My Trip to Kyoto and Osaka!

I stepped onto the ferry and got to the room where I`d be staying with my friend Mizuki and four strangers for the night. First time on boat for 11 hours straight; I prayed I woudln`t be sick. But even being sick couldn`t put a damper on my mood, I was going to Kyoto! AND Osaka!

After a night of restless sleep, we arrived in Kobe, where we took a train to Osaka. After cramming our luggage into a tiny locker, we had the entire day to ourselves. And only one place we really wanted to go. America-Mura! It seems a bit ironic to go to an American-themed place when I finally got the chance to go to Osaka, and to be honest I was a bit skeptical at first too. But once we got there, all doubt faded away.

Us with our shopping bags

America-Mura is basically a shopping neighborhood for people who are into `American` fashion, which means tons of Adidas, oversized hoodies, and bright colors. For Mizuki and me it was heaven. As soon as we started shopping I knew coming with Mizuki was the right choice, because we share a similar, slightly crazy sense of fashion. And America-Mura is perfect for anyone who wants to be different from the norm. Every store person was incredibly kind, and we got clothes discounted several times just from being friendly. It was truly the best way we could have spent the day!

Also got to try famous Osaka takoyaki, which kind of tastes the same as every other place ahah. This could be because Miyazaki, the place I`m living now, is said to have the most delicious meat and fish in Japan. So even when I eat out at restaurants in Kyoto and Osaka, I find myself craving Miyazaki food.

Osaka`s takoyaki

After getting home late, we were up early once again to spend the day in Kyoto. This time, our day was carefully planned out. First, we went to a Kimono rental store. I chose a blue kimono to help bring out the color of my eyes, and Mizuki chose a black kimono because it gives off a cool image.

Every minute I was feeling closer to Mizuki, and even though it was my first time meeting her, I loved Mizuki`s cousin Tamami too.

The first shrine we went to was the famous gold shrine, which is either painted gold or made out of gold. It was absolutely beautiful. As expected, there were TONS of tourists rushing to take pictures, and we took plenty as well. Also ate matcha icecream with gold flakes on top!

Delicious!

After the gold shrine, we went to another shrine that I can`t really explain with words so I`ll just show a picture.

The time at this shrine was really fun! It was a lot of walking, but they also had really delicious food and we met a kind stranger. He was taking a selfie and I jokingly posed in the corner of the photo, and he laughed and had us all take a selfie together. We saw him later and he sent me the photos!

Such a nice dude!

Also, since we were in kimonos, people took our pictures without asking. That was something I did not expect. Whenever I noticed people taking our picture I`d always pose, which usually made them laugh and take more. One Chinese couple swept up behind us and very forcefully took a picture, but that was also a fun experience.

After that shrine we went around and ate a ton of matcha flavored things, like cake, yogurt, etc. After all, Kyoto is famous for matcha!

We spent the final day shopping for souvenirs and shopping in Kyoto, too worn out from the past two fun-filled days to really do much. And then we were on a plane and back to our life in Miyazaki!

Taking the JLPT This Weekend!

I`m now in a mad rush to study Japanese for my Japanese Language Proficiency Test this Sunday. Of course, I`ve been studying Japanese the whole time I was here, but started studying specifically for this test for around two months ago.

There are 5 levels, N5 being the lowest and N1 the highest. I`ll be grappling with N2, without having previously taken the JLPT before. May be in over my head, but I will try my hardest!

I prepared for the test by first studying Kanji, then vocabulary, and then doing 3 mock exams to get a grasp of what grammar I need to know. Judging from the mock exams, I actually have a chance of passing! My weakest point is definitely vocabulary, strongest is kanji, and as for listening and reading comprehension it`s a mix. Still gotta work hard and study as much as I can these next two days.

Something unexpected was that I found someone who is also taking the test near me! He`s Taiwanese and goes to my school, but since he`s been living in Japan a while he`s taking N1. So we`re planning on riding the same bus to the test site and then going out to eat dinner afterwards! I`m excited to get a chance to talk to someone from another country and learn about his hometown. He also seems like a pretty funny person.

Overall, I`m a little nervous but determined to give it my all. Even if I fail, I`ll just study more and take it again once I`m in America.

Coincidentally, next week is finals week for everyone at my Japanese school, so everyone else is just as stressed about studying as me ahah. But since I don`t take the finals next week, I`ll have time to wind down, explore Miyazaki, read some books, and study Japanese at an easier pace.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Camilla

Going to a Japanese Birthday Party!

My slice of cake :)

Today I went to my first Japanese birthday "party!" I say party but it was more of a small gathering c:

It's interesting to see the differences between American birthdays and Japanese ones. I'd say it's a bigger deal in America, like "this day is all about me me me!" For example, I know Americans who will start telling everyone around them that their birthday is in two days, tomorrow, etc., while Japanese people will not say anything and the only way you find out is through their friends or looking at social media.

Today was a normal school day, so after getting out of school at around 5:30, I biked home, grabbed my present, and rushed to my friend's house.

The birthday gal and our other friend had already arrived, and we ushered the birthday gal into a separate room while we blew up balloons and prepared our presents. I made a scrapbook with pictures and captions about our memories together. My other friend prepared a HUGE box of snacks. Finally the preparations were perfect!

We placed party crackers in our hand and called out the b-day gal. Surprise!!!

Getting to enjoy a scrumptious birthday dinner really made me think about how much I love Japan. We ate teriyaki chicken pizza (SO GOOD), fried chicken, and a bunch of vegetable based dishes to balance out how much cake we were going to eat.

And that cake.

Ooh my goodness. Japanese cake is a gift from heaven. American cake is far too sweet; frosting tastes like a$$. However, Japanese cake manages to be the perfect amount of sweetness.

My friend loves T-Swift, so the cake has her face on it :O

Laughter rang through the apartment the whole time. Nothing can beat being with close friends and eating good food!

After dinner, we started taking Polaroid pictures with my camera. I'm so glad I brought it! The birthday girl got 6 pictures, while my other friend and I kept 4. Needless to say, I'll always love those pics.

My Japanese High School Class!

It's been a fun few weeks :) I thought that I would write about my classmates, because a lot of them are interesting people that make school wonderful! I won't write something about everyone, but I thought I would write a bit about the people I interact with the most/most interesting personalities.

First of all, there are only 6 boys in my class. I actually prefer this MUCH more than if it was half-half. All of the girls feel free to act like how they normally would, without being shy/acting fake because of  boys. There is also way less of a "clique" feel in my class, and I also think this is because there are fewer boys. In the other departments in my school where the numbers of boys and girls are even, there is definitely a less welcoming attitude.

I'm in the English department at my school, which means everyone genuinely has an interest in English and Americans/foreign things. This is nice as an exchange student from America :) I would like to include pictures of my classmates when I talk about them, but I'm not going to for privacy reasons.

Onward!

First, my closer friends! I'm very close with two girls named Tamaki and Midzuki (even though Midzuki's in another class).

Midzuki was the first person to approach me, and she somehow always understands what I'm trying to say despite my sometimes awful Japanese :O I usually laugh the most with her.

Tamaki seems really shy, and she's really cute so a lot of boys like her, but the little jokes she pulls contrast her shy girl image completely and she's not afraid to show who she really is.

Airi is half-Japanese half-American, and she also loves talking about...rated r stuff...which is SUPER rare for Japanese girls. V amusing!

Kyanmera is an adorable shy-seeming girl who loves k-pop and wants to marry a korean. Also super good at dancing!

Speaking of k-pop, there's also a girl who looks like a k-pop star, she's absolutely beautiful. Her complexion is the best I've ever seen. Her name's Nariho, she's also always smiling and a cheerleader!

I also have a very chill friend, the most chill Japanese person I've ever met. Just being with her somehow soothes my soul (lol). Her name's Amane :)

There's also a super cute girl who loves bears named Chise. I sometimes call her Hiyoko, which means chick, because her personality is just like a chick's.

Misaki is a girl with the loudest laugh I have ever heard. You can hear her laugh from 2 classes down. She's also super funny and outgoing!

Moeka has the disposition of a princess, but her personality is not stuck-up at all! She's easy to talk and the boys in my class always call her Kimiya, which is the name of her boyfriend.

Now onto the boys!

Shuty is short and a lil chubby, so his friends will call him pig sometimes, but he's also adorable. Beat him in arm wrestling!

Yoshi was pretty distant at first, but he's actually funny and I consider him a good friend!

Hibiki is loud and likes to make people laugh. He gets the worst grades in the English department, and he's always making jokes. A lot of girls don't like him at all because they think he's annoying, but I personally like him.

Hunter is half-Japanese half-American, and SUPPEERR incredibly shy around girls. All the girls think he's cool, probably because he's really good at basketball.

Ryuuji. Oh, Ryuuji. He's very attractive, but people are starting to call him a psychopath because he'll start laughing randomly and then stop, and he does really creepy things. He can be pretty mean, but also hilarious! He has a super cute gf.

Juugen is really nice, and tends to eat lunch alone. I consider him my closest boy friend! He's really easy to talk to.

So that is everyone I'm going to talk about. I interact with way more people on a daily basis, but this post would be too long if I talked about everyone!

New Videos! Culture Shock and My School Uniform!

Hey guys!

I have made two new videos, one is about culture shock and the other is a showcase of my school uniform.

Here's the links!

Culture shock
Japanese High School Uniform'

Enjoy :)

Two Months in Japan

Wow. Two whole months in Japan! I can barely believe it, and every time I think about the fact that 1/5 of my exchange is done, I feel like crying. I love it here! Life in Japan as an exchange student feels so rewarding, and I am incredibly grateful I was able to come here. So, two months? A lot can happen in that time! First, I want to talk about Japanese food, and how my body has changed since coming here (not necessarily in a good way lol).

Japanese food is delicious. Any sushi/ramen lover would agree. But, how does real Japanese food compare to the cheap cup noodles that college students live off of? Real Japanese ramen is so delicious that even writing about it is making my mouth water. It is a perfect mix of ingredients, be it spicy or salty.

Tonkatsu ramen from Kagoshima

Karamen from Miyazaki, spicy level 15/25

There were also foods that I needed a little time to get used to. One is umeboshi, which is a pickled plum that is SUPER salty. I didn't like it when I tried it in America, but now I love it! Another food is "raw" chicken. Since my Japanese is not perfect, I could be a little bit wrong, but in Miyazaki prefecture it is okay to eat raw chicken. It's either raw or has very little roasting done to it. The texture is really chewy and feels like chewing slightly hard fat. The taste is surprisingly fine! The taste of squid is also going to take some getting used to; it's really strong.

One thing that has shocked me is how weak Japanese people are to spices. They cannot handle them! Eating spicy hot Cheetos would probably kill some of my friends ahah

As expected of exchange students, I've gained weight :( I don't understand it. because I bike 80 minutes every school day (way more exercise than I did in America), yet I am still gaining weight. It could be the fact that I ate way too many Japanese snacks in my first weeks here hehe! Also, because of those darn delicious snacks, my skin is the worst it has been in a while. Before I left for Japan, my skin was the best it had been in years. Now, my chin is a warzone :( but I won't let that make me insecure about my face!

When you live in Japan as a foreigner, especially if you're in a rural area, you will get stared at a lot. Sometimes, I have fun with the staring and stare back. But I will admit that it does get to me, and I'll find it creepy occasionally. Especially if it's someone older. Not going to lie, I also stare whenever I see foreigners ahah. They're rare here in Miyazaki! 

The nature and views here are beautiful. I'm surrounded by small mountains, and there are lots of rice fields. Biking to and from school, I basically go from the downtown area to rice fields to city again. 

My view of rice fields while biking home

Speaking English has become weird to me. When I hung out with another exchange student after not speaking English for a while, it felt so strange to have my mouth forming sentences. We both had weird pauses in our sentences initially. I will admit, I miss the versatility of English and how fun English slang is! But Japanese is awesome too. I especially love using Miyazaki-dialect, like なんしちょっとinstead of なにしてるの. I want to sound like a Miyazaki native by the end of my stay! 

As for homesickness, I got hit pretty hard in the beginning. But now, I'm completely fine :) Thinking about going home actually makes me sad! I <3 Japan

Since school is the biggest part of my life right now, I am going to make a separate post and a YouTube video for it. I'm also going to be making one for culture shock, so stay tuned~

バイバイ！

My Youtube Channel

First Week of Japanese High School!

Hello!

I have now successfully my first week at a Japanese high school (kind of). The reason why I say "kind of" was because it was only half-days for the first week, because it was still technically spring vacation. I just got back from my first (half) day of school as a second year, which was super exciting! But first I'll talk about my time as a first-year student.

To give more insight into the Japanese school year, it ends before spring break and you move up a grade after spring break. Thus, summer break is in the middle of the school year. My school is a rich private school, so of course the students didn't ACTUALLY get a break for spring break. They had half-days of school every weekday. Americans would not consider that break haha! Anyways, I attended the last week of those half-day classes. Every day got better and better!

The first day of school was definitely not how I thought it would be. Note: the fewer expectations you have, the better! Almost every exchange student talks about how the kids scream and shriek when you wave at them, but that was not my situation. The kids in my class were already very accustomed to foreigners, because a long-term exchange student had been in the same department the past year, as well as two short term exchange students actually being in the class. I had to start most of the interactions I had with people, which is not necessarily a bad thing!

There's actually a considerable amount of people who are half Japanese and half something else. I was pretty surprised!

The last day before the new school year was definitely the best. I guess it technically was the new school year, because it was the opening ceremony. The vibes were happy, lively, and I was cheerful as well. It made me really excited for school!

Bye-bye!

A Week in Japan!

Hello! It's been a while :) Sorry, it's been really busy!

I've been in Japan for a week now! It's now March 29th, and I arrived on the 22nd :)

As for events, I'll start with the AFS USA orientation in Los Angeles before leaving Japan. I arrived in LA on the 19th and I was the third person there. The orientation was actually incredibly fun! Even though the orientation went from the 19th to the 21st, I was never bored. The people who ran it were really into it and cared a lot about preparing us! When we were all leaving at the airport, the person who ran the orientation specifically called me out and said "I'll be looking out for you." The kids were incredibly nice, funny, amazing, EVERYTHING! I will remember some of them for a long time! I'm also excited to have the same type of experience as them, which will bring us closer together.


The plane ride was long but good! They had a really nice movie selection, and I didn't get any emergency bowel movement types of things (which could happen!). Not really a lot of talking happened on the plane ride, because everyone was sleeping or watching movies.

Then we arrived in Japan! I was amazed by everything at first. We took a bus from the airport to a fancy hotel, where we stayed one night. From there, we went to three different orientation sites. There was Tokyo, for people staying in Tokyo, near Tokyo, and above (like Hokkaido), Nagano for people around Nagano, and Osaka for people from Osaka and below. Since I'm in Miyazaki, which is on Kyushu, the southernmost island, I was in the Osaka group. Osaka group was lit!!

We took a 10 hour bus ride from Tokyo to Osaka, where I discovered the wonderful items in Japanese convenience stores. The ride was fun, long, and brought us closer together. At this point, there are people from all over the world. The Osaka crew really made me want to learn Spanish, which is actually going to be my next target language! Anyways, once we arrived in Osaka we stayed at a youth hostel for 2 nights. No wifi, 6 people per room, and group bathing! I discovered that a community bath is actually fun, and I have no problem getting naked with strangers ahaha. Of course boys and girls are separated.

After that, I took a 1 hour plane ride with the other Miyazaki and Miyazaki-Minami people and I arrived in Miyazaki! The more I see this city the more I love it. It's been a little cold the past few days, since it's winter, but the building have a nice aesthetic. I met my host family, and I love them! My host brother and mother are both lively and funny! I'm not really sure how much I can say about them because of privacy reasons. But yup! Today I went into  my school and received a tour as well as important documents. And OMG my school is so high tech. There's 3 buildings, most doors are automatic sliding doors, and the toilets are the ones that have tons of options. I'm excited to start attending!

じゃ、またね〜
Camilla Pernell

Update! Host Family and Placement

Hello!
Happy New Years! Hopefully 2017 will treat everyone well :)

I've gotten lots of information since my last blog post. Just this last Saturday, January 7th, I had a SEVEN hour orientation. And this orientation is going to be my shortest one! The orientation really made the concept of going abroad real to me. This is really happening. I am going to Japan! was a constant thought circling my head. It's actually pretty cool, because there are three people from Colorado who are going to Japan at the same time as me. That's a substantial amount, considering ~35 kids from the US go to Japan, so 3 is a large percentage for a kind-of low population state. I only got to meet one of the kids going, a girl who is a junior. She was super cool, so I'm excited to meet the other kids going to Japan as well.

Now on to the information that basically made me jump up and down in excitement: my host family and city placement. I will be in Miyazaki in the Miyazaki prefecture. It's in Kyushu (very far south) and practically a tropical paradise. At first I was a little bummed I was gonna be super far from Tokyo, but then I watched videos on Miyazaki and realized I'm going to be right next to the ocean in a tropical paradise! I've never even been to a beach before, so I'm super psyched. Here's a video about Miyazaki if you're interested, by Rachel and Jun.

Miyazaki Prefecture!

Miyazaki compared to Tokyo

My host family is going to be a mother and an eleven year old brother. Most people have gotten HUGE families, so I'm pleasantly surprised to be a part of a lil teeny family :)

My high school is going to be Miyazaki Nichidai High School, which has SUPER cute uniforms. According to my mom's Japanese boss, it's a good school.
 here's the uniforms. Cute!

I've also decided to make a YouTube channel, so if you want to check out vlogs as well feel free to check that out!

Have a nice day~

Update! 100 Days Before Departure

Ale (from Italy) and me

Norwegian cake from AFS potluck

Here's a lil short update! First of all, I was officially accepted into AFS Japan, and I know my departure date! American AFS-ers leave for Japan March 21st, and the orientation starts March 19th. My mother is thrilled, but also a little reluctant to let me go. My friends are also excited for me because they know how long I have wanted this!

And yesterday marks the checkpoint of 100 days before my departure! I am feeling so much joy and anticipation it's crazyyy.

Today, I attended a delightful AFS potluck party. I got to meet almost all of the exchange students living in Colorado and it was such a blast. Exchange students are the nicest and most welcoming people you will ever meet, I swear! I loved talking to all the teens about America vs their country, memes, you name it. I thought I might have been awkward, but that was not the case at all :)

Anyways, finals are coming up, and after that I am doing my first home schooled experience ever :O I'm only being home schooled due to credit reasons, because my normal school couldn't give me credits for the semester since I'm leaving in March for Japan. It's long and complicated, but it'll be a new (fun?) experience for me.

Hello! My Name is Camilla Pernell

I'm a 15 year old girl who loves singing, dancing, exercising, reading, and being with friends. I'm goofy, I make mistakes, and I always strive to be the best me I can be.

My friend, Dylan, and me

One particularly strong interest of mine is my love for studying Japanese. Japanese is a beautiful language that I've learned consistently since eighth grade, but have dreamed of speaking fluently since fifth. Now, thanks to the immense generosity of AFS (http://www.afsusa.org/), I am going to Japan for a year!

I know going to Japan will seem like a new life. After all, I've lived in in the same house for all my life, and I've known some of my friends since preschool. So when I think about my upcoming adventure, feelings of anticipation, anxiousness, and glee course through me. But most of all, I feel grateful for all the help I've received from AFS and my mom. 

Why Study Abroad?

Perhaps my most practical reason for studying abroad is fluency. I want to be able to read novels, watch shows, and talk to friends in Japanese. I hope to even become a translator in the future. I'm also excited to meet many new people who have grown up in completely different environments! I think people are amazing, so being able to experience such an interesting culture is the opportunity of a lifetime. I want to eat ramen straight from Japan, go to purikura, wear a uniform for the first time in my life, learn the fashion trends in Japan, watch interesting Japanese shows, and have a host family that I'll love. All of these reasons (and even more!) are why I want to go to Japan with AFS.

After the exchange, I hope to use my knowledge from Japan in assisting me with everyday life. I cannot wait for the surprises, challenges, and lessons I will learn. I don't know what to expect, which makes me even more excited.