5th email - Friday 30th Oct

Hallo again, daddy! Today we woke up at the hotel at 6 and got ready and then went to Kagoshima High. We hurriedly prepared a presentation for an hour and then gave it in front of like, loads of kids. The big classroom was packed full and it was more than slightly terrifying! I`d basically been annoying everyone for like an hour by stepping into my role as team leader and bossing everyone around! We`d done our presentation in three parts; before, during and after (Japan). On the before bit we had what we did to prepare for the trip and what our expectations were and on the during we talked about our stay and for the after we discussed what we were going to do in Tokyo (shopping!) and what we wanted to do with Japanese in the future. We had made each bullet point into an A3 drawing and we held them up and explained in reasonably coherent Japanese what they were about.

After that, we asked and were asked questions about lots of things. We chatted to a lot of people in the class and wrote our email addresses on the big whiteboard at the front. MANY pictures ensued, I`m sure you can imagine. Sometimes I feel that, although I definitely do want to have lots of pictures to remember everything by, that I spend more time doing pictures than the actual experience itself!

After that we showed some pictures of us doing our Wolfreton Japan day and then ate lunch in the canteen, to many squeals. People are STILL going utterly nuts! I thought they would have been bored of us by now! Had yummy udon noodles in broth for lunch.

Straight after lunch we took a bus to Kagoshima city hall to say thank you to the people that had helped us organise our trip. The man who we thanked said we all looked like fashion models! Pah! It was unseasonably warm! Like an English summer!

After city hall, we cashed our travellers cheques. I have never been handed a wad of cash that thick before! After that we had about 40 minutes to go shopping and I bought Ella a bento box and accessories and some tights and some kitty ears because we thought we were going to go to a Halloween party but we didn`t and it was basically cat or nothing!

We then got the bus back to Kagoshima high and took MORE photos on the roof. The roof was beautiful! You could see all of Kagoshima! Apparently there was a small earthquake earlier today but I didn’t feel a thing! After that we went to see these amazing taiko drummers they were just insane! So talented! We even got to play a bit ourselves! But I did feel a bit bad sitting on a chair at the front of the room being played to! I would much rather have sat on the floor! After that we saw the brass band. They were amazing too. It makes me feel like I do nothing outside of school.

After that there were many tears and hugs because everyone was so sad that we had to leave Kagoshima. I really want to stay in Kagoshima After that sensei, Elliot and I came back here to the hotel and went to the huge railway station shopping plaza and I bought stationery from Muji. We looked at all the lovely and expensive shops. Sensei’s family met us at the train station and took us out to dinner at one of those restaurants where sushi comes on a conveyor belt. It was delicious but I am pretty sure my stomach has shrunk because I normally want tea at like 5 but it got to like 9 and I still wasn’t hungry and I couldn’t have much sushi. Am ambivalent on the subject of raw fish. Maki is the safest bet. Had yummy sushi with Egg on top and also eel. Sensei’s family are just like her.

Oooh! forgot to say. We were in the newspaper. There is a quote from me as I am team leader so I will translate that for you when we get back. We had to use umbrellas because of the volcanic ash falling. When we got back we had yummy presents from our host family. Cup cakes for Elliot and lots of fruit because that was the large majority of what I ate with them.Bed time now. Our flight is about midday Japanese time tomorrow. Will email you as soon as I can.

I love you all.

xxxxx