.
By then I'd missed home badly. Too badly, in fact. My family treated me like a plant. They would pass me and leave me alone and ignore me lest it was dinner time. I called my mom that night and I cried my eyes out. I seriously wanted t go home. But I stuck around and went through it. I was strong, I thought, and that alone kept me from falling.
And that's when realization #1 sank into my brain. So I dont hate my mom all that much. I mean sure, I say that I do, I fill my heart with everything negative, but when itt came down to it, to feel so neglected in a family made me realize just how much I loved having her around. So yeah... that was one thing.
Okay, so day 4 rolled around and wow, that was like heaven for all of us. I got to school third of all my groupmates. Corinne and Monti were already there with Ms. Pike. So okasan dropped me off at school because my sister had basketball again (oh joy). And yes. We sat at the Little Meeting Room (YES, that's it's official name) waiting for everyone to arrive. And every time someone came, they were all "OH MY GOD FINALLY PEOPLE WHO CAN UNDERSTAND ME!!!!!!!" Hahahah Yeah, it was THAT BAD. The language barrier killed, I swear. My sign language had its limits. XD
So after a quick briefing, we made our way to Sendai Shirayuri Women's College. That was the nicest school I've ever seen in my life. They had demo rooms and practice rooms for nursing care that were nicer than real hospitals in my country. O_O
So we took a tour around that building and it was boring aside from the nursing room.
And they have an auditorium! 8D
Ate Mia, Ate Patter, Corinne and I
And I think that I should cut this into 2 parts. XD It's becoming way to big and I doubt that the whole thing will fit. XD Part 2 coming up soon!!!
So on the first day, we were sent off to school by our parents where the group was supposed to meet and ride to the airport together. Of course, the hour before I leave was nothing close to sweet and emotional with my mom. Nothing new. Yes, she got mad at me again because I spent my last few hours online rather than with her. I can't help it. I love everyone online and there are way more people there than my one mom. Priorities, yes. But yeah, we made up before I left and it was one hell of a cry fest leaving the school. for the very few people that would miss their parents THAT much. I'm proud to be one of the strong ones.
So yeah, we got on a plane and flew to Narita airport. Four hours of nerves and worrying and whatnot. Seriously, we were all ranting about our parents during the entire wait at the gate before our flight. On the plane, we were all sleep. So yeah. XD And so we landed in Japan at 8.30pm. The line at Immigration was LONG. But OH MY GOD.
I was standing in line and beside me was a man that looked JUST LIKE YUNHO. White shirt, baggy pants, a brown cap, a white jacket in his arms with green and orange lines on them. He was staring at me while I was humming... okay singing to Clap!. And so I turned to Corine and was all "OH MY GOD CORINE YUNHO LOOK ALIKE!!!" And the guy beside me coughed and stared again. Then I took my phone out to take a picture... though illegal in Japan immigration... but when I turned back to him, he was mumbling to an airport staff woman in korean and he was led off to the priority line. And I had the memory of that lookalike during the whole trip. GOD was he SEXY. So yeah, no picture. BOO. Is so holding back for the better bit at the end
Narita Airport
Hiroe sleeping in the bus. XD
So yeah, we were finally let past customs with no hassle and the first step outside the two sliding doors to Japan was culture shock 101. I left a country of 32º. Yeah, it was THAT hot when we left. And we walked out to 16º. Bearable, right? And thus ends all that I can remember of our first day... because we were brought to a huge and wonderfully gorgeous bus that I could live in if I had the chance bus that would bring us to Sendai on a 6 hour drive. So yes, we were all asleep.
And so day 2 rolled around, starting at 2.30am. Our fist stop over at a region or city another 2 hours away. That time, I seriously needed to go to the bathroom. So we were all in our regular shirt and jeans and we lined up groggily to head out of the bus. I was second in line after Anj. As soon as Anj got off the bus, in like a split second, I felt her body slam against mine, pushing us all back in. It was THAT cold. the 15º at Narita turned into a freezing 8º as we traveled higher up. The bathrooms were freezing and the water was literally ice cold. Taking a piss was never that hard, I swear.
Then we went into the nice, warm, and cozy minimart there and we checked a few stuff out. DAMN DID I GET JUN EXPOSURE SO EARLY. Yes, MatsuJun was on EVERY Magazine in that minimart. I thought I was going to die. XD And so time ran out and we needed to head back to the bus. The walk to the bus was the longest 2 minutes in the world. it was FREEZING. Again, I thought I was going to die. XD
Oh! And in the minimart, we saw this green KitKat. XD We were all "Oh! KitKat WASABI!" And later on we found ot it was green tea. XD *shot*
So yeah, back to the bus to sleep another 2 hours and we got to Sendai Shirayuri High School at 4.30 in the morning. And it was culture shock again. To our utter surprise, it was 4 in the morning and the sun was already shining in all it's glory. Here at home, the sun rises at 6.30am. We were given until 7 to sleep again in their traditional Tea Ceremony room. All tis time I thought the special tatami mats were nice and soft... BOY WAS I WRONG. Sure we fell asleep well, all tired from the trip, but man did our backs ache when we had to get up. So with no bath, no change of clothes and with no chance to freshen up, we were hauled to breakfast... and man breakfast was HEAVENLY. Tonkatsu with Japanese rice and miso soup. OMG the schools cafeteria food was better than any Japanese restaurant we have here in the Philippines. XD
And so after that Corine and I dashed off to brush our teeth and go to the bathroom. The bathrooms now had heaters and seat warmers. THANK GOD. XDDDD
Then it was back to the bus, a smaller ne this time, to head to Sendai castle. The tour would have been so much cooler... if it were in any language that I could understand. XD But hey, you know those wish thinggys that Yunho did on Tokyo Holiday? Yeah, I did one of them and I really hope my wish comes true. <3 One of them already did... well, partly. I hope the more important wish comes true though...
Sendai City
Rachelle and Hiroe. :3
Corinne and I
But anyway, we then went to lunch at 7/11 and I had my first Onigiri! Yummy stuff, I tell you. 8D But half way through our trip back to school, we were reminded that we were about to meet with our foster families. I swear... it felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest. We all sudenly felt sick and nervous and omg the pressure and the nerves was just blah. alkdhskjdfhsdjkfg XD
So then we all met up with our host families, and I was lucky number six to get sent to my family, the Hachiya family. They were pretty fair with the english... at least the sister was... the rest went down the hill after that. So as soon as everyone was housed, we were given our final briefing, and we were off for the weekend to spend with our families. That was the start of my shit-ness. XD So before I get to do anything, my foster sister goes "I have basketball practice tday so please wait for me." So I'm like.... "Suuuure... leave me with your mom." O_O
My foster sis, Shizuka, and I
And so thank the Lord I was with Anj the first few minutes, then mom brought me off to Kinkodo (the bookstore across form our school) And okasan bought me a Step and Go single! OMG! 8D
So then we headed back to Basketball practice and waited another 2 hours or so... and then it was a freakin 2 hour car ride home. O_O And so I put my things into my room (yes, I had my own room) and got settled, then we went out for dinner at a rotating sushi bar! 8D Damn genuine Japanese sushi is like heaven. SO FRESH AND YUMMY AND OMG. 8D
Yeah and so they let me take a shower. I swear, from the time we left the Philippines to the time we got back home after dinner, I had NO BATH. I literally looked like I dipped my head in a bucket of oil. O_O And what's weird is that the toilets and the showers are in separate rooms. And it was that time of the month for me. You have no idea how hard it was. XD And I was always second to the last in the bath line... and their Ofuros... the bathtubs.... that everyone else used... it was gross. Well you could see the dirt floating around the bath by the time it was my turn to take a bath. XD So uhm... no tub for me. XD Showers rule. XD
So day three rolled around and I thought they would bring me Shopping! But nooooooo.... we drove for about 2 hours again to Sendai City Gymnasium to watch my sister play basketball in a competition for 8 hours. We like walked to kilometers in the rain and cold to eat lunch and back, then thank god Anj came and I had someone to talk to. So after that, the basketball team brought Anj and I around Sendai station. We made a ton of friends. 8D Michan, Chihomi, mika, Erika, and the other kids~
Anj and I
Chihomi (Anj's sister) And a few other random girls who forgot their names. XD
Michan, Shizuka and Erika
And so after that, we went home and had Sukiyaki for dinner! OMG Okasan's cooking was even better than the cafeteria food that was better than restaurant food back here. I DIED. And I stuffed my face like no one can imagine. Japanese rice is heavy. one cup there is like the equivalent of 4 cups here. NO KIDDING. And so yeah, bath, then sleep.
By then I'd missed home badly. Too badly, in fact. My family treated me like a plant. They would pass me and leave me alone and ignore me lest it was dinner time. I called my mom that night and I cried my eyes out. I seriously wanted t go home. But I stuck around and went through it. I was strong, I thought, and that alone kept me from falling.
And that's when realization #1 sank into my brain. So I dont hate my mom all that much. I mean sure, I say that I do, I fill my heart with everything negative, but when itt came down to it, to feel so neglected in a family made me realize just how much I loved having her around. So yeah... that was one thing.
Okay, so day 4 rolled around and wow, that was like heaven for all of us. I got to school third of all my groupmates. Corinne and Monti were already there with Ms. Pike. So okasan dropped me off at school because my sister had basketball again (oh joy). And yes. We sat at the Little Meeting Room (YES, that's it's official name) waiting for everyone to arrive. And every time someone came, they were all "OH MY GOD FINALLY PEOPLE WHO CAN UNDERSTAND ME!!!!!!!" Hahahah Yeah, it was THAT BAD. The language barrier killed, I swear. My sign language had its limits. XD
So after a quick briefing, we made our way to Sendai Shirayuri Women's College. That was the nicest school I've ever seen in my life. They had demo rooms and practice rooms for nursing care that were nicer than real hospitals in my country. O_O
So we took a tour around that building and it was boring aside from the nursing room.
And they have an auditorium! 8D
Ate Mia, Ate Patter, Corinne and I
And I think that I should cut this into 2 parts. XD It's becoming way to big and I doubt that the whole thing will fit. XD Part 2 coming up soon!!!