Finally Here!

Hello from halfway round the world!
SO... Today was our first day in Japan, and let me tell you--it was pretty uneventful. I understand that may be a letdown to some, but it doesn't mean I have nothing to post. Let's start from the beginning, shall we? Yesterday my dad, my mom, and me got up at six o'clock to prepare for the day ahead. I got up and put on my outfit that had been sitting there two nights in a row, waiting for the day I would get on a plane and say goodbye to the U.S. After getting washed and brushed I gathered some stuff we had forgotten to pack before and headed downstairs. I then made about twenty more trips up and down the stairs- until finally it was time to go. I woke Gemma up for one last hug, then headed out the door with my bright green Nike bag slung loosely over my shoulder.
After about an hour's drive to Syracuse, my parents and I lugged out our suitcases and went into the Airport. We checked our bags and headed upstairs for breakfast at Au Bon Pain. Going through customs was a peice of cake, and before we knew it we were at the gate, waiting in line to board the "Express" jet that would take us to Chicago. We packed ourselves onto the plane and took off.
After a couple hours we were already there. The two hour wait went by as fast as lightning. We had just finished lunch by the time we had to board the plane that would take us all the way to Tokyo Narita. The ride would be twelve hours and thirty-seven minutes. We were literally chasing the sun- so for twelve hours it did not get dark. Hence the reason I didn't sleep.
Finally we arrived. It took us an half an hour to get through customs, getting our luggage and sorting out immigration stuff. Afterwards we had to wait for the Colgate students to arrive, the last of which came at about eight fifteen. We then boarded a train to get to Shibuya, where we would take the Ginza subway line to Aoyama Ichome, and walk from there to the hotel. Everyone practically passed out once we got to Asia Center, including my dad and me.


The next day we woke up around 10:30ish. We had missed the breakfast buffet, so we got dressed and headed for Shibuya, a nearby city. My dad and me wandered around a little and found a great Vietnamese restaurant for lunch. I got some delicious pork over rice and he slurped down a big bowl of noodles. After lunch we got back on the metro to meet the students back at the hotel. We freshened up and got changed for the International House of Japan, which was about a miles walk from Asia Center in 90 degree weather with 80 percent humidity. Very hot.
At I. House we went to the cafe to cool off and then had a lecture with a performance on the Shakuhachi and other exotic instruments. Their sound was beautiful and really cool. We then set out for dinner at an amazing restaurant where you cook your own meal on a hot iron sheet.


So that's all for today, besides a few things I would like to mention along with my post. In the next couple days you might see some changes in the blogs appearance. If you have any questions please let me know. Second of all, sorry there are no pictures. I will upload them soon.


Please feel free to ask me any questions of send me a message! I would love to hear about what's going on with you! See you in January!


-Georgie ;)