Sorry that I took so long to write something up but I finally got to get to a computer and now I am going  to  give you a recap of what has happened in the past few months.  

Well, right off the bat I think I should work backwards because so much has happened recently as well.  first off, I moved today to my fifth host family and things seem to be going well right away. I like this  family because I feel very comfortable around them. I know their son because he goes to my school and he  is someone I get along with. Their house is awesome because its so laid back!

 Though the bad thing was that I had to say goodbye to my fourth family and I have got to know them all  so well. My fourth family was my longest stay with a whopping four months to back me up. It may not be  the longest stay for others, but when you are moving every month, its a huge change.

 I am loving the changes because I feel like I am getting to know all the different kinds of people. Each of  my families have been different from the last and I am surprised at how much they common they have anyway.

 Another thing that is surprising me is how I am picking up the language now without really trying. I thought I would never get it down because it was taking me so long to even grasp the basics. But over the  spring break I feel like I have improved greatly and everyone around me is noticing it. Except for my exchange friends because we speak our native language around each other, the majority being english, but   also am strengthening my spanish like a mo'fo! Its good to know that I can go back home knowing that I have a mastery of three languages instead of having a grasp of a new one and lagged on my previous ones.

 And about my month long spring break, It was great! I have never had so much fun throughout they year  than I did during the break. During the winter break I just spent the time with my host family and my  friends which was great, but I didnt get to do anything new. But during this break, I went skiiing twice. IT  WAS DAMN AWESOME! I have never seen snow in my life besides snow made out of the back of a  dump truck with a snow shaver strapped onto it. Even that was fun for me, but man, Miami SUCKS  compared to the snow states! What do we have? Beaches? They dont stand a change against a good snow  ball being pelted against your face and the pure ego trip one gets when he out does  a two year old's  snowman with one of his own 3-4 times its size with a sign that says "Quit your dayjob"

 Some people might say that is real mean, but me and m friends had a lot of fun doing it! And then after  that we tackled the mountains where I fell more times than there were feet going down the mountain. It    was awesome, painful, but great. I wanted to try snowboarding as well, seeing that my second time around  I actually had a choice, but there was a misunderstanding and i got stuck with skiis again...

 Oh well, fun none the less. Oh, for the first trip which fell on the first week of March was brought to you by the  letter S (School). An all expense paid trip to Hokkaido, home of the other Floridian!

 My second trip was a joint cooperation of Rotary and Rotex. Basically rotary gave the thumbs up and left us in the care of the Rotex Members with Shindo Kondo-san as a chaperone. I did not have as much fun on this trip because  there was much tension in the air because everyone was real exhausted from the 9 hour bus ride from Osaka to  Nagano prefecture. 

 But none the less, My friends and I had a great time and played all sorts of card games until the wee hours of the  night just before we were woken up at a godaweful hour to be sent out to skii... ((this is where our Ownership- Claiming Snowman totally got all up in that Two-Year Old's snow man))

 The rest of the time I met new people and actually practiced and reviwed a few lessons of Japanese (that lasted for a  few hours each day for the last few weeks when i felt that I owed it to the people who brought me such a great  vacation)

 Well, now school has started up again and there is a new Exchange student that has come into my school and we have both decided to run the school (in that "We're exchange students" type of way). His name is Adam and he is from Austrailia. He isnt here through Rotary, but through AIIU (Australia International Institute of Understanding) and he is taking my place once I leave the school in a few months. We get along well and we are helping each other out with studying and what not.

 But dont get me wrong, Home is still in my mind and now more than ever. I wouldn't be dragged off screaming if I  were told to go home right now, but I'm not bent on getting home. I am going to enjoy the time that I have left  because what would have this exchange have taught me if I were to quit when I am so close? It would totally be contradicting my reason here and really disrespect those that were responsible of getting me here in the first place.  Not to mention my parents which paid for most of it! Man, anyway.

 My flight home has been arranged from Tokyo so its not my part to get my arse there in time! I plan to take the  midnight express bus, but I know I am going to regret it. And if I am there a day early, hey, there is only one other  person I know who might be in the area and he might be the only other person crazy enough to sleep in a capsule hotel. (I would do it, and it sounds like fun, not to mention an experience... sleeping in a pill like bed... right..))

 moving on

I don't think I made this report what I wanted it to be because I feel like I wanted it to be like something else, but I  am not gonna start over now. I finally got this done and I would hate for it to disappear.. ::knocks on wood::

 Damn, better send this quick

 Signed

Frank

 PS; I have Zen (hit me with a stick) training this weekend and then my visit to Hiroshima. Fun stuff... Expect a report about my reaction towards each, I hear  the latter changes people. Ja Ne!