Dear Rotary,

this month was very eventful! One thing I did this month was participate in a tea ceremony at my first host mom’s friend’s house. It was really fantastic getting to wear a kimono too. Sadou is so beautiful and traditional that I am so fortunate to have been able to witness it.

 

 

 

 

 

Another thing I did this month was go to Kurashki with my new host mother and sister. It was so lovely there and I loved getting to see the leaves change color for autumn. We went to a very nice restaurant for lunch and an incredible art museum. 

 

 

 

 

 

My host mom came with me to the ceremony and afterward, together, we had the opportunity to celebrate Mr. Oharas’ birthday with him and his family. Since I had never seen a Japanese birthday party before, it was very interesting to try and notice the differences between my home country and this country’s celebrations.

I also got to spend some time with my new Japanese friends this month! Because everyone is always really occupied with clubs and school they hardly have any time to just hang out at the mall, so it was great having the chance to see people outside of Joto. We just went shopping and did some purikura, but it was a very cultural experience for me. In America, we don’t have purikura or arcades in the midst of malls so I really enjoyed doing those things and becoming closer to my friends.