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*waves* Long summer, right?

Hey guys!

Still a month, exactly, until I fly over to Japan! I've been formally reprimanded by some lovely students at Chandler High about my lack of blog updates this summer... And I'm here now to say that I'm still alive!

I've had a very busy 8 weeks or so just trying to catch up on my sleep, and to do what I can to prepare for the move to Japan. I've been doing lots of shopping! Especially in souvenirs to give to my cooperating teachers (a very important part of living and working in Japan) and lots of cool prizes for the students--I don't want to spoil anything for them with specifics, though! But I promise they're awesome. Really awesome. Like... can I keep them for myself, maybe?

I have been learning a lot about what my life will sort of be like in Japan, but until I experience it for myself I wanted to wait and hold off on sharing most of that information. However, I should at least post some interesting videos of schools in Japan, which seems fitting with everyone at Chandler starting their first week of school.

This video  is from CBS News and has a lot of interesting comparisons about Japanese and American schools in a 2-minute nutshell.

This video has no dialogue, but I thought gives a nice snapshot for what school is like for Japanese High School students. They look like they have a good sense of humor.

And for those of you looking for a taste of Japan that's closer to home, I suggest checking out the Japanese Friendship Garden here in Phoenix. It was really cool! It was co-built with Himeji, Japan; the guided tour was very informative, and worth taking! I got to hang out there last week on a special tour with the Youth Ambassadors currently visiting Phoenix from all over the world. (Fun note: International High Schoolers are just as big of a handful as ours are!)

I didn't take these photos (I still don't have a camera yet), but here'a a few just to get your appetites whet:



The koi fish there are gigantic--and I heard that you can feed them during the Garden's regular visiting season. (Wish I could have been there for that. I probably could have spent hours just watching the koi. They were very friendly, and followed people around wherever they were in the Garden.)When the weather cools off a bit, you should all go and check it out! Hard to believe it's hidden in the center of Phoenix, and really close to a light rail stop!

I'll be volunteering the rest of this week at Chandler High, just because I've learned that you can get tired of sleeping in. I'll try to post cool little tid-bits more often, sorry I was such a procrastinator guys!

PS: Chandler Wolves, your student body president's a tough cookie. I'd watch out for her!


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