Visa

こんにちは‼ Hello!!

So last Friday I went to the Japanese Consulate to get my visa. I was nervous going in because on the website it said I needed to bring my certificate of eligibility, which you can only get from Japan. However, it seems as though it wasn't needed because the guy didn't even mention it. The visa process didn't take very long. I waited maybe 10 minutes, got to the counter and took another 10 minutes, then we were out. AND the visa was free!! Thank goodness! 

The visa I applied for was a general (student) visa. Basically all you have to do for this is an application form (which is pretty simple compared to others I've seen), a picture of yourself, a permission form from your parents if your a minor (I just went online and printed one that I found), and your passport which you will have to leave with them so that the can put your visa inside (it was kind of unsettling to hand over my passport). In addition to this I had to have my guarantee forms, my certificate of admission (from my host school), and a rotary hosting guarantee form. 

So that is how I applied for my visa. It's supposed to be ready to pick up on July 9th but I am going to be in Alberta for 2 weeks, so I'll just have to pick it up when I get back. 

Also on Wednesday, July 2, I had to do a presentation about myself to one of my rotary clubs that is sponsoring me. I was extremely nervous but I made them laugh a few times which is always a good sign. I talked a bit about my family, and a few things I like to do. Then I talked about my host school and family. My mother also added her own 2 cents in. 

It was difficult to get up that morning because the meeting started at 7am, which meant that I had to get there a little bit early to set up my PowerPoint. I was exhausted, especially since I had to go and babysit for the rest of the day afterwards. 

A friend gave me a book titled "A Bilingual Handbook on Japanese Culture", which is awesome. It has a lot of information in it ranging from; the country of Japan - traditional culture - modern Japanese lifestyle - japan seen through its nature. 

I cannot wait to read it!

Also while I've been in Alberta I was able to buy some Japanese language books, which I have been utilizing to the the fullest.
                                                      さよなら!! Bye!!

Host Information

こんにちは!! Hello!!

So I have just recently got some very exciting news. I know who my host family is and I also know my school. In my family I will have a host mom, dad, and an older sister. They have 4 cats (which is fine by me since my family has 2). When I was looking at some of my forms, I noticed that my host dad is not only going to be my councilor, but he is also the president of my host rotary club.... no pressure there.

 My school is so cool. The uniforms aren't the cutest, however they are not sailor uniforms (which I am thankful for because I don't really like that type). and I was looking at their website and it looks like they have a lot of clubs so I am looking forward to that.





I must say that I am a lot more nervous then I was before. I was thinking about it the other day and I can't believe how quickly it is coming up. Only 1.5 months and then I leave! I can't wait!!!
さよなら!! Bye!!

Quick Update

こんにちは!! Hello!!

Some exciting news! I got my host city!!! It's name is Kakegawa and it is located in Shizuoka Prefecture

I have also gotten my flight tickets!

I leave on August 22. I depart from Vancouver at 6:00am (which means I have to arrive at 3am, which means we have to leave the house at like 1:30am.... it's going to be a long day). I arrive in L.A. later that morning. I will then have to spend the day at the airport because I don't leave till 3:45pm. I will then arrive in Tokyo at 7:15pm on August 23. A total of approx. 26 hrs. I'm tired just thinking about it.

Rotary Conference

こんにちは‼ Hello!!

So this past weekend from May 1st to 4th I went to my districts conference. There I was able to meet both the inbounds (those who are from another country doing there exchange here) and the outbounds (from here going to another country). It was really cool to meet everyone and it got me pumped for my exchange year. I want to go so badly, it can't come soon enough! 

Over the course of the weekend we had a lot of laid back time but we also had to do some stuff. We did have more orientation and it was quite helpful to hear the inbound students talk about there experience so far and the advice they could give us. Also every lunch and dinner we had to spread out to different tables (we could never go to a table with people we knew) and talk with the Rotarians. It was really nervewracking because I'm not the greatest at small talk. But it did go better then I thought it would. We also had te opportunity to meet more exchange students from the district next to us (they were having their conference at the same time). It was an amazing weekend. Not a lot of sleep though 😝 

We also got our pins for our blazer, which I have already started collecting on. 

Anyways, if you have any questions about the conference, feel free to ask!!

さよなら！ Bye!!

Orientation and More!!!

こんにちは!!! Hello!!!
           So in my last post I  mentioned I went to my sponsor club interview... well a lot has happened since then. I had my district interview on Feb 27, and it was like my first interview but they went in a lot more depth of what is expected of me and the types of questions they asked. At the very end they sent me out, conversed amongst themselves, and when they called me back in, told me I was accepted into Rotary. For Rotary you have to give them three options of countries (in case they can't get your 1st choice) so... my first choice was obviously Japan (no questions there), 2nd was Germany and 3rd was Austria.
On March 1st I had my first orientation. It was just me and three other girls from Chilliwack (I was the only one from my hometown). A lot of the things that were discussed I had already heard in the interview and is just plain common sense.We talked about some of the rules; the 4Ds (NO drinking, driving, drugs, and dating), also what to do in case of sexual and/or physical harassment. Touched briefly on banking options, also things like engaging in your host country (not only with your host family and school but also at Rotary functions with Rotarian's - networking). Talked about travel insurance, visas, and plane arrangements (briefly). What else..... haha, we also were told that we will probably gain weight while overseas! We also had an inbound student from Germany who came and was able to answer some questions and give his input on some things. At the very end of the orientation we were told which countries we are going to. For the other three girls they are going to, Peru, Germany, and Argentina.
And I am going to...... (drum roll please)...... JAPAN!!!!

                                    Mt.Fuji is also in my district 

I am so excited, I couldn't stop smiling for at least half n' hour afterwards. I was really anxious to hear about where I was going because apparently every year my district has had someone wanting to go to Japan but couldn't, so I was extremely lucky, which I am thankful for. Overall the orientation was a little boring but still very very helpful.

There is in fact way more students then just the four that was at the orientation (it was only those in the area) in my district. However, I will meet the rest of them at our District Conference in May. Its over the weekend so I'll have plenty of time to get to know them. At the conference apparently we are going to discuss a lot more thing in depth as well as have opportunities to try out the language of our host country (if there is someone there that can speak it) and more exciting stuff.

That is all from me... I'll keep you guys updated. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
さよなら!!! Bye!!!

Introduction

Hey everyone!So lets start off with my name, Abigail. I am 17 years old and coming up I will hopefully be going to Japan. I have wanted to go on an exchange for a long time and have been preparing to do so. I picked Japan because I absolutely love the language and the culture. I find how they do things fascinating. And in the future, after university, I would like to go and live there.
Because the deadline for the 2014-2015 year has already come and gone, my district is kind of fast-pacing me through the application process. I got the application at the beginning of last week and just earlier today I had my first interview. The rotary application process is very thorough. For example in the rotary application I have to not only get my medical done, but also my dentist... stuff done. The interview was nerve wracking to say the least. My mother and I had to actually go to a different building and sit in a conference room with 4 people for the interview. They interviewed my mother first, then me, then they did us together. I was really nervous, but I made them laugh so that's always a good sign. So far it looks like I have a very good chance of getting into the program as well as going to Japan (but we'll have to see... even if I don't go to Japan I will still be going on an exchange). If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask and I will make sure to update right away on anything new happening with this rotary process.