Best Buddies

Me and my friends went shopping in Hamamatsu. There's a huge mall called Shitoro there. So we went shopping then for lunch we went to this restaurant and they had this dessert that was like a big square of bread with the inside cut into squares. Then it had honey on it and a scoop of ice cream on top! It might sound weird but it was DELICIOUS!!! Then of course we went and took Purikura :)

Me, Mie (top), Shizuka, Kana (bottom)

These are my best friends!!!

Gamagori

I went shopping with my cousins in Gamagori! It was super fun! After shopping we went to a movie then took purikura! haha it was way funny because they're all over 25 and didn't really know what to do.

Nagoya Dome!

Yesterday my dance club performed at the Nagoya Dome. Holy cow that place is HUGE!! It was this big concert thing where tons of schools from the Aichi prefecture came and did stuff. We had our own little dance that was awesome!! Then we danced with all the other clubs to finish it. All together i think there were about 400 dancers! Crazy huh!! It was really tons of fun! There was this huge monitor where it zoomed up on different people. It made it look so cool! I can't even explain it, but it was the best!

After the dance portion they let us go out and watch the rest. So me and my friend Mie went to go look for some seats. One of the usher ladies came over to us and said that she had 2 seats so we went with her. Well when she said that she had 2 seats we figured she meant 2 seats together, but no she put us 5 rows apart! It was the weirdest thing but it made me laugh way hard.

Wind!

Yesterday the wind was crazy! So me and my friend had some fun taking pictures. Skirts, long hair, and crazy wind don't mix so well. :)

Ear Piercing

A while ago after dance we were all sitting in the dance room and usually everyone starts doing their make-up or their hair or something. Well i looked over and a bunch of girls were piercing their ears! uaheahaeua it gave me the chills!

This is how Japanese teenage girls pierce their ears.

Tests!

This week was mid-term tests……AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! We came to school for 2 periods and took 2 tests then went home and studied for the next day’s tests. I really don’t think I have ever studied so hard in my life! It was like studying a completely new thing because I basically had to memorize the questions in Japanese and the answers.
So I got my tests back and well… 本当に　やばい! …. I didn’t do too well. 　

My scores ranged from 13% to 98% so it was all over the place

I don't think i've ever gotten so low on a test before. AND i studied my butt off! But i know it's okay because i'm still learning japanese.....also i don't think i was the worst in the class. I'm pretty sure some kids scored lower than i did. I'm actually impressed with how much i studied for it. I don't think i've ever worked so hard.

Break!

My dance club has a couple of boys and they do all of the break dancing. So a couple of days ago they had a battle with this group from Korea! It was the coolest thing ever! First the group from Korea had a little performance… It was sort of weird… no, it was really weird. They did this one dance and in the middle they all came into the crowd and said あいしてる　あいしてる　(I love you) to everyone. Anyways after that they battled! I loved it! I love break dancing! It’s so cool!!!!!!

This is one of the senpai from the 3rd year (senior)

2nd senpai

This one is my age

Pretty awesome huh!!

Aquarium

There are a couple of girls in a foreign exchange program that live by me. They’re from Spain, Italy, and Vietnam, but they all speak English. So we all went to this place (I don’t remember the name) and went to a museum for pearls. We also got to watch some pearl divers. It was actually pretty cool they showed how they make them and everything. Well after that we went to an aquarium. It was so cool because the lady we went with got us a “behind the scenes tour” So we got to walk around where the workers go and saw the fish up close. The guy even let us touch one of the huge ones I don’t remember what it was called but it was awesome! Oh and then he took us to the roof where they have the show birds and I got to hold it!! It was kind of scary but I’m so happy I got to do it!

Typhoon

There was a typhoon yesterday! It came right into the Aichi prefecture, which is my area. So school was canceled! I’ve never experienced a typhoon before so I didn’t know what to expect. It came when I was about to go to sleep. The wind was so loud! In Japan they have an extra cover type thing you put on the doors and windows when typhoons come. So they made lots of noise shaking. The wind was so strong it sounded like it was going to blow the whole wall down! It was really hard for me to go to sleep but finally I slept. Then the next day I stayed inside all day. I sort of wish I would have gone outside to feel how strong the wind was, but I didn’t. Nothing was really damaged at my house, but some old places were completely destroyed.

ぶんかさい

I helped put this up! Boy was it heavy!

This weekend was our school festival. I'm pretty sure it's one of the biggest things they do. They have it every year and they start getting ready for it months ahead of time. It's really amazing how much work is put into it. Well this year with the new influenza going around my school decided that they would only let parents come to the festival. It was really sad because this was the seniors last performance and their friends couldn't come to see them. Even still i think we all had a good time.

Anyways first was the opening. My class did a funny dance where all the girls and guys were in the school uniform skirts and we had pom poms. The song was by a famous Japanese girl band. Then lots of other classes performed their skits. Here in japan, or at least at my school, people really go out there when they're performing. They aren't dumb and shy because it's embarrassing. That's what makes it so funny!

After the opening we all went to do whatever our classes decided. Some classes had fun things set up in classrooms and the rest had shops with food or other things. My class decided to sell tropical juice and ....... cucumbers. .... i know it's a little strange. But they were amazingly delicious! Me and couple of other girls made this sign and we stood in front of our tent holding it and yelling きゅり　うってます！It was pretty funny!

Then my dance club performed on this stage that they made. The background was a picture of the little mermaid made out of bottle caps! It was AMAZING! It was tons of fun! The first day we didn't dance too well, and I'm sad because that's the day i got the video of :( ... oh well. The second day rocked! Everyone had tons of energy and all of the boys breaking were amazing! Oh and the second day the whole dance team wanted to do their hair crazy for the performance and my hair has a lot of volume so it was huge!

So after all that fun was over we all sat down as it started to get dark and had a little thing for the seniors. This festival was their last before they had to buckle up and study their butts off. So everyone was crying and it was just great! Then we watched a couple of videos and slide shows and at the very end there were fireworks! This really was the funnest day ever! It's really the best to have something you've been planning forever work out perfectly!

Festival

This sunday there was a big festival in my town. It was really cool. They had these float type thing that people danced on. It was pretty much like all of these guys dancing like crazy and singing kareoke. Then after there was a firework show. Holy cow japanese fireworks are amazing! And the show went on forever! I really wish we could do them in utah too because it was really the coolest thing i've ever seen!

Masks

Everyone here is being really careful with the "new influenza" Our school festival is coming up, and a couple people have gotten it so now our dance club is required to wear masks. Even when we're dancing we have to wear them! It's kind of hard because it gets in the way when you're breathing heavily, but it was way funny the first day everyone wore them. Just try imagining 40 kids doing hip hop with these masks on

I Speak!

I saw this at the train station. Weird huh!

Today I had my japanese tutor lesson, and it went really well! I had lots of different conversations with my teacher. Then after my lesson I talked with 2 other teachers in japanese. I actually had a conversation where I knew what they were saying and I could respond!! WHOOOO!!!!!!! I was すごく　うれしい！！！
Yay i'm so happy! Hopefully i'll get even better to where I can talk with all of my friends too!

Purikura!

Right now i'm at school! There are 3 classes in a row that I don't go to and all of my homework is done so I thought that I would update my blog!

I just figured out that one of my friends in dance also lives in Tahara. So yesterday after dance me and my friend Rio took the bus back to Toyohashi. Then we decided to go do Purikura! I wish they had Purikura in Utah! It's so much fun! For those of you who have never heard of it... it's a photo booth where you have a green screen behind you so you can pick the background. Then after you take about 6 pictures you go into another booth and edit your pictures. You can put on hearts or masks or color your hair or write things. Trust me it's sooo much fun! Anyways this is our Purikura!

Pups

Oh I forgot to mention my 2 little doggies! Emi and Kuma! I miss them so much! Those cute little puppies! They're actually pretty old, but they're little so they will always be puppies to me :)

I miss coming home to Emi's cute face with her ears pushed back. She is the cutest when she's all excited. Then kuma always jumping up and giving me kisses! Nobody else really lets him so he gives me lots and lots of kisses! Emi is always there when you're sad. She always knows so she comes waddling up to you then she sits on you then looks up at you. It's like her saying …. you can pet me and it'll all be ok!.... My doggies have always been there to comfort me. I love them so much! And I can't wait to come home to them running around and jumping up to greet me!

Missing home

All day today I was thinking about home and all of the things that I miss. I don't want to leave here yet, but I am missing things I used to do at home. I already wrote about my sisters so this one's for mama and daddio!

One thing that I miss the most right now is talking with my mom about my day. Everyday after school she'd ask me... How was school, what did you do.... It wasn't like those usual parent/child … How was it... good. What did you do... nothing. We actually talked about a lot of stuff. I loved it so much that I looked for things I could tell her later. Here, because of the language barrier, I can't really do that. And writing down everything that happens is so hard!

Then there's her cooking! Mmmmm!! Anyone that has had a meal made by Kimiko Osterloh will tell you why I miss it so much. The food here is good, but i'm always nervous before I eat it. At home I was never worried about if I would like it or not. Also she would make lunch for me everyday. I know.. i'm lazy and don't do it myself. But I miss thinking.. I wonder what she made today...

Next is daddio! Believe it or not, I miss his jokes. He always put a smile on my face even in the hardest times. I don't blame him for teasing us so much. I mean he has no boys to fight so he has to be a girl and use words! Hehe! Me and my dad would also have some good talks. Whenever we were talking about a song, school ,or anything else we would talk for hours!

If you know my dad you'll know he's always fixing things. Mr. Fix-it! There's never anything that can't be fixed for him. Once he's started on something, he'll never give up... I think I got that from him :) It makes me happy to see him when he's working so hard to figure something out for me. It's then when I can see how much he cares for me.

So that's my parents for ya. It's so hard living without them, but I know that they're supporting me from all the way across the ocean.
Thanks for everything! Love you mom and dad!

Flower Power!

Last night me and my cousin Saya went to a flower arranging class! It was so much fun! This is my creation! Pretty huh! It brightens my room! I love it! If you ever get the chance to go to a flower arranging class, I highly recommend it!


I love the color of this one!

Long Day!

So i'm at the end of my first week of 2nd semester. It's so different from Skyline! Today i was at school for 12 hours! ... 2 of the hours i was traveling so i guess only 10 .. but still Holy cow! It was a very LONG day!!!

My classes aren't too bad. The english classes are easy, of course, just fun to listen to. But the math. Wow!! They're advanced! At home i thought i was pretty good at math, but nope! ...Well i got most of it but there's one part that i didn't get and i can't figure out how it works! Hopefully i won't be too behind. We also have art class, which seems pretty fun. Right now we're starting on a stained glass thing that looks pretty cool. Then for P.E. we weeded! It was really weird, but we got a lot done and i think tomorrow we're playing volleyball.. yay!

It's hard when i can't understand what's going on, but my friends usually help me out. Tomorrow i'm having my first japanese tutor lesson so hopefully that will help me a lot with my other classes. Well 12 hours of school and dance is pretty exhausting! So i'll end here!

おやすみ!

Michael Jackson

My new dance shoes... I love them!

Yesterday we had try-outs to see who would be in the Michael Jackson dance. That dance is way fun because you can just get into it and goof off! Anyways we just tried out in groups in front of the rest of the class. Then he would cut a couple of people and make new groups. So I made the 1st cut. Then he split us into 2 groups where he had us in formations. The 1st group was the seniors in the front, then the juniors, then the sophomores in back. Well in my group there weren't any seniors so he put one junior in the front, then he put me in the front next to her! I was soooo surprised! But it was way fun! And I can't wait to learn the rest of the dance.

Dance

I'm in the dance club at my school. So every day this summer I went to dance practice. It surprised me how dedicated they are. I mean every day for at least 3 hours! Wow! Not to mention it's only a high school club, and most of the girls have never danced before this. But it's tons of fun! I've made so many friends in dance. It's nice because now whenever I see a girl in the hall they always go Ahh!! Misako!

We have so much fun together. Everyone always makes funny faces, or does silly moves. I'm always laughing at dance. Then there are the sen-pai. They make me laugh even harder! They don't usually talk to the 1st years (my grade) but because i'm a foreigner they always say hi to me and try to talk to me in English. It's so funny because they see everyone and say おはよ,おはよ... but to me it's always HI MISAKO!.... How are you Misako..... I love you Misako! Haha it's so funny!

I've got 3 really good friends in dance that I'm usually with. There are some more girls that I like talking and laughing with, but usually i'm with these 3. The 1st is Mie. She's also in my class so it's nice to have her to show me around. Also she speaks some English. Usually we're talking in half Japanese half English.... Japanlish! She has helped me a lot with translating and she's a super nice girl! Next is Shizuka. She is so nice! I don't know her as well as the other two, but she's really nice to me when we do talk. Then last, but not least! Kana! She is soooo cute! She is just a big ball of energy! She's short but it makes her so cute! It's so funny because she's always copying what I'm doing. Most of the time we are making faces or doing dance moves or something. It's funny how you don't need to talk to be good friends with someone.

At dance I can be myself. I'm not the shy, quiet girl that I am in class. Hopefully as time goes by i'll be like that in my class too.

Golfing!

.... I didn't have a picture for this one so it's just random :)

This is the path i walk down every day.

I'm a golfer! Tehe! I hung out with Saya and her boyfriend and they took me to indian food... yummy! ...the nan is huge!! Then we were going to go to a movie. That didn't work out so eventually we just went golfing. It was pretty late so we only went to the driving range. I've never done it before so it was pretty exciting! We had a contest with me and saya against her boyfriend. We had to try to hit the ball onto a green circle in the middle about 60 yds away and he had to try to hit it 5 times. Well we ended up changing it because I had beginners luck... or just skill ;P I learned pretty quick and by the end I hit it 10 times. He only hit it 8 times but he hit 100 yds twice so we gave him 2 points each. Saya..... hehe she wasn't doing to well at the beginning, but by the end I think she got it once! Whoo! Well it was a really fun night and they were really nice to bring me along!

Home!

I hate the airport! After hearing this story you'll know why. Get ready it's a long, emotional rollercoaster!

So Me and my dad went to the airport to try to get me on a flight back to Utah. My family was going home the next day with sachi, but they all had tickets. I was going standby so we thought we should try a day early just in case. The first problem was that the internet site was completely wrong! When we thought we could definitely get on a plane, we were definitely mistaken! Everything was overbooked! It was soooo frustrating! Anyways after we figured there was no possible way to get on that day we decided to head out to a hotel for the night. I have to say one of the worst parts about this was trying to leave the airport! They had to void our passports so we had to wait forever!!! Finally we got out and found a hotel to go to.

The hotel was nice. It seemed like a fun place to stay, but we only had one night there. So we went to our room, ate dinner, and tried to figure out how to get me home. We kept on coming up with all of these ideas then right when we thought we had it, they wouldn't work. I was trying to imagine myself staying in japan while my family went home so that i wouldn't be too disappointed if i couldn't get on a flight, but it was too hard! I couldn't imagine them going without me. I thought .. there has to be a way! there has to be some way that i can go home!

Anyways we came up with a couple of good ideas, and we were pretty sure that one of them was bound to work out.

So the next day finally came and after a delicious breakfast buffet we went back to the airport. There we met up with the rest of my family, then we started checking in. After all of the bags were taken care of, it was time to see if i would make it. So we walked up to the counter... i was extremely nervous! Then we asked the lady and she told us there was no way that i could get on. :( I was still ok because we still had a couple more options for me. So we tried to figure it out before they had to get on their plane. But once again there was no way i could go home that day. So I said goodbye to all my sisters then to my mom and dad. It was so hard trying to be tough then. I thought i did pretty good though, only a couple of tears fell. The hardest part of all was watching them leave. I'm not even sure if i really did that. I think i saw them start walking away then i had to rush to the train to get a hold of myself. I can't even describe what it was like, but i can tell you it wasn't fun.

On the train back home i accidentally sat in someone's reserved seat. I probably didn't look so good .. my eyes were still watery. So he just told me to stay and he found another seat. What a nice guy! After the 3 hour train ride i was finally back! So i went to my room, not feeling like socializing. Then after dinner i went back to my room and decided to check the flight one more time. I wasn't happy with what happened because i felt like i didn't really try everything i could. So while my family was flying back home i figured out what flights i could try the next day.

I left a message telling them i was trying again, then i set out for the airport one last time. For some reason my mood had completely changed. I was full of energy, excited, and hopeful! I got to the airport still happy, but nervous. When i went up to the desk to see if i could get on my stomach was full of butterflies! So i asked her then she told me that there was a high chance of me getting on!!! WHOOO!!! YA! From then on i couldn't stop smiling! Walking through security i had a huge smile on my face and i was humming. I got a couple of weird looks, but that didn't stop me. Nothing could put me down .. i was going home!!!! So i got on the plane and finally came home!

Osterloh sisters FOREVER!

Picking up Sachiko!

After a year and a half the Osterloh girls are finally back together again!! Whoo!!! On the day we went to pick up Sachi, you could feel the excitement jumping out of all of us! Once we got to the temple we were just dying to see her. So we came around the corner searching for her cute face. Then we found her! All of us ran to eachother while screaming then hugging and laughing. It was the best feeling ever! It was like we were whole again!

Being with my sisters is probably the funnest thing in the world! Things that you would never think would be funny make us roll over laughing. We can always find some silly game to play... the ninja game.... the water-push-over game .... trust me it's really funny! And we are masters at movie quotes! After watching a movie one time you'll find us quoting half of the lines. Then when we get together and sing it's amazing how much fun we have together!

When i was little i was probably really annoying to my older sisters .... okay i was really annoying. Tagging along with them, trying to copy them all the time, sometimes even spying on them :) But as we've all gotten older we've all grown so close. So basically i live with my best friends.. well not exactly right now, but we all call the same place home. I love how i have a separate bond with each of them.

Sachi is the smartest one in our family. Anyone who knows her could tell you that. When we went to pick her up I was wondering if she would be any different, but it was the same old sachi that we all love! I love the talks that we have together. She's always encouraging me to be my best self and she gives the best advice! Sachi is the type of person who will stick up for what she believes in. Watching her has always given me courage to stick up for myself and what i believe in. I'm so happy to have her home again!

This past summer i got really close with Mariko. We did a lot of things together. Getting our nails done, going hiking, going to the movies, shopping, playing in the pool, movie quoting.... the list goes on. Mari has always been happy to let me play with her and her friends and i'm so happy for that! Because it's so fun to be around her! She's also so strong! I've learned to deal with my trials by seeing how she handles hers. I think to myself If she can do it then so can I! I'm so glad i got the chance to play with her all summer! It was the best!

Kumi, Kumi, Kumi ..... She is definitely my big sister! Just because she's always sticking up for me and being there when i'm sad. Going to high school with her was soooo much fun! I loved seeing her around every day. Especially at the dances! We would always find eachother for at least one song then we would goof off making up funny moves. I loved being able to talk to her about everything! We could go on and on for hours! There's nothing i can hide from her. She always gets me to talk and tell her what's going on, but i love that about her! She won't rest until she's made me smile!

Even though i'm the youngest, my sisters make me feel equal with them. I mean of course there are the times when nobody listens to me or they laugh at my attempts of trying to tell a joke. but in the end they are always there for me. Whether if it's because i'm not having a good day, or if they just wanna have fun. I'm so lucky have this close relationship with them. I wouldn't trade it for anything!!

I love you sisters!!! Osterloh Sisters FOREVER!!!

Field Trip

This saturday my class had a field trip to the beach by my house. Once we got there we started having relay races. I didn't run the first few, but they were fun to watch. Everyone running and diving for the flags. It was pretty funny! We were split up into 3 groups and we had a contest to see which group could build the highest sand mountain. Ours would have won, but it kind of collapsed right before the time was up. Darn! Then after that we had a 3-legged race... only it was with the whole group! The first group walked. Then the second group sort of ran. Then my group went pretty fast but we all fell at the end. It was funny watching everyone trying to stand up again. It's a lot harder than you think!

So after the relay races we were all just playing around and taking pictures. Me and my new friend Mie went into the water so it was at our ankles then we turned around to take a picture. Well right as we took it a big wave came up behind us and got our bums all wet! It was so funny! and it was even funnier that we got the picture right as it hit us! As you can see we were very surprised.

When all of that fun was over we got on a bus and headed out to a park. There we cut up some veggies and stuff to have a bbq. It was way different than any bbq i've ever done, but it was delicious!! I'm so happy i got to go, it gave me a chance to make some new friends!

First week of school

My first week was pretty good. I was nervous but it turned out ok. On my first day i was sooo scared!!! I had to make a speech in front of the teachers then in front of my class in japanese! I was really shy, but my class was way nice. All the girls in my class were really friendly. They kept petting my head and touching my hair it was kind of funny. Then one girl came up and hugged me out of nowhere. I was so surprised.... it was a little weird but it made me laugh.

Then we had an assembly. The band, cheerleaders, dance group, and drum group all performed for us. It was so funny the cheerleaders were like japanese anime characters. They were all cute and bubbly with all these high voices haha i was trying so hard not to laugh. The band was fun to watch too. They played this fun song and they had choreography to go with the music. Then the drum group was soooo cool!!! but i've always enjoyed watching skyline's drum line so i guess thats why i liked it. The dance was pretty cool too. It was hip hop and they looked pretty good. I'm excited to try it out!

So the 2nd day we went bowling! I wasn't very good but my group was really funny. There was this one boy who would throw it so weird. He would run up from the side holding the ball in his arms then chuck it while he balanced on one foot. Sometimes he would almost fall over haha it was way funny to watch. I'm glad these 2 days have been fun. It seems like i'm going to do fine after all!

We got the Cuzins!

Japan has always been a place where i loved to go to for vacation. So i was so happy to come again, but i was even happier that my cousins were coming along. Me, Mari, Jake, and Mo (the cuzins!)

First the plane ride was soooo cool! I am soo happy that i could fly business because it was AMAZING! the chairs/beds were so comfortable and they had little packets of sleeping stuff for you. Then they served us drinks before anyone else got on the plane and they were in glass cups! and for dinner they set out a table cloth and stuff. It was crazy! The whole time me and mari were like i feel so spoiled!! and all of our flight attendants were soo funny! They all were joking with the "cuzins" that's what they called us.

The next day we went to Disney Sea. It was so much fun and it was raining a little so it was empty! The longest we waited for a ride was 15 min maybe not even that! There was one part where we were just exploring a castle type of thing and mari was teaching jake and mo un (yes) and uun (no) so they were shouting down at people uuun uuun! achi achi! haha it was soo funny! So we did pretty much everything by 5:00 by then everyone was tired so we did our favorite rides one more time then we went to go watch the shows. The bon fire show was so much fun! We all learned the bon fire dance then me, mo, and jake were dancing and shouting "We are dancing!" in a japanese accent while mari was filming us. Then we ended the night with a fire/water show with inspirational music!

After we all got a good night's rest, we headed out to the train station where we said our goodbyes. Mari, Mo, and Jake were on to some fun activities, while i was headed to my temporary new home. It was sad to leave, but i'm so glad i got to spend those couple of days with them!

The beginning

This is the start of a new adventure. A big step in my life. I've never been away from my home for longer than a week or two. So 6 months... I'd say that's a pretty big change. Not to mention i'm living in a completely different country, half way around the world!

At first talking about living in Japan was just a joke. Both of my sisters had gone in college, but for me it was never taken as a serious idea. Then half way through my sophomore year we actually started talking about me going. After many complicated plans, we finally figured out how i could fit this into my high school life. Even though i would have to take lots of online classes to make up for the credits i would miss, i thought that this would be worth it.

I've always wanted to be able to speak to my grandparents and the rest of my mom's side of the family, but there was always that language barrier. That is a big part of the reason i decided to come live in Japan. I figured living in Japan and hearing the language 1st hand would help me improve much faster.

I'm big on adventure. I enjoy finding out things for myself and trying out new and mysterious things. Also ever since i was really little i've never hated being alone. I do like the company of other people, but by myself i never get bored. There was always a kind of freedom with nobody watching or judging what i was doing. Both of these qualities made my decision to come to Japan easier. I knew that i would love exploring the new country, and even if i was alone, i would be fine.

Leaving home was extremely difficult! Thinking about all the fun things i would miss. Going to football games with my friends, having big family parties, going to dances....etc. I'm really sad that i'll be missing out on these things, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and i'm so lucky to have it. So i'll go at it with a positive attitude, and hopefully all will turn out alright!