Going back in time a little bit, I want to cover what happened and how my travels went before I start to blog about what is going on here in Japan. On August 14th I spent all day with my family. It was very nice to be around them but also stressful because I still had a lot to get done before I left. I had to create a balance between fun with my family and being productive. My family helped set up the last few things that I needed and I finished my packing. My family also let me choose what I would have for my last dinner and instead of going out I decided to stay in with the fam and have Hawaiian pizza while doing what we do best- watching movies!
The next thing I know it is 3am and my mom is waking me up to get ready to go to the airport. I got in my nice warm shower for the last time and had a good hardy breakfast of Life cereal with Kale. Then my dad packed up the truck with my luggage (I found out when I got here that I definitely over packed… oops!) and we were off for the airport. We managed to leave our house right on schedule, 4:15am.
We got to the MSP airport around 5am and my mom and I checked my luggage. The lady that checked my bags was oohh so helpful, you could just tell she loved the morning shift (not!). I was then thrust into so many pictures: family picture, sibling picture, individual pictures, retakes, etc. Then for the goodbyes. I have to say I am quite proud of myself, I didn't cry once while saying goodbye to them! Which is good for me because I am terrible at goodbyes.
My next task was security. It turns out that a smile really can go a long way. The woman in front of me in the security line kept looking at me but wouldn't say anything, so I just smiled back at her. That must have made her feel comfortable enough to actually start talking to me. The reason she kept looking at me was because she was curious about my blazer… duh, I should have realized that from the start. So, I explained Rotary Youth Exchange to her and we continued to talk as we moved up the line. When it came time, we each went through security and met at the other side. She was very kind and even helped me figure out which gate I needed to go to (I haven't flown since I was little and I have never flown alone, so this was all very new to me- I was glad she helped me). We then said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways.
I then made my way to what seemed like the end of the world, Gate G22, at the very end of the airport terminal. I was seriously one of the last gates I could go to. Once there, I found a spot to sit and wait, and I called my parents to let them know I found it. As it got busier a woman and her husband sat next to me. I started small talk with the woman, seeing as how bored I was of just sitting. She was super nice and talkative, I found out her daughter has been to Japan a couple of times and loved it- always good to hear.
I boarded first, so we said goodbye. The man and woman I sat between once on the plane to Seattle were very quiet the entire trip, until our decent when I pulled out my gum to chew to help pop my ears, I offered them some. If I had known that by offering them gum they would start to talk to me I would have done it earlier! I found out it was the woman's birthday and the man had a son my age who also just graduated college. So, while it was short lasting it was still nice to have people to just talk to.
After getting of the plane I quickly found an employee of the airline company and asked if they could help point me in the direction of my connecting flight. Turns out I was extremely lucky that day and the next gate was literally right next to the gate I had just left.
I was also surprised to see the woman from before the flight standing and waiting at the opening of the gate. She quickly ran up to me and gave me a hug! She had waited for me to get off to tell me how excited she was for me and to wish me luck for this year. I knew I liked her from the start.
The plane ride from Seattle to Japan was a long one. That is pretty much all I have to say. Long and boring, so I slept most of the way. My neighbor on this flight was a boy who's name I found out was Jin (pronounced Jean). I also found out, through broken communication (he didn't speak much English and I didn't speak much Japanese- lots of pointing and hand signals) that he is about my brothers age. So, when he and I both happened to be awake at the same time, I decided to try to teach him Temple Run. Success! Being a boy and about my brothers age I figured he would catch on to the game quickly and he seemed to really liked it so I let him play it on my iPod for a while.
As we started our decent into Osaka, Japan, I became really nervous. I was going to have to try to figure out how to get the the main airport (you have to take a little tram), find and get through customs, and hopefully find my bags. I don't know how to explain to you about how grateful I was to see an American mom and her kids right outside the gate (I had notice them before the flight). I quickly went over to her and asked if she would help me find my way through the airport. Like any good mother she took me under her wing. I made it through everything alright and I found my bags (they weren't lost!!! Yay!!!) with her help. It turns out that they actually live in Kobe, Japan during the school year and that her kids go to an international school there. Her name is Carroll and she gave me her number and told me to call her if I was ever in Kobe.
She was so generous and kind, she stayed with me until I found the Akegami's and Rotary Representative (Yamada-san, I believe) all waiting, welcome signs and all! It was such a relief to finally be with people who knew who I was and were expecting me. Traveling was long and tiring but I am very glad that I am here!
Sorry that was so long but I had to talk about all of the wonderful people I met on my journey.
Sayonara from Kawachinagano, Japan.
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