Izena was so different from my usual surroundings which made my "adventure" more adventurous. My new daily routine and the people I met definitely contributed to my memorable trip. Instead of waking up to my mother pounding on my bedroom door to wake up, I awoke to the island's alarm clock. Rather than rushing to school I took my time preparing for a day's worth of research. Then after the day was over instead of doing my school work, I unwinded with other participants. I loved this schedule it was simple and completely opposite of my usual, hectic schedule in America. But the most memorable thing would have to be the relationships I developed with everyone apart of Deai. While developing these relationships the best and humorous part of getting to know the other participants was overcoming the language barrier. It was so hilarious using body language to get our point across to another. Also everyone had something unique to bring to the table. Whether it was special talents, personality, or language, everyone had an unique trait to them which I loved. I learned a lot from these simple moments and that made them most memorable to me.

My homestay experience was an absolute blast. Although it was only Maya's mother, Maya, and I, it was still a great experience. Actually I gained more from the fact that it was only the three of us. Since it was just the three of us I was able to connect with both of them on a more personal ground; rather than staying with a larger family and not having the same one on one time with each family member.
      The most memorable moments would have to be the time with Maya and her mother. Maya has such strong personality and that made my homestay so much fun. I especially enjoyed our little talks at night, singing to Orange Range, and simply joking around. I had so much fun learning from and laughing at our differences. Maya's mother also had strong personality; so strong she almost reminded me of my own mother. She was very nice and generous to me. I am very thankful to the Maya's family for allowing me to stay with them. The experience allowed me to see how Japanese students lived on a daily basis and have a chance to get acquainted with the Maya's family.

The school day overall was memorable but my favorite moment of the school day was when the class thought the TJF staff was my father. I found it very humorous. That little comment broke the ice with a lot of the other students and after that I felt more comfortable with the class. Because I became more comfortable I was able to be more open with the other students. I remember everyone falling asleep in class and found it humorous so after class I remember joking around with one of Maya's classmates and jokingly asked why he slept so much. I also managed to get a lot of footage with Maya's classmates. The day was a nice experience.

This was especially memorable because it was my first time at Disneyland. At first I could not believe everyone wanted to go with the plan and then it turned out that everyone did want to go. I was so happy that everyone wanted to take a two hour train to Disneyland just to see each other. So after school everyone took a train to the resort. By the time everyone had arrived it was already eight o'clock and the resort closes at ten o'clock but that didn't matter to much of us. It was just fun to be in the company of everyone.
      Although I highlight of the night would have to be going on the rides and watching the fireworks and Christmas parade. I was astonished by the view. My first time to see Disneyland and everything was in Christmas theme. I absolutely love Christmas which also made being there with everyone fun. Overall I was glad I went with everyone. If not for them I probably would have never gone to Disneyland so THANKS EVERYONE!

I enjoyed working with Kin-chan, Mickey, Vicki, Kosoo, Yoshida-san, and Maya a lot. I liked the different opinions and perspectives everyone had to present. Our group almost had too many ideas but that was a good problem to have. As a group I thought we were strong because we complimented each other and took all ideas to consideration. While making decisions we took votes and if the voting did not work we suggested other ideas to balance the problem. Also everyone took responsibility for specific parts of the project. For example Mickey, Maya, and Yoshida-san all worked together to write a script, Kin-chan and I were more involved with the construction of the webpage, Vicki and I were also photographers, and everyone took part in the interviews so the group as a whole had a general understanding of the material. I thought we were very organized and effective as a group because we had a focus point and was very interested in the topic.
      Another factor that really contributed to our group was having Yoshida-san and a TJF staff as helpers. Throughout the project they constantly gave thoughtful constructive criticism. Their comments helped a lot in our thought process as a group. Whether giving us simple pointers on camera angles to phrasing sentences they were a great help and we were very thankful. But most of all I think we worked great as a group because we were all interested in out topic and wanted to make the most of it. So big pats on the back everyone!
      Although I did not work with the other participants in a group I was able to observe them. My overall impression of everyone which includes the staff members, and all participants, includes traits such as being outgoing, responsible, and has strong personality. Without being outgoing I do not think the participants could achieve winning this trip and without being outgoing I do not think our Deai staff could put together such a great ten day program. In addition responsibility allowed us to finish these projects. Lastly without such great, strong personalities our projects would be boring and incomplete. The impression that Deai left on me was only a positive and sentimental one.

The only obstacle I encountered during the project was the language barrier. The fact that the common language was Japanese contributed to the poor verbal communication. But another factor was the different accents from one English-speaker to other English-speaker with regards to slang also. The combination of all three components made verbal communication very difficult. So instead we learned to use body language, making fools of ourselves, and using sound-effects to get our points across. Referring to before, this perhaps was one of my favorite memories from the trip and only allowed us to appreciate language more.

The most enjoyable, fun, and memorable part of the group project would have to be the interviews with Toshikazu-san, Shun'ichi, and Teru. At first everything was just straight forward but after a while everybody relaxed and what seemed to be work wasn't work anymore. My group did not feel as if it was our job to get answers but instead we felt like friends of the interviewees.
      During this time we got a sneak peek of how these three people lived on a daily basis and got to know their real personalities. There was one point where the three interviewees were reminiscing about the old days when Shun'ichi, Teru, and Koshin were still teenagers. To my surprise they got so caught up in it that Toshikazu dug up pictures! I was so much fun just laughing and hearing about their lives. I'm glad we interviewed them and based our topic on MUSIC.

Since I started studying Japanese twelve years ago I have never been to Japan until this project. I am glad that I did not go to Japan before the Deai project because if I had gone to Japan beforehand the experience would not have affected me as much. So yes I do agree that this experience has changed me. Before this I never knew how much Japanese I knew and going to Japan helped me realize I wanted to further my studies in the future. Perhaps I would even consider studying abroad or even living in Japan in the future. My reasoning comes from my experience in Toyko. I absolutely love the city. To me it was another New York City with the exception that it was much cleaner and not as ghetto. It was so beautiful and I could only imagine to live in such a beautiful place.
      Among that I also gained a lot of knowledge about other cultures from the diversity our Deai group had. From that knowledge I only grew more open-minded. But the people I met changed me the most. I can not explain how in ten days I became so attached to the people I had just met. I did not expect to become attached to anyone but only to become a close friend with time, not in ten days. I guess the emotions were a bit overwhelming in the end because I did not expect them; but I would not have exchanged them for the world.

I think I can make use of my experiences in the Deai project in my daily life. I still keep in touch with all the participants and occasionally talk to them on instant messenger. Again because Japanese is the common language I still practice Japanese with native speakers. I can also apply them daily in my Japanese class. When we have class discussions my teacher often asks for all opinions and I always apply my experiences to my thoughts. In the future I hope to apply them in college and receive a degree in Japanese language.

I just want to thank The Japan Forum Staff for making this opportunity possible for its participants. I will never be able to compare this experience to anything else because it truly was an one of a kind project. This project has had a positive influence on my life and I am very grateful for the opportunity. I enjoyed the company of everyone and hope to see all of you in five years for our Deai Okinawa Cafe Reunion!
      Thank you again.