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BREEZE #87

JANUARY, 2015: BREEZE ISSUE #87
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OF
JAPANESE

THOMAS O'DONNELL
Cranford High School
Cranford, NJ
There are still days that I wake up expecting tobe in Room 505 of the Kansai Institute.
Sobered by reality, I look around and realizethat I'm back in boring old New Jersey,
unfortunately all too familiar with mysurroundings. When I'm thirsty, I instinctively
look around for a vending machine. Afterdrinking a water bottle, I carry it around withme for a while out of habit, surprised to see how many garbage cans there are on every street
corner (also a bit bothered because the garbage isn't separated). Although our stay in Japanwas relatively short-- only nineteen days-- it was long enough to make a lasting impact on me
and the way I perceive Japan. The experiences I had and the relationships I formed on the trip
are still going strong even to this day, and I know I will hold them close to my heart for the restof my life.
The program in Japan was nothing short of spectacular. Every minute of every activity we did
was either educational, fun, or both. There were no wasted moments. I feel like there was theperfect balance of leisure time and educational time (including the tours we spent learning
about 3.11 and the JET's). The many visits we made to shrines, temples, and historic cities andtowns really enriched my understanding of Japanese history and culture, especially on theconnection and difference between Shintoism and Zen Buddhism. Also, the home stay andgenerally my interactions with all the Japanese people I talked to really made a real impression
on me. I realized that despite the different cultures we live in, Japanese people and American
people have many of the same likes, dislikes, personalities, hobbies, and so on. Many of oursocial gaps can be closed simply through the learning of each others' languages, which thePrivacy - Terms

2014 JET Memorial Invitation Program has attempted to and successfully fostered. The
meticulous planning and scheduling that must have gone into making such a wonderfulprogram for us was undoubtedly very successful and fruitful.
This trip to Japan has only made me one hundred percent confident and sure of myself that I
will continue my Japanese studies into college and hopefully graduate school. I will beapplying to the JET program and hopefully I get in. To be given the opportunity to partake insuch a program would be another once in a lifetime endeavor. The conversational skills I
picked up in Japan have really enhanced my understanding of the language; so many things
just "click" inside my brain now. Before going to Japan, I remembered things in somewhat of aformulaic manner, objectively studying phrases and words. However, now I understand much of
the grammatical significance and actual connotations and denotations they hold simply by
hearing them all the time. Surely it will benefit me this coming school year, as I will be taking
my school's AP Japanese Language class and taking the AP Japanese Language test. A hugepart of the test is comprehension and listening skill competency, which I got so much practicedoing while in Japan. Hopefully it is enough to get me a 4 or a 5 on the exam, which is widely
regarded as one of the hardest, if not the hardest, AP foreign language exams offered by theCollege Board.
I am truly grateful for the thirty one lifetime friends I met upon the trip. Although we were only
together for nineteen days, I feel as if I have known them for a lifetime. We grew so close
simply because we spent every waking (and sleeping) moment together and were able to share
our life experiences with each other. Another connection between us all was our love of theJapanese language and the culture associated with it. Although I personally did not watch
much anime, read much manga, or listen to much J-pop as everyone else before this trip, they
have definitely rubbed off on me a bit and I have gotten into it. I am at the stage right before it
can be labelled an obsession. I am so close with some of them that even after returning toAmerica, we decided to meet up and spend time together because we cannot bear not all
being together anymore. It is very bittersweet, but the wonderful thing about technology is thatit allows us to stay connected with each other despite there being massive terrestrial distances
between us, which I am extremely thankful for. However, I feel like I speak for everyone on thetrip when I say that talking to the Japanese students at the various Elementary and Highschools, as well as our respective host families, when I say we all learned the true meaning of
the Japanese phrase "Ichi go ichi e", which roughly translates to something meaning "Onemeeting at one point in time". This saying, in essence, stresses the fact that we should treasure
the once in a lifetime experiences we get and to value them for what they are. Do not be sadonce they are over because the memories will always be there. If the experiences had lasted
forever, they would lose their value and not be as special as they are due to their ephemeral
nature. Although I am definitely sad that I am not in Japan anymore and that I cannot see mynew friends on a daily basis, I am thankful for the short time we got to spend together. Knowing
we only had short of three weeks together really caused me to make the most of every little
precious moment, and to never waste any time worrying or focusing on negative emotions. IPrivacy - Terms

could put aside all my troubles and worries in America and leave them at home. And for that I
am eternally indebted to the Japan Foundation. Thank you so much for experience of a lifetime.
I will never forget it.
If I could, I would have so much to say to Taylor Anderson and Montgomery Dickinson. I would
tell them that although they are no longer with us, their influence still resonates with us alleven to this day. Their legacy is greater than they could have ever imagined. It was such a
tragic loss to lose two such great people so early on in their lives, but through this tragedy somany beautiful relationships and experiences and foundations have been formed. We have alllearned to treasure life and to enjoy every moment thanks to them, and I wish they were here
in person to see the change they had on the world that they left too early.

NIPPON THROUGH MY EYES PHOTOSUBMISSION“HUNTY TACHI - Me and some of my closefriends on the beach, which was coincidentallythe free day we got because of the typhoon.”
I chose this picture mainly because of thesentimental value it holds for me. This was oneof the most fun during leisure time I had on thetrip and it was the day me and many of theother participants really started to grow close. I
remember everything about this beachadventure so vividly and I will never forget the friends I made. I am still in contact with themtoday.

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2015 Kakehashi ProjectJapanese Langauge Education Update 142014 J-LEAP Report: Hiromi Nagai2014 J-LEAP Report: Shunji Iwasaki

2014 JET-MIP Report: Thomas O'Donnell

2014 JET-MIP Report: Michelle Peterson

2014 JET-MIP Report: Gwenyth Nicoloro

2014 JET-MIP Report: Claire Nord

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