Well, Mom, I had a wonderful last day in Japan. It could not have been more perfect.
Momoko and I started off the day by going to visit the Imperial Palace, which is where the royal family lived (maybe still lives? I'm not sure.). The grounds were very beautiful. We noticed a lot of foreigners, which we had not seen anywhere else previously. Momoko was surprised that I could tell whether someone was American or English based upon their accent. I then tried to do my best English accent to show her the difference, and then I told her about the different accents within the US. I taught her to do a Chicago accent. It is hilarious! I made her do it on camera so I could show people at home because it is so funny.
After the Imperial Palace we went on a mission to find me a souvenir. I managed to find a keychain with my name in Japanese carved in wood! It is so cool, Mom! Apparently my name is very similar to a common Japanese name, which is why it was easy for me to find one. Who would have known?
We headed back to the house, where we met up with Hanako and Reiji. They decided they wanted to have a "take out party" (not a Japanese custom...something they made up), where they got lots of food from different restaurants and brought it back to the house to eat. This included a teriyaki burger from McDonalds! They thought I should try it since we don't have teriyaki burgers in the US. It was actually rather good! Other food included rice bowls, salad, and tuna with seaweed. We had a great time! Their other roommate came home and brought a few friends along. One of them introduced himself as the "Asian Jimi Hendrix!" All of a sudden, the room went dark! I had no idea what was going on, and then Momoko emerged from the other room with a birthday cake that said, "Happy Birthday Alissa!" and had candles in the shape of 22! I could not believe it!!!! It was such a nice surprise and so thoughtful of them. I spent my birthday on a plane for 12 hours, and this was so perfect! We all ate cake, and then they told me that we were going up to the roof. Once we got up there, they surprised me with sparklers, and we played with sparklers! It was so much fun! I was so touched that they wanted to celebrate my birthday.
We all sat and laughed and told each other how happy we were that we met. They told me that they were going to miss me very much and that I will have to come back someday. I thanked them for welcoming me into their home and being so wonderful during a time when I needed it most. I wrote them a message in google translator and spent a half hour drawing it out in Japanese. They were all so impressed and excited that I took the time to do that. They said my writing was perfect!
I am really sad to say goodbye to Japan and to my homestay family, but it is time to move on to the next chapter of my journey. This country will always have a special place in my heart.
Momoko and I started off the day by going to visit the Imperial Palace, which is where the royal family lived (maybe still lives? I'm not sure.). The grounds were very beautiful. We noticed a lot of foreigners, which we had not seen anywhere else previously. Momoko was surprised that I could tell whether someone was American or English based upon their accent. I then tried to do my best English accent to show her the difference, and then I told her about the different accents within the US. I taught her to do a Chicago accent. It is hilarious! I made her do it on camera so I could show people at home because it is so funny.
After the Imperial Palace we went on a mission to find me a souvenir. I managed to find a keychain with my name in Japanese carved in wood! It is so cool, Mom! Apparently my name is very similar to a common Japanese name, which is why it was easy for me to find one. Who would have known?
We headed back to the house, where we met up with Hanako and Reiji. They decided they wanted to have a "take out party" (not a Japanese custom...something they made up), where they got lots of food from different restaurants and brought it back to the house to eat. This included a teriyaki burger from McDonalds! They thought I should try it since we don't have teriyaki burgers in the US. It was actually rather good! Other food included rice bowls, salad, and tuna with seaweed. We had a great time! Their other roommate came home and brought a few friends along. One of them introduced himself as the "Asian Jimi Hendrix!" All of a sudden, the room went dark! I had no idea what was going on, and then Momoko emerged from the other room with a birthday cake that said, "Happy Birthday Alissa!" and had candles in the shape of 22! I could not believe it!!!! It was such a nice surprise and so thoughtful of them. I spent my birthday on a plane for 12 hours, and this was so perfect! We all ate cake, and then they told me that we were going up to the roof. Once we got up there, they surprised me with sparklers, and we played with sparklers! It was so much fun! I was so touched that they wanted to celebrate my birthday.
We all sat and laughed and told each other how happy we were that we met. They told me that they were going to miss me very much and that I will have to come back someday. I thanked them for welcoming me into their home and being so wonderful during a time when I needed it most. I wrote them a message in google translator and spent a half hour drawing it out in Japanese. They were all so impressed and excited that I took the time to do that. They said my writing was perfect!
I am really sad to say goodbye to Japan and to my homestay family, but it is time to move on to the next chapter of my journey. This country will always have a special place in my heart.
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