hello from japan!

Hello everyone. :)

I arrived in Japan on Thursday, or on Wednesday in the U.S. I had a two-day orientation　in Nagoya, where I slept in a room with tatami mats on real futons, which are surprisingly nothing like what is considered a futon in the United States. I also experienced my first "public bath," which was awkward at first but everyone at the orientation actually grew to enjoy them. Japanese people aren't shy about their　bodies and they really enjoy taking baths haha. I learned a few common Japanese phrases such as:
Ohayougozaimasu = good morning
Kon-nichiwa = hello
Konbanwa = good night

I know a few more, but I can currently only spell them phonetically, and it's a little pathetic, haha.
One of the best things about the orientation was the diverse group of people who attended. There were 35 kids from all over the U.S., 13 kids from Italy, 4 kids from Bulgaria, 2 from Sweden, and one from Iceland. All the AFS Japan volunteers and staff were also wonderful. They were extrememly kind and helpful. My group leaders were Micky and Youskay. I have a picture with them and some other AFS students, but I don't know quite how to put them up yet, as I am using my host family's computer. But myfamily and all the AFS people are truly great. There is a girl from Italy named Noemi who is staying in the same part of Japan as me, and every weekday morning she rides her bike to my house and then we walk to the bus station together. We then take an hour long bus ride to the nearest big town Kurume-shi. We go to school at our teacher's house, with two other AFS USA students named Cameron and Danny. I am very excited about school, so I can learn more Japanese and speak to my family members. They have also been making fun of how horrible I am at using chopsticks. I thought I was doing pretty well, until host brother and father started laughing, and my host mother asked if I would like a fork and knife.

Japan is very different from the United States and although that some of it can be a little intimidating, I really like it. I am excited to adjust and get into the routine. Thank you so much to everyone who helped me get here. Mom, Dad, Ethan, Bradley, Melissa, I miss you all so much.　Love you very much and talk to you soon. :)

P.S. Sorry if I don't reply to emails very much; my host family has been so kind and I feel bad spending too much time using their computer. Thank you.