Merry Christmas 「メリークリスマス」　(Daniel) A knock came at the door around eight in the evening, just as we were finishing eating dinner.  I yelled out, " IRANAI～～～ ", meaning "we don't need it", pretending that it was some late working door-to-door salesman. My host mom laughed and went to answer the door. She came back carrying a huge USPS box from America. Oops. Just kidding. I need that. I really need that. My parents in the US decided to surprise me for Christmas by mailing me a box of my favorite items from America. They somehow managed to pack a pair of pants, two jars almond butter, five boxes of gum, four giant chucks of  halva , and four packages of chocolate. I have no idea how my parents managed to shove all of that stuff into such a small box. But knowing my parents, there is always a way. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to receive my gift. Although my parents told me about the package beforehand, its physical presence was so overwhelming. I fe

Bye-Bye Japan Unfortunately, time passes by and my year in Japan has come to an end. I had a great time working as an intern at  LEX/Hippo Family Club  in Tokyo. The experience taught me a lot, widened my world view, and introduced me to an amazing culture and people. After returning to Japan from China, the last 21 days in Japan were spent participating in good-bye parties all over Tokyo. Goodbye Party at Work Goodbye Party at Church Goodbye Party in Ota-ku (first host family) Goodbye Party in Saitama (second host family) Goodbye Party at the Airport  Wow, I had a lot of goodbye parties.  And no,  it's not because I'm super-duperly popular and I have a lot of Japanese friends who like to throw me good-bye parties. It's because the Japanese people I met, especially at HIPPO, are incredibly kind and thoughtful. They definitely set a wonderful example of how to make someone feel welcomed. How often do people come to visit us for a ti