Now that i've been in my home for about a week and half I have some other tales to share. It was the most shocking I think the first day because I was so engulfed in all the new sights that I couldnt really rely on any japanese to communicate with my family. And the first day mainly comprised of my host brother teaching me vocabulary words in japanese, and then having a party (because it was his birthday) as well as my welcoming party, so we went next door to where his uncles family and grandparents live, and I was questioned thoroughly (mostly in japanese) to which I answered as well as i could and they all laughed when I said something strange in japanese, it was very fun, theyre great. The next week was all the break before school, so I found that I didnt have an awful lot to do with any people, because clearly I hadnt made any friends considering I'd been there a couple of days. But still fun, because I had japanese lessons and met new exchange students, and I got to see a lot more of the city. On a side note where I live especially, you enjoy riding in a car because the VAST majority of the time you ride bikes every day, for longgggggg amounts of time every day. And finally the day before I went to school came around, but surprisingly I wasn't very nervous, despite having to give a speech in front of the whole student body, in Japanese. But I'll save the post about school for another time.
Thanks for reading
-Matt
Fish
Friday, April 9, 2010
Recent News!
I have been SO busy recently that I haven`t had any chance to post anything on here, but get ready for a lonnngggggg post.
Well I had a lot of fun at the Tokyo Oriention and made a lot of friends from America and from everywhere else, after all the shockingly new experiences like, 15 guys sleeping in one room, with only Futon (japanese sleeping mats) and tatami. And of course. The public baths of horror. Where droves of nude foreigners and japanese alike all gathered in one room to boil in HOT water. But after the initial shock, the bath itself was pretty nice :p At the end of the orientation, after we had breakfast in cafeteria with hundreds of japanese staring with shock and wonder at one of the exchange students who was 6 foot 6. o.o (you know who you are if you read this) They packed us all onto our buses to either the local flights or the shinkansen. I finally got onto my shinkansen and started the real Japanese experience.
Well I had a lot of fun at the Tokyo Oriention and made a lot of friends from America and from everywhere else, after all the shockingly new experiences like, 15 guys sleeping in one room, with only Futon (japanese sleeping mats) and tatami. And of course. The public baths of horror. Where droves of nude foreigners and japanese alike all gathered in one room to boil in HOT water. But after the initial shock, the bath itself was pretty nice :p At the end of the orientation, after we had breakfast in cafeteria with hundreds of japanese staring with shock and wonder at one of the exchange students who was 6 foot 6. o.o (you know who you are if you read this) They packed us all onto our buses to either the local flights or the shinkansen. I finally got onto my shinkansen and started the real Japanese experience.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Packing D:
Well, I leave in about 4 days and I'm not particularly nervous, but VERY EXCITED! I've packed my bag multiple times. From lack of things to do I've also been needlessly fidgeting with various things like wrapping my guitar pedals in tape for the travel multiple times, and.. actually it mostly involves taping various parts of my guitar so it wont get banged up in the journey.. But I digress. I'll be staying in Morioka-shi Iwate-ken, and I've had to get some new winter clothes as well, considering that it snows in about 4 months of the year o_o. I'm even nearer to leaving, and waiting is killing me! But finally it has all paid off and I'll be going with the other AFS-er from my state on the plane. Should be interesting. I'll update the blog next time I'm able to use my laptop with the internet (after I leave.) Till next time, thanks for reading
-Matt
-Matt
Friday, March 5, 2010
The Time is Near
I haven't posted in months from lack of things to post about but now I have been accepted into the program and I am leaving for 2 weeks for Japan! I'll be staying with a temporary family for a month, a mother and a son, they seem quite nice. Then after a month I will move to my permanent family. I fly for LA on the 22nd. I'll write more once I'm in Japan. Thanks for reading!
-Matt
-Matt
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Journey to Japan
Hello, My name is Matt Christiansen I'm a sophomore at Milton High School, in the town of Alpharetta, Georgia. I have applied and have been working towards going on a year-long trip to Japan in the spring of 2010, through the American Field Service (AFS) student exchange program.
I did this to gain a greater knowledge and respect for the language and traditions of Japan. I also want to experience the modern life of the people in Japan, and learn everything I can about Japan, because I am greatly interested in so many facets of the country. I believe this will help my understanding of others who live in this world, and gain a greater outlook on life.
I have decided to do this, and leave behind my life in Alpharetta for a year, but I think It will benefit me more than anything else, and will be a life experience I will never forget. I spend my time in Alpharetta doing schoolwork, taking part in school events, and doing my various hobbies at home. Guitar is my favorite activity, and I have been playing for almost 4 years of my life. Family, friends, school, and my interests are all very important to me. Music is a huge part of my life, and I create, and appreciate it in many shapes and forms. I also do other forms of art, such as drawing, and i've looked into different Japanese art forms which i've grown interested in as my general interest in Japan has grown. Im overjoyed at the opportunity to travel to Japan.
This opportunity is very important to me, and I am working hard to make it happen. I sincerely hope I can raise the money to partake in this life changing experience, despite the state of the economy. I may need some help to make this dream a reality. I thank you already for taking the time to read this post, and I hope you take interest in my blog if enough money can be raised. So click the chipin button at the top of the blog screen! Any amount of money would be appreciated so much by me. Something else that would be appreciated very much, would be to send this link: http://matthewafstrip.blogspot.com/. If this could be sent to anybody you think would be interested in helping me achieve my dream, I would be so grateful to any and all people who donate or even take the time to read this blog entry. Thank you very much!!
Matt Christiansen
I did this to gain a greater knowledge and respect for the language and traditions of Japan. I also want to experience the modern life of the people in Japan, and learn everything I can about Japan, because I am greatly interested in so many facets of the country. I believe this will help my understanding of others who live in this world, and gain a greater outlook on life.
I have decided to do this, and leave behind my life in Alpharetta for a year, but I think It will benefit me more than anything else, and will be a life experience I will never forget. I spend my time in Alpharetta doing schoolwork, taking part in school events, and doing my various hobbies at home. Guitar is my favorite activity, and I have been playing for almost 4 years of my life. Family, friends, school, and my interests are all very important to me. Music is a huge part of my life, and I create, and appreciate it in many shapes and forms. I also do other forms of art, such as drawing, and i've looked into different Japanese art forms which i've grown interested in as my general interest in Japan has grown. Im overjoyed at the opportunity to travel to Japan.
This opportunity is very important to me, and I am working hard to make it happen. I sincerely hope I can raise the money to partake in this life changing experience, despite the state of the economy. I may need some help to make this dream a reality. I thank you already for taking the time to read this post, and I hope you take interest in my blog if enough money can be raised. So click the chipin button at the top of the blog screen! Any amount of money would be appreciated so much by me. Something else that would be appreciated very much, would be to send this link: http://matthewafstrip.blogspot.com/. If this could be sent to anybody you think would be interested in helping me achieve my dream, I would be so grateful to any and all people who donate or even take the time to read this blog entry. Thank you very much!!
Matt Christiansen
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