Day 1: An Adventure to Yaei Followed by Yummy Ramen Noodles by Dionne Buck

Today was our first full day in Japan, and it was a wonderful introduction to Japanese schooling, culinary traditions, and the flow of daily life. I woke up this morning to a nice soothing ringtone of our calling call. Well rested, I prepared myself for the day ahead. The hotel room is very petite and quaint. Although the pillows felt like they were filled with legos, and the toilet had many confusing buttons, I made my hotel room my home. Once I got my outfit together, I headed down to breakfast with the group. There was a wide variety of food in the buffet style breakfast. They had classic American breakfast foods such as corn flakes, coco crispies, bacon, sausage, and fried eggs. Along with the American foods, there were Japanese dishes like grilled mackerel, dumplings, several soups, and rice. After breakfast we journeyed on trains and buses to Yaei High School. I was really surprised at how modern and advanced the school is. First we attended a dance class, and Maya, Trish and I even performed for the dance students. They seemed to really enjoy our dance, although we made a couple of mistakes. Now we can put dancing in Japan on our dance resumes. After dance class we joined the boys in the Kendo class. That class was actually quite exciting. Just holding the sword was very invigorating. It was daunting in size and weight so i tried to be as careful as possible, but when I touched the blade the Kendo master got very scared and suggested I didn't do that. After the Kendo class we went to an English class to directly interact with the students. In the classroom I felt like a celebrity, all the students wanted to take pictures with me and practice their english. Many students were more fluent in english than I thought. It was very interesting to watch the teacher teach the students. I wasn't quite sure if the students were clearly grasping the the lesson. English, the students took us to lunch. At lunch we were approached by many students and took even more pictures. After lunch we went to calligraphy class, which was my favorite class. I learned how to write my name, love, and happiness in Japanese. I also wrote a little composition in Japanese. I enjoyed writing and wish we had a calligraphy class at Bullis. Then we moved on to watch students independently practice their instruments. Nine girls played the Kotto which was a harp like instrument. They seemed very intricate and precise with the way they played their instruments. After the nice performance we listened to a choir. They sang "Im A Gonna Sing" and a traditional Japanese song. After that we left Yaei High School and went back to the hotel. Later on in the evening, around 8:15 we went to the Ramen Noodle Museum. At the museum we to went a fancy little restaurant, and I ate some dumpling and rice. I struggled with the chopsticks, but I think I'm getting better. Now I'm chillin in my hotel room with Maya and Trish, unwinding from our event-filled day. So far, Im really enjoying this Japanese experience. I can't wait for the days ahead.

(I wish I could upload some of the photos, but the usb cord isn't quite working)