Hello Again!

Sorry for not posting sooner, but I am happily spending time with my host family. The Yamashita family is amazing and they've welcomed me fully, it's been a lot of fun. I'm so grateful to be in Toyohashi with them and the school that I'll go to, everyone's been so kind.

Yesterday I went shopping(かいもの or kaimono) with my little sister Rika and her friend, we rode our bikes to Toyohashi Station and parked them underground, then walked to the shops on the other side of the station. We went to an office supplies and books shop first and I bought markers and pens for drawing, then we went to some other places and I bought some Alice in Wonderland earrings at Claire's. (Not gonna lie, Claire's in Japan is so much better than America.) We walked around a lot of other shops and finally rode our bikes back home, where we had a really delicious dinner.

So far we've had a lot of interesting Japanese food, like Nabe and Okinomiyaki and DELICIOUS Onigiri, and they've all been amazing. Tonight I think we're having Takoyaki! YUM!

However, I've been having so much fun that I haven't really taken a lot of pictures of Toyohashi yet, but I'll show you those soon. How about my trip here, do you want to see those photos?

Update from LA!

Email me at racheCorn@yahoo.com, I'll talk to you soon!

Goodbye Oregon!

Hello everyone!

I leave for L.A. tomorrow morning at 5:30, it's gonna be rough. I love you all and thank you for all your support. Also, thank you who showed up today to wish me well, I had a great time.

I won't be able to post until next week, email me at racheCorn@yahoo if you want to say hi.

Love you!
Maggie

Hello Again!

I've been so busy finishing school and my senior project, it's been crazy. I just wanted to update though!

This morning I got the second and final shot for Japanese Encephalitis! Thanks again everyone who donated, I couldn't have done it without you.

Hannichi Homestay 2013

Hello everyone! Yesterday myself and three other students spent half the day (hannichi) at the home of a Japanese family living here in Oregon, speaking only in Japanese the entire time. It was a lot of fun but really hard, I'm glad I went. Our family, the Kubota family, consisted of Mama, Papa, Little Brother (7), Big Brother (13), and a Japanese exchange student studying at PSU. They were all super welcoming and I felt so comfortable with them that it was hard to leave when the time came; because they were so welcoming I was able to practice my Japanese without being too scared.

Kubota Family

Quick Question for YOU!

Hello everyone, I have an inquiry!

Would anyone be interested if I did some vlogging on my exchange? Vlogging is like blogging (this) in video form, and if I did do it I'd be making lots more videos about my life, school, etc. The videos would go up on my youtube channel and I'd link to them in my posts here, so you won't miss them.

I'm definitely interested in vlogging, but I would like to know if there's anyone who would want to watch them. Please comment or send me an email, ありがとう！

わたしは日本脳炎の予防注射をでぃました！ (I've been vaccinated against Japanese Encephalitis!)

Well, not fully. I still have until March 1st until I get the second, and final, shot in the series. However, because of the generation and efforts of my friends and family, I'll be able to pay for that nearly $400 shot come March, actually come now!

You may have noticed the GoFundMe widget on the side of my blog these two days and now it's all resolved. Thank you Cassie, Mary, Lauren, Aunt Cindy, Kim, and Mrs. Filbert! I am so grateful and I with think of your gifts as I travel through Japan.

Ah, I'm still in shock to be honest; I've been very emotional about this and nearly cried after every donation. There's a lot of fundraising left to be done and I'm working hard with amazing support so that I can spend my exchange knowing I'm okay to ride the train and visit my sister Yo in Osaka, see the students in FG's sister city Nyuzen, or go out to karaoke with friends after school. Everything is going to be so much fun and I feel at home with the other students in my group, I don't think I've been this excited for anything in my life since I watched the first episode of Adventure Time.

***

If you would like to donate to my exchange, please check out my donation page! Thank you!