I need to make a plan

So, I have been discussing with my Aunt Shizuka about going to Japan. it looks like I am going to need to do more research. Before, I thought I would just volunteer at the local high school. Easy as pie right? wrong. That is too unorthodox for most High schools so i will have to find something else to do. The only problem is. in order to get a student visa I have to attend school i think. If i dont have a student visa i can only go for 3 months which is NOT ideal :(

but, maybe i can find a volunteer opportunity that will help me gain permission to stay in the country for the 6 months i wanted to be there...

I'm supposed to use vocabulary words :P

Apparently, in this blog I am required to use the ACT vocabulary words...:P

So, I will just tell you a story that has absolutely no relevance to my trip to Japan or the process of going to a foreign country... here goes...

Once upon a time there was a high school student named Sarah. She was so awesome and amazing that she just exuded brilliance all the time. When it was time for the students at Merit to cull their favorite student out of the student body it was quite easy for them. "We love Sarah the best!" they all shouted in a sudden paroxysm of joyful excitement at the mention of Sarah's name.

However there was one teacher who hated Sarah, and felt that at all costs she must bilk Sarah of a good grade in her class. Mrs. Ballard was her name and she insisted on giving Sarah a D even though everyone knew that such an amazing student as Sarah could NEVER deserve such horrible treatment.

But Sarah, being the impeccably kind and loving person she was forgave Mrs. Ballard for all the hardships which this teacher inflicted upon her and, against all odds, brought this horrible D up to a quite passable grade so that she could graduate with a 3.0 grade point average.

And everyone lived happily ever after... except for Mrs. Ballard who was quite furious that such a student as Sarah would DARE to get a good grade in her class!

blegh...sometimes life moves slowly

So i don't really know what to write about today...I continue to save and plan but there have been no more changes to my plans or improvements so I have nothing to write about.

I do, however, have good news. With my latest deposit into my bank account I will have approximately $4,500!! This makes me happy because with my new "home-made" program being cheaper I ALREADY have enough to go! so from now on, everything I save up will be solely spending money! :)

Student Visa

So I just heard terrible news from someone who has a friend who is trying to get a student visa. She said something about it being "too late" for her friend to get a visa. This worries me because without a student visa I will only be allowed to stay in Japan for up to 3 months. I wanted to stay for 6 months :(
However, maybe there was a mistake. I will just have to research it for myself. cross your fingers and wish me luck!

my new first step!

Ok, so here is how this will go for me. I don't have a nice structured program like I did before. I am making my own. So, step one, find a host family!

I still want to go to the same area before because in the course of applying for the program I fell in love with the area it is in! It is also helpful that my family is part of the LDS religion. So, my Uncle/Aunt who speak Japanese are going to call the bishops in that area and ask them if they have any families in the ward who would like to host a 17 year old american girl.

We have not begun calling yet because we have to find out the phone numbers of all those bishops first. Hopefully, next time, we will have a host family found for me!

New Plans

I have finally bounced back. After a day of mourning my sudden need for a change of plans, I have found an alternate route to making my dreams come true.

None of the other Exchange programs met my wants or interests so I have decided I will just make my OWN program! I have alot of contacts in Japan (my aunts family is Japanese as well as a couple friends of mine) and being a part of a church makes it even easier. I will find a family who would like to have me in their home (for a price of course) for about 4-6 months (depending on what I can afford) and then I will find a volunteer opportunity in the same neighborhood. Since I wanted so very badly to attend school then maybe I will call the director of the local public school and offer my time as a volunteer to come help in their english classes.

I do not know how my own program will compare (cost-wise) to the other program but today I will be discussing that with my Uncle and Aunt (my uncle frequently visits Japan and my Aunt IS Japanese)

Sometimes Life Sucks

This post was originally gonna be about the last little technical details involved in my applying for the School in Japan.

Well, it turns out, they turned down my applications.
this happens alot with many things. You set up your hopes for one thing and plan it out to the T and the next thing you know. You find your plans suddenly changed. It sucks. I am not going to lie. Right now, I kind of feel like some muscle-man who lifts weights for a living just punched me in the gut. I now have to rearrange ALL my plans and I am not looking forward to it.

and so it is in life sometimes. things happen, plans change, life sucks.
*sigh*