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Hi everyone back home here's my next Rotary
Report,
I have learned a great deal about the culture
in these past almost 7 months and I have learned a lot of the language
as well. I have finally settled everything from my accident and I have
moved from my 2nd into my now third family. My 2nd host family, quite
different from my 1st, is also different from my 3rd and 4th. Yes, they
are all different. Recently made not one but 3 scrapbooks of my
advantures so far, and even picked out 150 of my over 1500 pictures to
put into my scrapbooks. The weather here is a cool 0 - 3 degrees celcius,
it either snows of rains, and roads ice over and melt at midday but
generally, no particular pattern to the weather, and it seems to be much
warmer this year, than most years (according to the locals). I am making
absolutely no progress in my club; but I am learing now intermediate to
advanced Japanese. I am also going to the Rotary meeting maybe twice a
month, going to Sapporo once every once in a while and I've met the new
Austrailian Rotary exchangees from ... Austrailia. I was afflicted by
the influenza two weeks ago, and was kindly served on hands and feet by
my host mother, who caught a cold two weeks later. My host brother also
caught the Influenza, but not from me, and his immediately cured after a
day on the medicines he recieved. I, however was misdiagnosed and had a
102 degree fever for 3 days, went back to the doctor and got the proper
medicine (America's Tamiflu, I believe), and healed in 1 day! To those
who go to Japan, don't get the flu, they put you on I.V. and give you 7
different kinds of medicines. And take your blood twice to make sure the
medicine mixes safely with your blood. And make you do it all over again
if you get misdiagnosed, and then give you a big shot in the muscle of
your arm for the fever that eventually grew to 103 degrees after three
days of being put on cold medicine, and rub it into your muscle, so it
hurts 3 weeks later. All in all it was fun, I missed a week of school,
and even got a few e-mails from my friends asking how I was. Too bad I
gave them my delirious reply of how tasty the powdered medicine tastes
(In Japan, they prefer the powdered, bitter medicine, that they
otherwise put in capsules in America). I went to the snow festival in
Sapporo, but because I had the influenza during its peak days, I had to
go the last day, and all the snow was dirty and melted. It was my first
time just walking through the big city, looking at the huge buildings
and department stores with my host sister and host father, it was fun, I
even bought a 2004 almanac for 25 dollars which is twice as much as it
is in America. "It's an import that's why", is what everyone said, when
I told them how surprised I was. My new host family is an extended
family, host mother, host sister with host neice and nefew? I didn't do
anything recently except move my host families which was terrible;
because I had to move at 10:00PM on a Sunday. I unpacked some clothes
for the next day, and the next day is today! Needless to say, I have
been getting my sleep at school. I thought I was making friends with
everyone last week, and then this week everyone seems distant again,
that's the way it goes. Making friends seems to be linked with the
fitting in in the society like the nail in the wood (or so they
explain), though I've thought it changed from that in the new times, and
I'm the last to fit in anywhere! Anyways, it's going to be Spring soon,
and maybe if I'm lucky I'll leave Hokkaido, or even the
Hakodate/Sapporo/(farmer region), at least once in my stay. I was hoping
for Tokyo, but now I want to go to Kyoto (more history there), but of
course both would be nice, the exchange students all want to arrange
something like a tour of the whole country, but it is doubtful for us
here in Hakodate, or in Hokkaido all together. It seems to be each
individual has an individual chance to go whereever. There don't seem to
be any Rotary trips, outside a few meetings/orientations and such in
Sapporo. I've had lots of fun at my second host family, and have talked
with them about all the controversial issues Rotary says to avoid; but
it seemed that they didn't have the right impression, so like civilized
people, we talked frequently about world issues and customs, and the
war, and yes a bit about prez. Bush, and all that, chicken influenza,
BSE. I explained how it was merely my own views and what I have seen,
and they told me they know that, but because they hear things of America
only from news and Movies, they want to know what an America thinks of
certain things, and what It's REALLY like in America; don't worry
America you can be proud of me, your no longer the fat, rude, war
mongers, who like big sizes and eat hamburgers; at least to one family
in Japan! Though it is a sad fact when I heard that these things are
what they feel America is; really heartbreaking! And I did it all in
Japanese, and countless drawings, and constant dictionary usage; and
professional-like charades! Hope this report doesn't make people think
badly of anybody, I hope it just makes people think. That's all for now
folks! Can't wait to show ya'll my scapbooks!!!
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