travel writing
"our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." -Jack Kerouac
July 5, 2016
|
"...Overall, the flights were very long, and very tiring, especially because I have trouble sleeping on plane rides. However, the views during these plane rides were spectacular! While flying from Tokyo to Hiroshima, I have never seen such a beautiful place from the air before. When we landed in Hiroshima, my nerves started to kick in—I soon realized that I was going to meet my host family and leave my friends for the night...The miso soup was very tasty, especially after a hot shower and a few moments to myself in the bathroom to compose my jet-lagged state. I think Tatsuo (my host father) noticed my fatigue, and graciously offered a small bit of watermelon for Aki (my host sister) and I to eat for dessert. Tatsuo’s kind gesture really hit home and made me believe that the Watari family would try their hardest to help me feel calm and at ease in their home during my stay."
|
July 7, 2016
|
"The second language class went okay, but it was harder to keep up with the quick-talking professor which made learning Japanese difficult. Today we had a fashion class and learned about Japanese fashion culture, but what’s surprising is when the students who gave the fashion presentation took a survey, one of the girls who was sampled turned out to be Aki!...Later, Aki, Shu, and I met Aki’s parents for dinner at a sushi-conveyer belt restaurant. It was really neat. Hundreds of plates of sushi lined the conveyor belt that ran through the restaurant; I’ve never seen or eaten so much sushi in my life."
|
July 15, 2016
|
"...Thanks to the help of a volunteer, we were given the chance to put on gorgeous kimonos! Plus, I applaud the volunteer who helped us this day because she is the only person who was able to quickly work with and take pictures with my camera without having any technical issues. I had to laugh at that a bit... We walked further to what is hands-down one of the best places we went to the entire trip—the Arashiyama bamboo garden. Surrounded by nature, and various blending shades of green, and walking with Ian made this part of the trip extremely special and memorable. I felt the most peaceful this day than I had since I had stayed with my host family. Later that night, we went explore the pre-festival festivities in Kyoto and had a total blast! "
|
July 16, 2016
|
"...By this point in the trip, I’ll admit that I had traveled on and seen more trains, buses, and subways than I cared for this summer... When we arrived at one of the more famous streets in Osaka, Ian, Janea, Tiffany, Mindi, Devin, and I went to eat a rock-n-roll’ BBQ restaurant with Elvis records hanging on the walls and tight sitting spaces. After eating odd bento boxes and tiny pieces of onigiri and being sick, the chicken plate I had there finally made my stomach feel normal again. I appreciated Dr. Smith and Dr. Sato giving us some free time to explore Osaka for the night, too..."
|
July 19, 2016
|
"This morning we said goodbye to our friends as we parted ways at the train station. It was very bittersweet to see them go, especially since Ian and I would officially be on our own then in Ikebukuro, and in Japan. When I woke up, I thought about how much I had changed since we landed in Hiroshima—I was more conscious about my appearance, inflection of tone when talking to others, and more assertive in making decisions during stressful situations instead of following others. I thought about how appreciative I was for Dr. Smith and Dr. Sato, along with the staff of Yasuda University, for setting up this entire trip in the first place...This trip tested me physically and emotionally. And, I am so proud to say I am a much more aware, happier, and smarter person because of it."
|