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Michael- Life Since February

Life Since February

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted! Time has been flying by! As we are at the cusp of Golden Week, I want to talk about what has been going on here lately. To me, it seems that Golden Week is quite a transition much like New Year's was. For one thing, it pretty much puts me into the last quarter of my time here, but it also is a definite shift into stably warm and summerish weather.

About a month ago, I switched to my 2nd host family. It was hard for me to switch from my last host family, but at least for the time being I get to see them at different hippo events or when my host mother comes to the office. In a way it is like i am the older brother who just moved out on my own to a different part of the city. However, it is definitely different in the fact that I have to work to develop a relationship with another host family! My new host family has done a very good job of trying to integrate me in their family. If anything, times flies by most when I'm spending time with them.

I've also had two rounds of visitors in Japan. First, my former boss and WI 4-H's international coordinator, Kay Hobler, came to visit. She had a very full schedule with trips in Tokyo, Kamakura, Kyoto, & Hiroshima. LEX was very helpful and welcomed her group very well. They were all so appreciative of everything they got from LEX. Secondly, a friend of mine from the University came to visit. Even though she was originally reluctant, I convinced her to stay with host families. It was hard at first, but she really enjoyed her time with the families. She said that before she was really confused with what my job was. She thought that I was just wasting my degree to teach English in Japan, but after she was here she saw what Hippo was and heard about the different tasks I perform. She now thinks that it is a really interesting and useful experience.

One of the most enjoyable things that has happened was the Yearlong Preparation Camp last weekend. All of the students who will be leaving for a year abroad in the fall gathered to learn about their programs, what it means to be a yearlong student, get insights from previous participants, and outline a course of action for getting themselves where they need to be with language and personality. For many of them they have been working hard already, but for some the realization that they will be in a foreign country for 10 months has just not hit them (and maybe for the ones who have been working hard, it still hasn't hit them either). Even though I had lived abroad for half a year twice, I know that I was still naive until I got here about what it meant to live in Japan for a year.

The camp focused on really challenging the students to be in charge of their own outcomes. My group wanted to utilize me and my 'native speed'. They also tried their best to speak only English, but they quickly came to the realziation of how exhausting it is when you don't understand much and constantly have to try express everything in another language. They all did such a good job! I can't wait to check back with them before they leave and see how the camp drove their ambition to prepare harder.

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