Dustin - Final Reflection, Spain

My favorite moment of my study abroad experience is definitely trying the different kinds of Spanish food. Although the food offered in the school was not the best it was still amazing to be able to try authentic Spanish food. I was able to try what regular students eat on a daily basis at the school we went to. But I tried the best plates when we went on our excursions. I tried a lot of different tapas. Tapas are smaller portions of a dish, similar to a snack. This allowed me more variability. I think I tried around 15 different tapas, from paella, to tortilla to rabbit meat and even bull’s tail. I enjoyed every single one of them except the anchovy tapa. 

Excursions to anywhere were what I looked forward to everyday. We were stuck in school, a child’s nightmare. It got boring and any outings satisfied my desire to explore. We went to the Centro and various shopping malls in the city. We also went to the beach daily and the supermarket. On weekends we visited cities in Andalucía. This was amazing because we got to sightsee and explore the city on our own. 

Overall this experience was awesome. But I personally prefer a program with a host family more. On my past two trips my host families were awesome and I really connected with them as if they were my real family. On dorming programs such like Spain, you really interact with other kids from various countries more. Do not get me wrong but having international friends is awesome. I learned a lot from all of them that I do not believe I could have learned from a host family, but personally I prefer a host family.

Crystal - Observation of China, July 31st

1) No Blue Skies...I didn't notice at first, but then I went to this "English Corner" where people gather and speak English/Chinglish, and they were like, "DOES AMERICA HAVE BLUE SKIES?" & I was like, "Yeah..."
2) Asians really can't drive.
3) Bao zi (A bun with bread) and zhong zi (Stick bread with a lotus leaf wrapping) is pretty godly tasting.
4) No fire hydrants.
5) Asian guys are desperate.
6) Hooters in China isn't as exciting at Hooters in America.
7) There is no drinking law.
8) Food on the street tastes good.
9) Stray dogs and cats make you sad.
10) PANDAS ARE CUTE.

PS: AUGUST FOURTH IS WHEN HARRY POTTER COMES OUT IN CHINA!

Crytal - China, July 18

I'm safe in China! Except that I'm still on New York time for a bit...& I also feel nauseous sometimes, so if it doesn't get better by tomorrow, my family said they would take me to the doctor. Do you think this is normal?
I'm also homesick around the 3-4am when I suddenly wake up...But during school (my first day was today), I am happy because Americans are there, and I am learning more Chinese! I also played pingpong & painted in school.
I'm just still having troubles adjusting even though my host family is really nice and supportive. I just wish I could speak to them more.
-Crystal

Japan:Eric- July 18

July 18, 2011

Today I woke up at 3 to watch the girls’ soccer match. It was Japan vs. USA. My host dad and I decided to wake up early to watch the big game. I was cheering for USA while he was supporting Japan. The game started at around 3:55 am and my host mom and sister, Mai, came down to watch it. I was surprised when Mai came down, since I would never expected her to wake up so early. When the game was over and USA had lost we all went back to sleep. I woke up again at 11:30 am. I was told by my host dad that today we would be going to a hot spring. I had wanted to try the hot springs in Japan since the first day! We went to eat lunch. I had rice and fried pork, after we went to the hot springs. In the hot springs you would have to go fully naked. In America this would be very odd but since I was in Japan I learned that Japanese people look past this and enjoy the nice spring water. Most of the water was very hot, but since it was raining outside I would occasionally take brakes to sit in the outdoors. It rained heavily since a typhoon was coming towards Japan. After the hot springs we had to take Mai to Japanese school. We brought her a quick snack at Mister Donut. This was Japan’s fast food doughnut store. Afterwards we arrived home and I helped my mom make dinner. At 8:20 Mai came back home from school and dinner was all prepared! I asked my host mom if I can try natto, it had a very bitter taste and was very sticky. Overall I enjoyed to entire day! I finally got to experience a hot spring and I enjoyed spending the day with my host family!

Eric's Update!

This came in from Eric, who was having trouble accessing the blogger:

July 9, 2011

I cannot believe it has already been 2 weeks since I have met my host family. Today I we did not do much. I spent my morning at a local shrine. The shrine is very famous according to my host mom. She decided to take me there since she needed to go to get her brother (my host uncle) a charm. When we first arrived we washed our hands. There was an order. You had to wash your left hand first then switch to your right and once more you had to wash your right hand. After washing our hands we went to pray. Often people would use 5 yen when praying. The 5 yen was different since there was a hole in the middle of it. After tossing the 5 yen in a box you would ring a big bell twice. 

 After praying we walked a few steps to a giant peach. When you rub this peach it would grant you happiness for a year. When we were done my host mom and I went to get charms. I stood around taking pictures. My host mom told me even though that the shrine was small it was very famous. She told me the wooden boards were signing of famous people who came to this shrine. Before we left she brought a few charms. One of the charms came with a fan. She gave me the fan. When we got home she gave me a charm and said it was a gift. My host siblings were not home. And she had to leave for a meeting. My host sister was at piano practice and my host brother was at kendo training. At home I caught up on my journal. When my host siblings came back we headed out to lunch. We ate at a local Japanese restaurant. My host brother recommended me rice and pork so I got that. My host sister got sandwiches. I enjoyed the food; the portions were exceptionally large though. 

 We got back and I watched some television and after we played some Wii. Lately the past week, my host siblings and I have been connecting a lot through Wii. We played Wii Party. They only had two controllers so my host brother would usually sit out and watch. When my host mom arrived back home she had deserts for us. I took the pudding one. After eating the treats she called a neighbor to come over to our house to play Wii. He was one my Mai’s friend’s brother. He was older then Mai and just starting 7^th grade. He was 12, and he spoke English well. I was able to understand him and he introduced himself to me. The three of us began to play. I quickly wiped out my game face and had a passion to win. We played roulette and I won. The next game we played was a board game. Although I had not won this time we all still had fun. Soon after I went to my host mom and we made takoyaki. We all gathered to help. At first I did not get the hang of it, but after watching my host mom twisting and twirling each one I was able to catch on. Mai’s friend had to leave so after he left we ate. The 4 of us had fun making and eating each one! The entire day had been very joyful even though I stayed home most of the time!

Have a great trip!

Don't forget to post at least once a week.  This blog is private to everybody but those who are invited to view it, so don't worry about your posts being public.

Have a great trip, be safe, try new things, and we'll see you at the end of summer!

Julia