Day 10 Part 1: Yokohama family Goodbye

Thank you so much ! ありがとうございます！！ 

Day 9: Yokohama Hostfamily

Eric:We first went to Machida to go shopping. We also played some claw games but all we won was two jelly beans. Then we later went to downtown Yokohama where there was a huge burger festival happening as well as a scavenger hunt for stamp locations which we did.

Isabella:We went to see the ocean at Enoshima and the shrine there was so beautiful!! Because it was super hot, afterwards we stopped to get some cold soba. When we returned home, my host sister and I got to have a yukata photoshoot.

Maison: Today was a blast I got to go to see a beautiful shrine, and climbed up Ooyama! I burned around 1150~ calories doing such. Then later we had sashimi for dinner and went to a festival where I hung out with my host brother and his friends it was a blast!!

Ben:I began the day by walking around the local neighborhood where I went to various different spots, like the public library and the local temple. Then, me and my host family went to the heart of Yokohama where we went to the Pokemon center there and various other spots. I also tried the flavored shaved ice, it was insanely good!

Txuj Ci :Today I went to karaoke for the first time and it was super fun even if I had a hard time reading compared to singing. After that, we went to the (Shonen) Jump store and saw fireworks afterward which were super pretty.

Karson:Today I went to the Odowara castle and saw a great view from the top and learned about its history. Then we went to a foot only hot spring, and ate some really yummy Soba!

Kael: We went to the top of edoshima tower and saw a very pretty view. I tried whitebait today it was very good.

Emma:In the morning I went with my host brother and mom to the Enoshima Aquarium and walk along the ocean! And in the afternoon I went to a shrine famous for its お地蔵さん statues and hydrangeas, after that went to Komachidori street and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu which was all so amazing!

Chai, Bodhi and Lilah went to Enoshima Island.

Chai: Enoshima was a blast of fun! I went with Lilah and Bodhi with two volunteer guides helping show us around to see the beautiful sea and shrines! I then went to rest and go to the shopping mall with my host mom to get some souvenirs and delicous chocolate.

Bodhi: During the morning we went to enoshima and it was a lot of walking but very cool and full of fun stories and history, and standing on top of the sea candle was awesome! After that me and my host mom went to a second hand store and there was so much to look at and everything was in great condition even though it had age.

Jianna: I went on a hike with my host family and saw a huge buddha statue! Then afterwards we went to Kamakura and went to the samurai museum and temple. It was tons of fun and super pretty! I would love to go to Kamakura again to see more of the historical sites.

Lilah: In the morning, I went to Endoshima with Chai and Bodhi, it was really fun and super interesting to learn about the history and culture there, and I ate a delicious parfait and the best fries I've had. In the afternoon and evening, Mai and I wore Yukatas and it was nice to be able to pick a new style compared to last time, we even met up with my other penpal Chizuru! She lives in Yokohama so we all went shopping together and talked, it was super special to be able to meet her!

Saphira： In the morning, we went to see the daibutsu temple in kamakura, it was so big and you could even go inside the Buddha! We also went to a few other small shrines and temples around Kamakura. And during the night we went to Yokohama to see the nightlife and I also got to see so many cool sports cars and bikes drive past :) My host brother and I went on one ride in the Yokohama amusement area and we had so much fun! We also went to Chinatown, which is where we ate dinner together 

Day 8: High School Class and activities

High school day at Hakuyo High School in Yokohama!

9-10 Biology (experiment)

10-11 School tour

11-12 Chemistry

12-1 Lunch 

1-2 English (communication)

2-3  Physics 

Lilah: Lunch was really fun, we were able to talk to people we have met or even some new people and got to eat bento boxes with them! It was interesting seeing everyone and what they're parents brought them for lunch and the differences in America and Japan.

Eric: The physics class was fun but also super confusing. My table was a lot of fun so it wasn't as bad as it would've been. I'm glad I didn't take physics in high school.

Jianna: In chemistry we got to help the students with fulfilling an experiment that was assigned to them. It was super interesting to see the crossovers between Japanese chemistry and American chemistry along. We had to use lots of team work with a mix between English and Japanese to get it all figured out. Tons of fun.

Karson: English class was so much fun! Me and my team got along really well and we're cracking so many hilarious jokes, I could hardly breathe from how much I was laughing the whole hour!

Mason: Biology was interesting; I’m not a fan of biology, but I guess it was kinda fun. Meeting a bunch of new people was really awesome and most of them were very nice.

Ben: It was so fun sharing my drawings during lunch! My food that my host family gave me was delicious as well. It was really interesting how lunch works in Japan compared to America.

Emma: The school tour was amazing! The students knew so much about their school, and made sure to tell me. I was so surprised they had an outdoor pool! Also there was so much greenery everywhere.

Kael: I had lunch with 3 people today. I showed my picture book and explained it to them. I had I really yummy bento for lunch.

Bodhi: Biology was really fun. We did a lab about enzymes and how different solutes react with pig liver and hydrogen peroxide. After testing all of the solutions, the liver with just water was the most reactive one.

Saphira: During the school tour I got to see the garden outside and they showed me the trees that the school is based off of. I also got to see the art room, music room, and also the gymnasium! :)

Isabella: Today we got to go to school with our host families. The school is beautiful! Unlike the middle school, the coursework was familiar yet challenging. Chemistry was especially familiar and it felt like doing a lab back at Memorial. Even if it was a little challenging to interpret, it was still really fun to be immersed.

Txuj Ci: I really enjoyed talking with the students who were learning English, and I was surprised by how eager and smart they are. We did a lot of exercises to help communicate, like "2 truths and 1 lie", and that was super fun trying to figure out what the lie was!

Chai: Physics class was interesting to see in Japanese since they have different names for everything. But sometimes it was a bit difficult to follow. Besides that, it was fun doing the simulations and figuring out how to calculate for a point for x like 67m. Everybody was respectful and kind in my group.