Jordan
May 22, 2007

After the 2:30 a.m. wake-up call, I could already tell that this was going to be a good trip. By 3:15 a.m. we were ready to make our drive to the Spokane Airport. After flying through Seattle and San Francisco, we were finally ready to make the 11-hour flight to the Osaka/Kansai Airport. As we took our seats on the plane, all of us felt a sense of excitement. The first few hours of the flight went well; we were given complimentary drinks and the choice to watch one of four movies that were being shown. After the first seven hours we began to get restless, due to the bad airline food and cramped quarters, and were all ready to get off the plane and continue on the trip.

After we got off the plane it was definitely evident that we were in a different country. Being confronted with signs we couldn’t read, and a language most of us did not understand, was a little unnerving at first, but I’m sure it was good for all of us to be exposed to a different culture. The bus ride over to Seiwa College was exciting as we passed two accidents and watched as our bus driver narrowly escaped his own accidents as the roads got narrower and narrower. When we arrived at Seiwa, we were greeted by about 20 smiling, waving angels. We all felt like celebrities as they took our bags up to our rooms. We met in the dorm kitchen and had a very American meal consisting of Domino’s pizza, and then we went over the dorm rules and realized that we have to be on our best behavior while we’re here. After that point, the only energy we had left was reserved for showering and bed. It was a very, very long day.