Particpants' Impressions Nayu Noro： This was both my first time traveling to America and traveling outside of Japan, so at first I was very nervous. I was also apprehensive since there was no one else the same grade as me going (worried if I would get along well with the others). But that worry quickly disappeared. The first 2 or 3 days were normal, but after those first few days the trip became a lot of fun. Also, I’m very grateful for the host family that took me in even though I could not really speak English. They took me to an Easter party and made opportunities for me to interact with other people. They also did many other things for me. It was a very fun homestay. Also, I am very glad that I was able to go to all sorts of places everyday. The first day we went to the zoo, I was very impressed by the panda and capybara. Afterwards I went back to my host family and they took me to an Easter party. From the second to the fourth day we saw several different things. Lunch was hot dogs. The first one was very good. We were able to go to the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Archives, etc. It was really good. The thing I thought was particularly good was the Spy Museum. There were a lot of materials on spies, it was a lot of fun; there was also a souvenir shop and I was glad that I was able to do a lot of shopping. I was also impressed at how kind the store people were. Then, on the night we stayed at a hotel we ate at a Chinese buffet. After a long while I was able to eat rice-based food. I was really energetic. The next day we went to Colonial Williamsburg, it was huge. It was a British colony, I’ve never been to England but I thought that it was really British-like. There were also a lot of stores and I did a lot of shopping. At times I was overwhelmed by doing things and seeing things for the first time everyday, but everyday was different and fun. When I left I had a lot of worries, but now I can’t even remember what I was worried about. Compared to before we left, I think I was able to become good friends with the other participants. I’ll never forget going to Washington and my home stay, I want to make use of these experiences. I am grateful to my family who let me go to America, to my host family who took me in, and to many other people. Thank you very much. I want to go to America with the same group again. Saki Hatsusawa： After a 13 hour flight I finally arrived in America. It was evening when, but I could tell this was not Japan and I was really moved by seeing tall buildings lined up like I had seen on TV, driving on the other side of the road, and seeing scenery that I couldn’t see in Japan. Things that were so different from what I had seen before that I would gasp every time seemed to just appear one after another. For example, the thing I noticed the most had to have been the meals. Each meal was really big, the hamburgers and drinks were big, and I got full really quickly. Every time we walked down a road there were yellow covered stands and we would get hot dogs or ice cream. There were lots of different kinds of ice cream with different flavors and colors, I was really surprised by the large scale of varieties. As the trip progressed I gradually got used to hearing English. However, when I talked with my host family I couldn’t understand their English and could only answer with a “yes” or “no.” But, at those times my host family would make me practice and would ask me questions and make me use easy English. Thanks to them I think my English improved a little. Now I want to work on not just my listening ability, but also my speaking ability as well. It was a short trip, but I was really happy to be able to see the Lincoln Memorial, the Spy Museum, the White House, and other famous buildings. While we were there cherry blossom trees that Japan had given to America were in bloom, it made me happy to think that this was a country that shared a relationship with Japan. Since the plane was late our trip was extended by a day, and before reaching home I was able to look back on the memorable time I spent in America. The thing I will remember the most is how nice Americans were. There were a lot of nice Americans and I was able to make good memories. It was the best memory and I will never forget. The world is a big place and there’s a lot I still don’t know. On this trip I believe I was able to travel, challenge myself, and grow a little. I will never forget this trip, it was widen my perspective, and I want to put what I experienced to use in my life from now on. Kei Sugawara： This was my second time going on this kind of trip, but frankly I felt lost at times this time too. Like last year, I was worried about what I would do if I didn’t understand the language. This year’s Washington and last year’s Utah are in the same America but the atmosphere, culture, and everything else was completely different. It made me realize that America is really a huge place; I also thought how much fun it is to learn about America. The place that left the biggest impression on me was definitely the Capitol. I thought of how this is where American history begins and continues on, I was very happy to be able to go there. Washington, DC and a free feeling and I felt good being able to spend 10 days there. Now that I’m a high school student, I want to keep this trip alive in my day to day life from now on. I am grateful to everyone at KIS who planned this trip, to my parents, to Andrew, and to Ms. Takahashi. Aoi Kimura： This was my second trip outside of Japan. The first time was to Taiwan on the same KIS trip as a first year junior high school student. Since Taiwan is an Asian country located very close to Japan, the culture, food, etc was very similar and I wasn’t very worried about any cultural differences. But America is the opposite of close and is located very far way, but it does a lot of trade with Japan. So I thought that in America there were things like Japanese food being eaten all the time, etc so I wasn’t very worried about cultural differences. When I actually went I saw that Americans didn’t take their shoes off except for sleeping at night and almost never had rice with their meals. Praying before eating was also a cultural difference I thought. After the first few tiring days I wanted to take my shoes off and eat some Japanese food but Elisabeth worked hard to make meals and they were very good. I felt that the prayers were like the very short “itadakimasu” said in Japan. My homestay was an older couple where the mom, Elisabeth, was French. Elisabeth didn’t like cooking and spent one to two hours each day preparing dinner for us. Since she was French I had difficulty understanding some of her English but I was happy that she was kind and caring. The father was sick and after the third day went to a hospital in another state. Megumi’s throat hurt and I had some allergies, but through this we were able to experience everyday life. We were a burden to Elisabeth but we each day was full and enriched. As for sight-seeing, I liked Lincoln as a historical figure so I was glad that I could see the Lincoln Memorial. There were a lot of places with tight security but they didn’t ask questions and we were able to see all sorts of things. American McDonald’s, hot dogs, meals, were all large and the hearts of Americans were on the same scale I think! Throughout this trip I received help from a lot of people and encountered a lot of good people in America. I particularly liked DC. Next time I definitely want to save my money and go on my own. Thank you very much. Daiki Tsutsui： This was my first trip to America. Furthermore, since this was Washington DC, America’s capital, my expectations became higher and higher each day. Then it was the departure day. After we finished the long flight and arrived in America it was 3 in the afternoon America time. Even now I remember having a strange feeling. Thinking about it now it must have been the infamous “jet lag.” This was my second time going to another country; the first time was to Singapore. But, Singapore’s time is different by just one hour so I did not have any jet lag then. So I was finally able to come to America, but as soon as I met my host family Sam and Chase, who were about the same age as me, invited me to go see a movie. I couldn’t refuse, so one minute after arriving I left to go see a movie. Of course I was tired having just finished a long flight, so I don’t really remember what the movie was about. According to Chase, I fell asleep after the first 20 minutes. Afterward, even though various problems occurred, I was able to finish my America experience. However, those 10 days did not just go by normally, each day left a strong impression on me. I saw the White House and Washington Monument in person when I had only seen them in movies and pictures before, interacted with various people, went through metal detectors countless times, our flight was delayed, and then I had a sad departure from my host family that I can’t fully describe. These were the fullest 10 days of my life. I also have the memory of becoming able to talk with the other members of the group that I wasn’t able to talk with before. On this trip I faced a lost of problems. The biggest one was communication. The next time I go to America I want to improve this point; in addition I need English ability, so for now I need to study. Next time I want to go to New York. I don’t know how many years it will take but I want to learn something there. But that means before that I’ve got tests to take. Ami Kudo： This being my first time going to America, I was worried about how difficult conversations would be. In Japan even though we practice a lot of English grammar, once it comes down to using it, it is really hard to instantly make sentences in your head. Also, I felt that my expressions and reactions would also be really important. Even when I couldn’t understand the words, I was able to understand a little through facial expressions, reactions, and gestures. At my homestay I learned some English and Spanish. It was big help that my host family used easy English words. Also, they gave me a really warm greeting and taught me all sorts of things everyday. I learned about America, El Salvador, and their worship when they took me to their church on Sunday. My host mother teaches a class about Christianity at church for kids. The day I went to church was Easter Sunday so I was able to talk with the kids and enjoy some Easter candy with them as well. In Washington DC all the buildings were big and there were a lot of famous places on the National Mall. We went to the White House, the Washington Monument, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, and many other places. The design on the walls and the pictures inside were very beautiful, and were supervised very strictly. Also, at the Arlington National Cemetery, we saw a huge number of graves. On this trip there was a ton of things I had not experienced before, but I’m glad I was able to learn a lot, and that I now have a greater interest in America and the English language. I am going to make use of what I learned and work even harder on my studies. It really was a fun trip. (For pictures of the trip, click here.) 　Nayu and her host familly 　Saki and her host family 　Kei and her host family 　Aoi and her host family 　Daiki and his host family 　Ami and her host family