Self-Introduction

     It's been quite some time since I've updated this blog. If you don't feel like scrolling through past entries, then I'll just go ahead and re-introduce myself now!

     My name is Sarah Swanner and I live in the United States. I'm eighteen years old and I will be starting my senior year in high school this coming fall. Learning languages was always something I enjoyed, and when I was ten years old I began to have an interest in the Japanese language through my favorite anime, Inuyasha. Since then I have self-studied Japanese for around eight years now, and my exchange trip to Japan really helped me develop the communication skills necessary to have a fluent conversation. It was always my dream to be an exchange student, and during my sophomore year I discovered the AFS website and I sent in my preliminary application.
     I participated on the 2013-2014 academic year program (March 19, 2013 - February 11th 2014) to Japan through AFS Intercultural Programs, and it had to be the best decision I've ever made for myself.  I lived in Osaka and traveled around the surrounding prefectures.
     Since I have returned home, my time is spent either studying for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) or preparing college applications. My goal is to return to Japan as an exchange student in college and study Japanese and/or Asian studies. I hope to be a source of information for any incoming exchange students to Japan for the years to come.
   
     I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue using this blog or not, but I have a new purpose for it now. I've been in contact with some of next year's prospective exchange students to Japan, and I want to share my experience in Japan with everyone who is interested.

     If you are interested in going on an exchange program to Japan one the academic semester or year program in 2015-2016, or if you will go during the summer of 2015 then follow this link to the Facebook page they have created. All of the prospective exchangers gather in this group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/423235941139012/

↑ Here you go!

     I am a member of the group as well, although I am a Returnee. I joined to help them out with any questions regarding the application process or the language and culture.

     Feel free to join the group!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/8353631/?claim=xruwdr3z5yt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

みんなさん

みんなさんってあってるの？

     Hello, everyone! Today I`d like to talk about something that I see a lot, and it has to do with the Japanese word for `everyone.` I have seen many learners of Japanese make this same mistake over and over, so I hope to maybe inform those of you who were not aware of this mistake and of it being wrong. Let`s get started!

First off, I`m sure many of you have seen this word before: みんなさん
Or, perhaps you may have seen this one pop up somewhere as well: みんなさま

If you didn`t already know, these two words are both incorrect Japanese and are not used in either spoken Japanese or written Japanese. If you see it written, it is a mistake.

Let me explain why this is. Let`s go way back to the beginning! At first, we had the word みな. This also means `everyone,` but it is not used often at all. In fact, the only time I have ever seen this word was in old Japanese script written entirely in Chinese characters, called 漢文　（かんぶん）. Here is the link to the script: http://www5.airnet.ne.jp/tomy/koten/soji/soji_d.htm You may have the opportunity to learn classical Japanese in your host school, but of course, this depends upon the school and what classes they choose for you, if you`re not participating in all of them.

In line 13, you can see that the word 人皆 is used, and down below the reading is written as 人みな.
Also, in line 15, the kanji 皆 comes up again and is read as みな. Outside of classical Japanese, I am unsure as to whether or not the word みな is used, but if it is used I would think that it goes without saying that it must be quite a formal situation if one is using it. Okay, lets move on.

So, we have みな, written as 皆 in Chinese characters. However, did you know that it can also be read as みんな? If you`re wondering what the word みんな is, I`ll explain it to you!

Basically, it is the most informal way to say `everyone.` It is very commonly used, especially with friends and family. When we add in the letter ん and replace a part of a word, this is called 撥音化　（はつおんか）.

Examples:
ぼくのうち　--- ぼくんち　（うち　house)
あまり　　　 --- あんまり
~のだ 　　　--- ~んだ
しらない　  --- しらん


As it is an informal word, you would not attach the respectful title -さん to it, making　みんなさん, which is wrong. Likewise, attaching the very formal title -さま to create みんなさま is also wrong. So, let`s review what we`ve learned so far:

1. As a casual expression, one cannot attach the respectful titles -さん or -さま to みんな. Furthermore, みんなさん is difficult to pronounce and sounds unnnatural if you do.

2. When written in Chinese characters, called かんじ in Japanese, the Chinese character 皆 can either be read as みな or みんな. However, if one were to attach the titles -さん or -さま to 皆, the reading of the Chinese character is limited to みな.
皆さん　：　みなさん
皆様、皆さま　：　みなさま

It cannot be read as みんなさん or みんなさま.

For reference, here are all the words meaning `everyone` and their level of formality:

みな original word　（本来の言葉　ほんらいのことば）
みんな casual speech　（ため口　ためぐち）
みなさん semi-formal, respectful language （尊敬語　そんけいご）
みなさま formal, respectful language （尊敬語）

Here are some links to other explanations:
http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1056678155
http://lang-8.com/681939/journals/43698442949978887537996084485752851257

Well, that`s the end of this lesson! I only have about thirty some odd days left here in Japan before I leave and return to the US. My departure date is February the 9th. For those of you coming to Japan for the 2014-2015 year program, here is the link to the Facebook group where all of those students are gathering:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/129962473832762/

荷物 Luggage

     Today I sent an eight kilogram box filled with my summer garb to my mother in the US. I had expected it to cost around two hundred dollars, but to my surprise, it was only sixty eight dollars. Wow! I decided to send it by boat (ふね） instead of airplane (ひこうき） so that I could have more money to spend on last minute souvenirs (おみやげ） for friends and family. I had a bunch of summer kimono (ゆかた） packed in the box as well. I plan to give one to a friend, as it does not suit my taste all that much. I`m also beginning to write my farewell speech that I`ll deliver in front of my school. Once I finish it, I will upload it onto this blog for everyone to read!

Best regards,

Sarah Swanner 須和奈　星羅　（すわな　せいら）

Learn Japanese: Basic Verbs

　

日本語の基本的な動詞　

 

＊にほんごのきほんてきなどうし＊

     Hey guys! For those of you getting ready to depart for Japan, whether it be a year or a semester or even a summer program, it`s important to learn a little Japanese before you go so that you don`t feel so lost, right? If you have just started studying Japanese, or have been learning for around a year or so, but feel like you aren`t prepared or that you need more matierial, here is a list of some of the most commonly used verbs that I can scrape up off of the top of my head. These are verbs that you will use often yourself, and will hear others use these in conversation and in written context. Whether you`re at school, at home, or at the train station, these verbs will be of great use to you! Let`s get started!

いく　(行く） to go
くる　（来る） to come
もどる　（戻る） to return, to come back (もどってくる）
かえる　（帰る）　to come home, to return home (かえってくる）
あげる　to give (you give to someone; someone does a favor for someone excluding yourself and those related to you)
くれる to give (someone gives to you; someone does a favor for you or someone in your family)
もらう/*いただく　to recieve, to have someone do something
*いただく　is the respectful form of the verb もらう 　　　　｛そんけいご　尊敬語｝
はなす　（話す）　to speak
しゃべる　（喋る） to talk
いう/ゆう　（言う） to say, to tell
どなる　（怒鳴る） to yell
なく　（泣く） to cry
わらう　（笑う） to laugh
ほほえむ　（微笑む） to smile
おならをする　to fart, to pass gas
はく　（吐く）　to vomit, to puke
くしゃみがでる* to sneeze
げっぷがでる* to burp, to belch
あくびする to yawn
*（でる＝出る）
たべる/くう*　(食べる・食う） to eat, to consume
のむ　(飲む） to swallow, to drink (often used in the expression くすりを飲む to take medicine)
かむ　（噛む） to bite, to chew
Ａでむせる　（咽る） to choke on A
*食う is male language and is not a very polite word to use, especially as a female.
のる　（乗る） to get on, to ride (train, bus, etc.)
おりる　（降りる） to get off (train, bus, etc.)
のりかえする　（乗り換え）to switch trains
まちあわせる　（待ち合わせる） to meet up, to rendezvous
むかえにくる　（迎えに来る）to come and pick someone up
むかえにいく　（迎えに行く） to go and pick someone up
つくる　（作る） to make
つかう　（使う） to use
すてる　（捨てる） to throw away, to get rid off
おす　（押す） to push
ひく　（引く） to pull
Ａにぶつかる to run into A, to bump against A
きる　（切る） to cut
おぼえる　（覚える） to remember
わすれる　（忘れる） to forget
おもいだす　（思い出す） to recall, to come to mind
おもう　（思う） to think
かんがえる　（考える） to decide, to think about, to consider
かんじる　（感じる）　to feel (emotions, etc.)
あるく　（歩く） to walk
はしる　（走る） to run
すべる　（滑る） to slip
ける　（蹴る） to kick
たつ　（立つ） to stand
すわる　（座る） to sit
おきる　（起きる） to get up, to rise, to wake up
ねる　（寝る） to sleep, to go to bed
ねぼうする　（寝坊） to sleep in, to oversleep
てつやする　（徹夜） to stay up all night, to pull an all-nighter

Best regards,

Sarah Swanner 須和奈　星羅　（すわな　せいら）

お正月 （おしょうがつ） New Year

     Hello, everyone! It`s December 12th, 16:00 right now here in Japan. I thought I`d update everyone on what`s been going on here in Japan and with my exchange. It`s definitely winter, that`s for sure. In the Kansai region, during the summer it`s unbelievably hot and during the winter it`s butt-freezing cold. Yet as cold as it is I must continue to wear my uniform skirt to school. I`ve caught a cold three times already, but I made it to Japan so I won`t complain!
     The New Year holiday is fast-approaching, and with it come mail from AFS informing me of my nearing departure. Everyone here is busy writing New Year`s cards, or as they say in Japanese 年賀状　（ねんがじょう）. For those of you learning Japanese, here are some great phrases to remember during the New Year holiday:

・　明けましておめでとうございます　（あけましておめでとうございます）　Happy New Year
・　今年も宜しくお願いします　（ことしもよろしくおねがいします）  I'll be indebted to you/relying on you this year too

There are also these two expressions, which mean basically the same thing as what I mentioned above:

・　謹んで新春のご挨拶を申し上げます
(つつしんでしんしゅんのごあいさつをもしあげます）
・　旧年中はひとかたならぬお世話になり、誠にありがとうございました　
（きゅうねんちゅうはひとかたならぬおせわになり、まことにありがとうございました）

That`s it! Pretty easy, huh? Try to write some Japanese ねんがじょう　to your friends and family in your country and share they Japanese culture with them! According to the Chinese calender, the year 2014 is the year of the horse, so all ねんがじょう will have a horse drawn on them. Here is an example of a ねんがじょう!


 

 


     My New Year plans include visiting my host grandmother in Kyoto and and taking a trip to Tokushima to stay at a hotel on the beach! I`m going to save up my money and buy a furisode to wear on New Year`s day when we visit my grandmother. It`s going to be cold, but I`ll be okay, hopefully!

Best regards,

Sarah Swanner 須和奈　星羅　（すわな　せいら）

 

Long Time No Update

     I haven`t updated this blog in a while, and for that I appologize. A lot has happened since I arrived in Japan, so I will try to cram it all into this one post. Hopefully it won`t be overbearing! So to start with, I arrived in Tokyo the evening of March 20th. The group of twenty adventurous American teens, including myself, filed into Narita airport and proceeded to get our residence cards. It was a long line of gaijins, but we managed to make it through. One of the AFSers was half Japanese, so she had Japanese citizenship and therefore did not have to wait in line. Sure sounds nice, huh? After we got our residence cards, and they are by no means the most flattering pictures either, we trollied on down to the first floor to claim our baggage, then hopped on a bus outside the airport that took us to a fancy dancy hotel. Riley Keenan was so tall that he had to bend down on the bus! Once the bus pulled into the driveway of the hotel, we again claimed our baggage and dragged the blasted things into the hotel lobby, where we waited for further instructions from the AFS volunteers. It was here in the lobby that I met my Norweigian friends in-person for the first time. Oddveig and Carina and another girl whose name I can`t recall greeted us warmly! Riley, Miranda, and I were so happy to see them. We would often have google chats with them, and to finally see them in-person was pretty awesome. My other Norweigian friend, Serina, was somewhere else. I can`t remember! Whoops!

     At the arrival orientation the boisterous group of twenty Americans met the rest of the world going to Japan. Never in my life have I heard so many languages spoken all at once in the same room. It was mind-boggling, to say in the least. There was Spanish, French, German, Italian, Norweigian, Danish, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai, just to name a few. Well, and English as well, of course. We met girls from New Zealand and Australia! After we loaded our plates with whatever food there was to take, we sat down at a table with some other teens. It was quite an eclectic group, let me tell you. We talked about our reasons for wanting to go to Japan and compared our flight lengths. 

     The next day we were grouped according to our regions. The newly made friends said their goodbyes to those who were placed far away, and we all got on our respective buses and were soon on our way. My bus was headed for Osaka. The drive was about seven hours, I believe. On my bus there were Americans, Thai, Norwegians, Mexicans, Danish, New Zealanders, Russians, and one girl from Paraguay. We sang the popular songs of our countries the whole way there. I`m sure the bus driver wanted to throw something at us!

     Once we arrived in Osaka, we parked the bus and walked to yet another orientation site. This time, the orientation was three days long, I believe. We stayed at a youth hotel, and here we were instructed on how to take on the world of Japan. We recieved two booklets; one booklet was on Japanese grammar and the other contained around one hundred kanji to be learned. We discussed Japanese manners, customs, and language. The volunteers gave us tips on how to handle various situations, and we discussed what to do in an emergency. All in all, it was a fabulous time. Inside the hotel was an onsen, and all of us girls didn`t know that we had to take off all of our clothing. It was a nice start to the many culture shocks to follow.

     Once the orrientation came to a close, the group was again separated, but this time it was according to our chapter. Some of the chapters left with other chapters because they were close together. That was the case with mine. In my chapter, Mishima, there are only two AFSers: myself and Hao, a boy from Malaysia. We commuted to the station with an AFS volunteer and another small group of a different chapter. From here, each of us branched off to where our host families would meet us. I was the first to go in my chapter. I was greeted by my liason, Sugo Hiroe, and my translator Hitomi Matsumoto. We exchanged greetings and talked for about a minute or so before my host sister arrived. This was the first time I saw Nao. She had seemingly just finished with a club activity, for she was wearing her school uniform. She walked up to me, played with a couple of strands of my hair, and said, "Kawaii!"

     Together with my host sister, my liason, and my translator, we walked to where my host mom had parked her car. We loaded in and my host mom drove us to her house, where we all sat in the living room and discussed AFS things. After my liason and translator left, it was just my host family and I. From here began my new life in Japan.

      I also met Nao`s cousins,Yosuke and Kosuke. Kosuke took us to Starbucks and bought us coffee. Well, he bought me coffee and Nao a shake of some sorts. Nao doesn`t like coffee! The following evening Yosuke took us to a large city called Shinsaibashi. It`s really like a huge shopping area of the city. There are so many people congregating in such a small place. I saw gang members, lolita, and all sorts of people. It was wild. Yosuke took us to take purikura, which are like cute versions of the photobooths in the USA. They make your skin lighter, and your eyes bigger. I kind of looked like a blue-eyed catfish, but it was fun, nonetheless.

     So after a couple of weeks, school started. I had to write a speech for the opening ceremony. I stood in front of around eight hundred students and faculty and delivered my elementary level self-introduction in Japanese. It was nerve-wracking, but I managed to do it. The next day was my first day of school. I swear, you would have thought that I was Harry from One Direction or Beiber, because the girls nearly passed out when they saw me in the hallway. I`m not exaggerating, they literally screamed. Some even begged me to take a picture with them. I gladly did so, I mean, what could it hurt? My class is ２年８組、or second year, class eight. There are forty-one students in my class, including myself. I take chemistry, bioligy, computer, health, PE, math 2 & B, classical Japanese, modern Japanese, home economics, calligraphy, geography, and English W and 2. I always take notes, because I want to bring them back to the USA and show everyone what the work looks like in Japan for high school students. In English class I participate fully, but as for classes like chemistry and math, its too difficult for me to comprehend. I understand single words and sometimes full sentences, but the chemistry lingo in Japanese is way over my head! I at least know how to say `oxidation reaction` in Japanese, but I`m not sure how useful that will be in the long run.

     All in all, everything is as it should be. My host family is more than what I could have ever asked for, and my host sister is a riot, I love her to death. On weekends we often go hang out with other nearby AFS students and go to amusement parks or go shopping in the big cities. The best part is eating dinner at Nao`s part-time job, Kiraku, which specializes in ramen and udon. I hope someday I can bring my family and friends to Kiraku!

    Until next time!

    

あと１６日！

関西弁

うちのホストファミリーは大坂府に住んでいると、ほんまに興奮していました。ずっと前に大阪へ行きたかったから、ちょっと関西弁を習いました。いつか、ぺらぺらになりたいんやけど、もっと関西弁を勉強しようと決めました。ときどきめっちゃ分かりにくいやで！

標準語って関西弁よりもっと米国に住んでいる生徒に使われます。そうやから、関西弁ってあんま知っておりへん。日本語の学生がいろいろな方言を知っておるのはほんまに大切って思います。これから、日本におってる間に、いくらのブログは日本語で書かれるかもなぁ。

ほな、しんどいやから、寝る！おやすみ！

Time Flies

     Only seventeen more days here in Oklahoma. I can't believe time has flown by this fast. It seems like yesterday that my friends in AFS Japan had posted something along the lines of "250 days until we leave," and now it it February 27th, 2013 and seventeen days away from my departure. I can remember back in August of 2012, looking at my balance of $13,200 on my application and wondering how in the world was I going to manage a feat of 13K in seven months. Well, with the help of generous donors and Global Leaders, I have chipped that mass down to $0.00. 

     As of today, I'm officially going to Japan. My domestic ticket is booked, my yellow AFS luggage tags came in the mail last week, and I have my host family and host school information. I will be living in Ibaraki City, in Osaka prefecture. I have a host mom, dad, grandmother, and two host sisters who are fifteen and sixteen. My school is Mishima High School, and I start April first. I can't even begin to express how ecstatic I am. This has been a dream of mine since I was a little child of ten. If things had not worked out the way they have, and I was not able to go to Japan, I would have had no qualms about getting wonderfully lost in another country through AFS. It would have been quite an adventure to have gone to, say, Turkey or Norway. However, my ticket is booked for Japan this year, and I'm going to delve into their culture like a fish whose been out of water for far too long, and it has been.

     What has really surprised me is that by going to Japan, I would learn about other cultures like French, German, Norwegian, Dutch, and Paraguayan. These are just some of the people who are embarking on the Japan exchange with me. I've made friends with people around the world just by wanting to go to one place in particular. Now I have every intention of traveling the world with these friends. I hope that in the next twenty years, I can be sitting at a little cafe in Paris with my French friends, or a museum in Germany with my German friends, or watching the snow fall outside of a warm house in Norway. Perhaps I will be living in Japan, and my American friends may join me. We will be reminiscing of our life in Japan as a group of brave and adventurous teens who were ready to brace the world.

     There's a quote that I've heard since elementary school, "Be the change you want to see in the world," and at that time I didn't have an inkling as to what I could do to live up to that quote. How could a little ten year old me do anything to have an impact on this world? Six years later, and as of March 20th, I'll be putting that phrase to the test. With the ample opportunity that AFS USA has given, and with more than 175 young individuals my age from all around the world, we'll be that change.

AFS Japan Facebook Groups

* AFS Japan 2013-2014 Year Group

http://www.facebook.com/groups/280217615414626/

* AFS Japan 2014-2015 Year Group

http://www.facebook.com/groups/129962473832762/

* AFS Japan 2013-2014 Fall Semester Group

http://www.facebook.com/groups/271215156330165/?ref=ts&fref=ts


     Those are all of the groups for this year and the following year trip. If you're going on one of the above programs, follow the link and request to join! 

New Members!

Bonjour! Hallo!

    Today our group added two new members, a girl from Germany and another girl from France! I'm so excited to meet all of these people from around the world. I never realized that I would be meeting people from other countries by doing an exchange with Japan! I'm trying to learn how to say basic phrases in everyone's native language. Dutch is new to me! Here's what I've learned so far:

Hallo, mijn naam is Sarah. Hoe gaat het? 
(Hello, my name is Sarah. How are you?)

     Hey, it's a start! Anyways, I will be leaving for L.A. in sixty-seven days. In about ten weeks, I'll be in Tokyo! All of this just completely flabbergasts me. Time flies by so fast. It was only six months ago that I was added to the AFS Japan 2013-2014 group on Facebook. Now the members are all my good friends. On the AFS Japan (general page) I spoke to the exchangers who went on the 2012-2013 trip to Japan and I learned a lot of useful information. I can't wait to join the kyuudou club (archery) if my host school offers it. If not, I'd love to take shoudou (calligraphy) or maybe I'll get brave and take a whoopin' in kendou (wooden sword fighting.) 

    

New Group

AFS Japan 2013-2014 Academic Year PARTICIPANTS

    Hey guys! There is a new group for those who are participating on the 2013-2014 academic year to Japan. So far we have found eleven members including myself. I was told by my volunteer that there are only thirty spots available for the year trip, so maybe there are more going that we don't know about! If you're going on this trip, follow the link provided and either I or Riley (the admins) will add you to the group! 

 http://www.facebook.com/groups/280217615414626/

     We have two members from Paraguay, one from France, and one from the Netherlands! So cool! The rest of us are Americans. I created an even for the gateway orientation with the date, time, and the address and phone number of the hotel where the orientation will take place.

Tuition Update

Chipped the Ice!

     I have $9,770 left to pay on my tuition. We've come a long ways since a foreboding total of $13,200! I have three months left to scrape up this amount, due on the first of March. I'm hoping I can make it. Spending money and uniform can come later, I just need this tuition cost to go away. I'm perfecting my letter that I'm going to send out to my local civic groups. 
     I got my flight itinerary in my email a couple of days ago. I'll be leaving March 19th at 12:15 PM (12:15) from LA and arriving in Tokyo on March 20th at 4:10 PM (16:10). I'm so excited to meet my new friend that I've made through the AFS Japan 2013-2014 Academic Year PARTICIPANTS group on Facebook! There are thirty spots available on the year trip to Japan, and I already know seven of them! It's amazing. Two are from Paraguay, and one girl is from France. I'm learning some Spanish in addition to French. I started learning French three years a go, but it's so cool to actually get to use it with a native! My state has a large Hispanic population, so I'm familiar with Spanish, but by no means fluent. I can't wait to get more members from around the world!

Additional Paintings

"Miao Hmong" 24 X 48, acrylic with lanterns, $500 each

"Diao Chan" 8 X 16, acrylic, $150

Art Exhibit

"Kkot" 16 X 20, $250

                                   Jane Champlin Art Exhibit

"Maiko" 16 X 20, $250

I was given the opportunity to feature and sell my artwork at an art exhibit where I live. It was amazing! I did eight paintings for this exhibit, all acrylic and all depicting Asian women of various nations. I had four paintings sized 16 X 20 and priced at $250, two paired paintings sized 24 X 48 and priced at $500 each, and two 8 X 16 paintings priced at $150 each. None have sold quite yet, but it's really helped get my cause out into the public!   

"Chain" 8 X 16, $150

"Kasa" 16 X 20, $250

"Girls in a River" 16 X 20, $250

  

Successful Fundraiser

Buck's Party Shop

     Today I played my violin at a party shop where I live. I played popular Christmas songs, both religious and secular. I was paid $70 by the owners, and earned $50 something in tips. After counting up my stash, I scraped up $135!  Great success! My tuition is down to $10,201! Hopefully at my next fundraiser I'll chip off of that $200. I'm doing an art exhibit at my local symphony. I'll be sure to hand out cards with a link to my blog so that I can get more donations. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! 感謝祭おめでとう！Now Christmas is rolling around the corner, and it's time for me to send out my financial plight to the civic groups in my town. Hopefully they'll be willing to donate at least $20, if not more! This December 1st, I'll have only three months to get my tuition paid. It must be paid in full by March 1st. I hope I can make it! 

I'm Going to Japan!

I Got Accepted!

AFS just sent me the e-mail informing me that AFS-Japan has just accepted my application! I'm really going now! I'm more motivated now than ever before. Fundraising has just gotten even more urgent. Thank you to whomever generously donated to my ChipIn button! That $230 combined from three donors helped me so much! My total left to pay on my tuition is $10,336.68. My art exhibit is coming up soon, so I'm hoping that I can knock off the $336.68 at least. Please, if you can't financially donate to my cause, share my page on Facebook or on Twitter. 

Hangouts

Chatting with Friends

     For the past three months I've been a member of the AFS Japan 2013-2014 Spring Year group on Facebook, and in those three months I've made some amazing friends. This group was created to unite all the AFSers going to Japan on the same program, but it is now more of a group for those interested in Japan and its culture. Together we discuss our favorite things about Japan, our troubles with the numerous kanji, and we help each other untangle complicated grammar. It's a learning tool, but also a great way to form friendships with people just like yourself. My school, Enid High School, hardly has any people interested in Japan. Sure, we have those people who watch tons of anime and read piles upon piles of manga, but my interest in Japan runs deeper than that. I want to learn their language, befriend their people, and immerse myself in their culture. To my knowledge, most everyone on the AFS Japan group shares these interests. 

     Recently, the group has decided to start group chats through Google+ hangouts. Now we can hear each other's voices, and we can practice our spoken Japanese with one another. This helps a lot with pronunciation and thought process. Believe it or not, it's harder to process thoughts in Japanese and speak than it is to write in Japanese. While learning your kana and some basic kanji would benefit you, learning to quickly respond to spoken Japanese is vital. These hangouts help us achieve this skill. 

     For those of you who are interested in joining the AFS Japan group, follow this link:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/111819918949340/

     Anyone who is interested in Japan is more than welcome to join, however, as an admin of the group I must make some things very clear. 

1) The AFS Japan group is visible by AFS staff and volunteers and therefore the use of profanity or other such derogatory terms is strictly prohibited and will result in your deletion from the group. 

2) We understand that some members have studied the Japanese language longer than others, and while we encourage those with more knowledge to share what they know, we do not wish to have any arguments or belittling because of a lack of knowledge. Language differences must be discussed peacefully. The AFS Japan group is intended to be a learning tool and a source of information for those prospective exchange students to Japan.

3) As the AFS Japan group is intended for the study of Japanese culture, language, etc., please refrain from posting unrelated topics on our wall. (eg. clothing store links, unrelated YouTube links, app requests, Farmville updates) 

 

Great News!

Scholarship Update

     Unfortunately, I was not selected as a finalist for the two Japan scholarships; however, I was given $1,000 in financial aid from Global Leaders! Thank you so much! I will make sure to write a BIG thank you letter! Now I can easily pay my first tuition installment this month. I had a silent auction at a Halloween party and I was able to raise about $700 that night. Thanks to all of my friends who graciously bid and to Jill Phillips for helping me out so much. I didn't manage to get pictures of my artwork at the silent auction, but I have photos of others I can share. 

River Girls

16 x 20
Acrylic medium
Vietnam 



     This has to be one of my favorite paintings I've done. Most of my paintings are based on Asian culture and the Asian people. Depicted in River Girls are two Vietnamese women walking in a river together. This painting was bought for $200. This painting took me about two hours to paint. Prints are available if anyone would like to have one. 

 

                                                    Rain Girls

                                                                   (3) 8 x 16
                                                              Acrylic medium
                                                                    Vietnam

                                                         Hanbok

                                                                          16 x 20
                                                                  Acrylic medium
                                                                     South Korea 
 

                                                  Yasaka Jinja

                                                                       16 x 20
                                                               Acrylic medium
                                                                       Japan



     Those are a few of examples of what I paint. I have about $10,500 left of my tuition to pay. Wow, to think that number used to be $13,200! To think that with the help of friends, family, and Global Leaders I was able to cut down about $2,700! I was allowed time to raise my tuition until March 1st. Thank you AFS!!

Revisions Out

Here Comes the Wait

     Just finished my revisions for my full application to the Japan Spring Year 2013-2014 program! Now enters the virtue Patience! In the mean time, I will be scraping up $1,500 for the tuition installment due on the first of November, just in case I'm not offered a scholarship. Never hurts to be prepared! I'm going to write a letter about my cause and send it out to all the civil groups in my town to see if I can get any donations. I've got a plane ticket that costs around $2,000 estimated. There are a lot of things I need to save up for. If you'd like to make a donation, mosey on over to the right of this page and you'll see a donation box called "ChipIn". This is a tax-free, safe donation. Any amount is greatly appreciated!