EIL Intercultural Learning

As my overnight trip to Tokyo was so jam-packed and amazing, I thought it deserved a whole blog onto itself :P

I've been home from Japan about 2 weeks now, but I was so busy for my last few weeks there that I still have a few more blogs to update!!

I thought I`d call this blog entry `Time Flies` because I literally cannot believe that I only have..what...11 days left in this country!!!! As usual, I`ve been kept very busy and have loads of stories to tell :)

Wow what a crazy busy week I`ve had!! Thank God I`m keeping a diary or I`d never be able to remember everything!! Last week I got to meet the city`s Mayor, which was nice. We chatted for a bit about Ireland and Japan, and he gave me presents (a book voucher and a clock that allows you to figure out the time in every time zone: pretty cool!).

Today I cycled home from school as usual, got stuck in a thunderstorm and was soaking wet. There was no one home but on the table there was a big bowl of mashed potatoes that my host mother made for me and a note saying `enjoy`!! I`ve turned them Irish already :P

I started High School on Thursday and it`s been really good. The classes are fairly boring as I havn`t a clue what`s going on so I mostly just sit and read (or sleep!! :P). I love the art class, and there`s English club at lunchtime and after school every Tuesday and Thursday so I help out.

Well I just finished my 3 days of Junior High School and it was brilliant!! It was my first taste of school in Japan, and it really is so different to Irish school!! First of all, right beside the school is a gorgeous Japanese shrine. It felt like the school was in the gardens of Blarney Castle or something!!

as i`ve been experiencing so much of the japanese culture, i decided it was time to give my host family a taste (literally!) of my own irish culture by making some irish food. as anyone that knows me is aware, i am no talented chef but my host mother had told me that she loved baking before i came to japan so i brought an irish cookbook as a present and she was really taken by the look of the potatoe pancakes, or hash browns. my host mother is very talented in the kitchen but couldn`t really understand the recipe and the steps were foreign to her ,so that left it up to me....uh-oh!!

well i`m here in suwa a couple of days now so i thought id give an update. i`m not starting school until monday so since i have arrived i`ve had the chance to ease slowly into life in japan :]

I am very excited to be starting my travel blog as it wasnt so long ago when i was reading the blogs of previous winners and dreaming of getting an award!! i had meant to begin this blog before i left for japan, but i am fairly technically challenged and couldnt quite get the hang of it!!

i am writing this from the home of my host family (who are so lovely!!) and the temperature outside is about 35 degrees. after catching 2 planes, 2 buses and a train, i have finally arrived!!