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· More goodbyes to UWP staff: Red eye flights are brutal enough, without having to add heart wrenching goodbyes to them. After an excruciatingly long check-in process we had to say goodbye to our UWP office staff and ERCs. Bah. These people have been amazing to us. They helped us to become a part of the Up With People program, from the application process to the final visa, cheque, and scholarship. They trained us to be proper representatives of the organization. They set the example for how we should act with our host families and in the community. They challenged us to start taking risks and to get involved from the beginning, instead of being bystanders. They let us vent and then put us back together. We will miss them greatly. I will miss them greatly. We’ll make you proud.
· Now September 18th: How strange. We just crossed the international date line. So now, instead of being Sunday, it’s now Monday. Back home in Massachusetts, it’s 10:49pm. In Japan, where we will soon be landing, it’s 11:49am. This is certainly going to make calling home interesting. So if I were to fly back to the states using this route, would I gain a day? I think so. Hmmm, that has some fun potential.
· It’s funny to look around the plane. The 80 of us take up a strong section of the economy class. Many have been sleeping since we first boarded in Dallas. Some have been stirring in and out of wakefulness. Few have been awake the entire time. There are quite a few of us who have been getting up to walk around and chat, me included. I actually just got yelled at by the flight attendant for standing in one place for too long so I had to return to my seat. Bah, it’s tough to sit still for this long, especially when a comfortable position to sleep in cannot be humanly found in my seat. When will we get to the point where everyone can actually sit, stretch, AND recline in our seat like the bigwigs in 1st class. Ah well, I think I’m just antsy. I wonder what adventure will meet us in Japan. Already I’m hearing announcements in Japanese (thankfully an English translation soon follows), but for how long will I have that luxury. Will I understand what’s going on around me? Will I be able to communicate? Will I unwittingly offend the Japanese citizens around me? Will I do something stupid in the presence of my Japanese host families? The answer could be yes for any one of these questions. The biggest question is whether I will be willing to take risks so that I may learn. I need to be prepared to make mistakes and allow myself to make mistakes. Otherwise, if I protect myself too much, I may miss some wonderful learning experience. I see the non-English speakers taking chances. They bumble and fall (sometimes literally), but they are learning. Their English has improved exponentially. Will I be able to say the same about my Japanese at the end of these next six weeks? Time will tell, I guess.
· Three more hours until we arrive in Japan. After customs and grabbing our baggage we’re off for a 2 hour bus ride to a hostel. We sleep at the hostel and then off for an 11 hour drive. Bring on the Asian funk!
Arrival in Japan: Just a few minutes on land and I'm already getting into trouble. FYI: Do not take pictures of your friends as they are going through customs!
*The "fun" of exchanging currency and getting Japanese cash.
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