No, I’m not quite at the point yet where I make a newspaper, though I am now putting news into paper form.

What I am doing is making a newsletter.
I don’t know how often it will be. Maybe once a week, maybe once a month, or maybe twice a month if the moon is halfway full and the wolverines are out scratching on my door while I am in a fetal position saying “They’re not really there. They AREN’T REALLY THERE!”

Regardless, it will happen quite often. At the time of writing, I had just finished my FIRST NEWSLETTER! How exciting!

Anyway, here it is:

日本 Newsletter #1

(You gotta click on the link to see it. If you don’t see it you need to install Adobe PDF, or get one of those magnificent Macintosh computers.)

Yeah. I know. The title is incredibly incorrect.
Too bad. ;P

I have grouped up invited some people to join me. I’ll only give you the first names of the people I’ve invited, unless the people who’s names I’ve written want me to do otherwise.
Brandon, Brazen, Sheila and I will be going to Japan, presumably for a whole year, if we don’t get extensions while there. After we get to Japan, we’ll have the time of our lives, and while we’re there, we’ll be seeing the sights, exploring, and learning all about the culture.

BUT WAIT ALEX, ITS TOO EXPENSIVE!!
Yeah, it will cost a lot, but we will do fundraising and apply for scholarships.
Therefore we can will do it. The idea was that we are going to fundraise as often as possible, and do ANYTHING we can to raise money. So far I have $125 in my Japan fund (birthday money from multiple family sources.)

I’m really excited about this, and I think it will go really well.
It’s even more exciting to know that a girl will be traveling with us, so it wont just be a bunch of nerdy boys.

At this point you may ask yourself, “Why on earth would anybody want to live in Japan if they are from america?” (notice how I never capitalize america)
Well, the answer is pretty simple. All of us LOVE Japan. We also HATE (or at least strongly dislike) america.
Solution:

MOVE. TO. 日本 (JAPAN).

To sum it all up, people this determined (us) to do this will have nothing to stop us.
No, we are NOT letting anyone else join our group.
Unless of course, you have enough money to pay for each of us to go through the AFS ;D

So to get to Japan during High School, I need to go with a very special type of group/program.

Why?
Well, because I can’t just buy a plane ticket and fly to Japan, then sign up for High School. In need to be put in the system. And I need a visa. My mum told me it was IMPOSSIBLE for me to get back to 日本 for a year during HS. She said that I would need to wait for my second year of College. Without even looking for a program, I stumbled apon this: Association of Teachers of Japanese. I had found the source I was looking for stumbled upon. I got really excited, and called my friend (because he also wants to leave the lovely  U. S. of A.  ASAP)

Here is the problem; I don;t really have the money it costs right now. The most expensive program: $11,950
The cheapest program: $7,200, However, the cheapest one dosn’t have any details about the trip itself at all. The most expensive one is also run by the most prestigious program, the AFS. The second most prestigious program was actually somewhere on the higher scale of the prices at $10,995.

Anyway, enough jibber-jabber; here are the programs && their sites. The programs I have included all have the 1 year option, because that is the one I want to do. Oh, and 日本語 means Japanese. Anything with the question mark on it means the information was not there, so I am not sure.

ASSE
Ages ?-?
$7,200
? yr 日本語

Center For Cultural Exchange
Ages 16-18
$8,900
1 yr 日本語

Youth For Understanding
Ages 15-18
$10,995
? yr 日本語

The American Field Service
Ages 15-17
$11,500
? yr 日本語

AYUSA Global Youth Exchange
Ages 15-18
$11,950
1 yr 日本語

CIEE
Ages ?-?
$14,485
? yr 日本語

So there you go. Those are my options, and I nicely listed them by the price (which could change at any time).
You might want to close this page now.
(There is a CIA agent standing behind you in disguise as someone you know).

This is the first post for this blog, and like always, it’s gonna be REALLY cheesy and REALLY informal.

I made this blog in anticipation for my upcoming trips to Japan;

All of my adventures, all of my stories, and all of my research will go into this blog.

Ta ta for now!