Weekdays


Thur, Feb 15th

We arrived at the airport and met our teacher guide, Alissa. She gave us a bracelet. I liked it, so I always wore it during the stay. My host father, Kim, came to the airport, too. He drove a car for us when we went somewhere.

We went to Boehm's Chocolate Factory. The shop smelled great. I like chocolate, so I was excited. Next, we went to see Snoqualmie Falls. It was a huge fall.

We had lunch at the food coat in a mall. I ate a pizza with my friends. I was surprised at it because it was big. We walked around the mall. After that, we arrived at the study center. My host mother, Wanda, came there.

The shop was so cute!

Nice to meet you!


I met Wanda's mother before going back home. She was kind, and I enjoyed talking with her. I had dinner with Kim and Wanda. They asked me many questions. After having dinner, I walked outside with Kim and Bear. The houses in America were so big and colorful.


Fri, Feb 16th

 I had breakfast with Kim in the morning. Kim made an omelet for me. It was very delicious, and I liked it. I usually ate bread with jam and drank tea every morning.

Alissa showed us around the study center. We went to Target, Dix's, Daiso, and Ivar's. Alissa bought us clam chowder at Ivar's . It was very good. I didn't bring lunch, so I bought a sandwich. Alissa helped me buy it.

In the afternoon, we talked with Alissa. We talked about what we had for dinner and what we did with our host family the previous night. We gave souvenirs to Alissa.

At Target

Heavy...


In the evening, we held a welcome party. The host families brought many dishes for us. We made a family flag at the party. Alissa made a cake for us. It was so beautiful.

They were delicious!

Family Flag



Mon, Feb 19th
We went to a nursing home. We sang the song "Ameame Furefure (rain song)" in Japanese and explained the meaning of the song. We talked with a lot of people there. We were tired, but it was fun.

After we went back to the study center, we made cherry pies because it was Presidents' Day. We enjoyed making them. It was so sweet.

Talking, talking, talking ...

Singing a song

Making a cherry pie


Tue, Feb 20th

We went to Leavenworth. We ate a wrapped sandwich for lunch. I shared it with my friend because it was big and thick. We went to a Christmas shop. They had a lot of Christmas goods. I was impressed with them because they were so beautiful. After that, I walked around the town with my friends. We looked around many souvenir shops. We went to Smallwood's Harvest. The shop had many kinds of jams. We also saw some sheep there. We went back to Federal Way, singing songs in a car.

I went to the rental shop with Kim to return a car after saying goodbye to my friends at the study center. The rental shop had so many cars. They were huge and cool. Wanda came to pick us up to go home by car. I was tired, so I slept in Wanda's car.

They were so cute.

I like this picture!



Wed, Feb 21st

We celebrated many American events. In the morning, we gave Valentine's cards to each other. The message on the cards made me happy. Next, we changed our clothes into Halloween costumes. I wore a flight jumpsuit from the movie "Top Gun" (actually, I've never watched it). We went to a nursing apartment to get treats. The residents were so kind, and we got a lot of treats.

At lunch time, we celebrated Thanksgiving Day. Our host families brought us the dishes of the day. It was my first time eating turkey. I was surprised by the size. All the dishes were wonderful, and I ate a lot. We talked very much during the meal because it was a tradition. I really enjoyed having lunch. After that, we did Egg Hunting.

Halloween Costumes

They were so delicious!

We found eggs.



Thu, Feb 22nd

We went to an elementary school. We gave students a pre sentation about how to count in Japanese. They were so powerful. I was happy that they were counting numbers so hard. We visited 13 classrooms. It was hard. At lunch time, we had lunch and played with students.

After finishing the visit, we went back to the study center. Alissa bought us a milk shake. It was very good. In the evening, Kim took me to a park. The park had a big lake. Kim told me that he used to go fishing there with Wanda and Alex.

I wrote their names in Japanese.

Counting in Japanese together.



Fri, Feb 23rd

We visited Green River College. We walked around a lot because the college was huge. It was bigger than Seiryo University. A bookstore in the college had many goods. The mascot was cute. We had lunch at the college. I brought a sandwich I made. I was happy to see one of our friends who was studying at Green River College.

When we went back to the study center, Alissa took us to a Korean supermarket, H-MART. I bought some ingredients to cook Japanese dishes for my host families. I bought miso, pork, Korean carrots, and enoki mushrooms. The shop had Japanese snacks, too.

The bookstore was big.

Long time, no see!

Miso!



Mon, Feb 26th

We went to Tacoma Mall. First, we went to Krispy Kream Doughnuts. They had many kinds of doughnuts, and we ate five kinds of them. They were very sweet. I enjoyed eating them with a hat on.

Next, we walked around Tacoma Mall. I like Bath & Body Works, so I went there with my friend. I bought some hand soap. I ate Chinese food with Tomomi at lunch time. The clerk of the Chinese shop said to us, "Konnichiwa." We were glad to hear that. Alissa bought us some ice cream. It was very colorful. We enjoyed serving it by ourselves.

Krispy Kream Doughnuts

It was very delicious!

They are colorful.



Tue, Feb 27th

We visited the Federal Way City Hall. We talked with many people. First, we talked with the mayor. He was kind. We also met judges at the courthouse, and we asked many questions. They answered kindly, and we learned about their work and trials. We had a chance to wear robes. We were cool. Finally, we walked around the police department. They had many sections. It was a special opportunity for us.

After school, I went to a big mall with my friends and their host families. The mall had three floors with high brand shops, so we couldn't buy souvenirs, but we enjoyed just walking around. We just enjoyed talking to each other. We ate Mexican food at dinner.

　With Mayor


I wore a robe.

Got arrested!



Wed, Feb 28th

We visited a fire department. The fire department was small, so only four firefighters were there that day. We asked them some questions. After that, we wore a firefighter's jacket. It was very heavy. We also got on a fire engine. The car had a lot of many goods and equipment. I was surprised that America has volunteer firefighters. The firefighters were kind.

It was heavy.

Let's go!

Lots of equipment



Thu, Feb 29th

We finally went to Seattle. First, we visited the University of Washington. It has a long history, so the buildings were old. It was beautiful and like the world of Harry Potter. The most surprising thing was that they had a bowling alley on the campus.

We ate a hamburger at lunch. I shared it with Tomomi because it was very big. I drank root beer for the first time. I didn't like it very much, but root beer with ice cream was good.

On the way to Seattle, we took a picture with Troll. We were able to climb on it. I like this picture. Next, we walked to Pike Place Market. I hold a fish at the fish shop. The market had a lot of stores. We bought souvenirs and a matching Seattle T-shirt. We wear it sometimes in Japan. We also went to Gum Wall. I felt the place was weird. I went to the first Starbucks with Tomomi and Mr. Nonaka. My mother and aunt love Starbucks, so I bought some souvenirs for them. Fortunately, the waiting line was short, so we were able to buy them soon. We enjoyed shopping very much.

My Favorite Picture

We had a fish.

　The First Starbucks



Fri, Mar 1st

In the morning, a former teacher guide, Laura, came to the study center to teach us how to bowl. She was very powerful, so she made us smile. We went to Red Robin for lunch. We were looking forward to going there because the city mayor recommended the restaurant. The hamburgers were huge, some shared them. In the afternoon, we went to the bowling alley. I bowled for the first time. It was difficult, but we really enjoyed doing it.

After bowling, I went for a drive with Rin in Kim's car. We went to Almond Roca, and bought some souvenirs. Next, we went to a sports goods shop. The shop was Kim's favorite. We also went to Business Costco because Rin had never been to Costco. It was fun.

I'm so beautiful!

I liked this hamburger the most.

Strike!



Mon, Mar 4th

We finished our craft in the morning. We made a thank-you journal and a photo frame. They had a lot of memories with our host family. At lunch time, Alissa served us mac&cheese. It was the best mac&cheese for me.

Thank-you Journal and Photo Frame

Mac&Cheese


We held a Sayonara party in the evening. We wore Yukata. Our host families said, "Beautiful." Also, Alissa made two cakes for us. They were so wonderful. We were very happy. We gave a presentation for our host families. They enjoyed listening to it, so I was glad. After that, we gave presents to our host families. Alissa also gave us presents.

What beautiful cakes!

Thank you very much.



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